Even though here at PitchMe, we dream of a job-search free of CVs, we appreciate the fact that it might not be immediately possible. Hence, here is a check-list of great information and structural ideas which you should include in your CV.
CV Structure
- Name
- Address
- Email address – Tip: do not use childish or weird email addresses. Stay professional.
- Phone number
- Visa requirements – Tip: adding information whether you require a visa or not is helpful for employers and can improve your employability in recruitment after Brexit.
- Personal statement – Tip: try to write a concise statement of up to 100 words. It should summarise your skills and achievements, and outline your career goals.
- Education/Work Experience — Think ‘Most recent, most relevant’. If you are a recent graduate, put your education at the top of your CV. If you are a professional looking for new career opportunities, start by summarising your most recent work experience. Use active verbs to describe your work experience (‘achieved’, ‘created’, ‘conducted research’, ‘implemented strategy’, etc). Names of references are not necessary in a CV, but you can add them in this section, if you feel it might be relevant.
- Skills and achievements — Think ‘Specific knowledge’. Include information about foreign languages, technical skills and industry related knowledge.
- Interests. Include information about your personal interests and hobbies. It can be something that is not related to the position you are going to apply for. Avoid generic interests like ‘reading’, ‘running’, ‘writing’, focus on something that will help you stand out from other candidates. The more memorable and unique the better!
Do not include*
- Your photograph
- Your gender
- Your date of birth
- Your primary and secondary schools
- Long paragraphs
- Irrelevant experiences, education etc (for example bar experience when applying for an IT job)
*Do not include these bits if not specified otherwise.
Before you send out your CV. PitchMe check-list
Before you send out your CV, ensure it is ready to go. To do this, you can use PitchMe check-list.
- Check the name, email address and the phone number are correct.
- Check the personal statement is not too long and corresponds to the position you apply for.
- Check the document for typos. Use spell checking programmes or ask someone reliable to have a look at your CV.
- Check the style is unique for the document. If you use bullet points to summarise your most recent work experience, use them everywhere.
- Check the dates in the document. Look for inaccuracies or unexplained breaks between jobs.
- Check the formatting is correct and consistent throughout the document. Try to avoid over editing, i.e. using too many kinds of fonts, too many colours, too many sizes. Do not use childish or funny fonts. Keep it readable and concise. Stay professional.
Work experience
If you are new to the job market and are struggling to select any relevant work experience, check out our blog on how to “find” work experience without having any! Check the tips on finding a job as a graduate without work experience HERE!
Skills to include in your CV
Depending on the position you are applying for, the skills you include in your resume might affect your application massively. We understand the struggle of self-evaluation and self-reflection. Sometimes, we do not realise the skills we have that can be useful in our future career! Did you know, that even playing video games can improve your skills that can be important when looking for a job? You can read about it more HERE!
If you struggle to find your skills yourself, we can help you with that! If you are new here, let us tell you a bit about PitchMe. PitchMe is an AI-based platform that extracts your hard and soft skills from your online presence to help you to get matched with your best-fit job, for free. We capture your skills, measure them and pitch you to employers.
Completing the SmartMe profile takes less than 5 minutes! After linking your website and social media accounts, you get lists and charts explaining and gathering all your soft and hard skills!
You can then use your profile to apply for jobs on our platform, for free and no CV is needed! Sign up now and build your SmartMe profile!
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