How to Write a CV in English?

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I have noticed that there has been a lot of interest in our previous post about preparing for a job interview and since I've just come across another very useful video about job-search, I've decided to share it with you. Let me know what you think.

What information should be at the top of my CV?

The information you should put at the top of your CV is your full name, your address, your email address and your telephone number.


What information should be in the main body of my CV?


CV Writing:
What information should be in the main body of my CV?

In the main body of your CV, the most important information you need to put in is a passage to sell yourself to your future employer. This part of your CV should say something like, "I am a lively, enthusiastic team worker," or, "I am a very strong sales person with proven track history." Following on from that selling statement, you then need to cover your employment history with no gaps, and include information about your educational history with all the grades.

Do I need to add dates of my work history?

CV Writing:
Do I need to add dates of my work history?

It's very important that you put the correct dates of your work history on your CV. The one thing that employers don't want to see is gaps. If you finished a job in a certain month, put the month that you finished. If there's a gap of three months or four months between starting a new job, put on your CV that you were unemployed, or that you went travelling, etc. An employer does not want to see a gap on a CV. The reason for that is they will suspect that maybe something else is going on. They don't need to have to probe into those sorts of areas.

Do I need to add descriptions of my jobs in my work history?

CV Writing:
Do I need to add descriptions of my jobs in my work history?

In the work history section of your CV, you'll be including the titles of roles you have had. It's also a good idea to give your employer an idea of what that job was all about, so include a job description, too. You may want to list some duties and responsibilities that you had within certain jobs.

What is a Personal Statement / Value Statement, and do I need to include one?

CV Writing:
What is a Personal Statement Value Statement, and do I need to include one?

It's very important that you include a Personal Statement in the main body of your CV. The reason for this is the employers looking at the type of person that you are. Don't make it too generic. If you are a strong salesman with a proven track history, put that specific statement down. If you're a good communicator with strong teamworking skills, put that example down. And if you can give an example of why you are like that so much the better. It's your opportunity to sell yourself to your future employer.

Note: We will look at how to write your Personal Statement in our next post.

What is the ideal length for a CV?

CV Writing:
What is the ideal length for a CV?

The ideal length of a CV should be two pages of eight-fourths. If it runs to five or six, then the employer is going to lose interest. They don't want to wait through that much information on you. Certainly I understand that if it runs over two pages a little bit that's fine. The one danger you have is trying to squeeze it all on two pages and you make the font unreadable because it's so small. So just over two pages is fine. Certainly five or six is much much too much.

How long will a potential employer spend looking at my CV?

CV Writing:
How long will a potential employer spend looking at my CV?

Your potential employer will only look at your CV the first time for about 90 seconds. Remember, they've got a lot of CVs that they're going through, so it's absolutely essential that you capture their attention very, very quickly. You can do this by having a very strong values statement, in terms of selling yourself, in the main bulk of your CV. That's where they're going to look first.

What typical errors do people make in CVs?

CV Writing:
What typical errors do people make in CVs?

The typical errors that people make in CVs are typing errors and spelling errors. Put your CV through a spellchecker, read it through yourself thoroughly and get somebody else to proofread it for you as well. If it has any errors, no matter how simple they are, that CV will potentially get rejected. Other areas that you may find people making mistakes with CVs are in the use of too many fonts, which make it look very messy, and the overuse of colour, trying to make it look too jazzy. Employers reject CVs on those bases.


VOCABULARY:

a passage - a short piece of writing

generic - general, something that doesn't say anything about you specifically

a proven track history - (expression used mainly in recruitment) you can prove that you actually achieved what you say you have achieved.

'I know I am a good sales person. I have a proven track record of closing sales; when I worked for ABC Ltd, I sold advertising space for £200,000.'

strong teamworking skills - you work very well in a team

essential - very, very important

to capture their attention - to get them interested

values statement  - (expression used mainly in recruitment) the part of your CV where it says what kind of a person you are (character traits, achievements, etc)

the main bulk of your CV - the body of your CV, the main part

to proofread  - to read and check if there aren't any mistakes

fonts - letters and symbols in a particular design and size. For example: Times New Roman, Arial, Verdana, etc.

Would you like somebody to help you prepare for a job interview, or write a CV? 

Go to Ad_Lib English website and book a trial lesson.

You will also be able to do a FREE GRAMMAR TEST that will tell you how well you know English grammar.