CV advice Sending out a blanket batch of CVs isn't worth the cost or the effort. Tailor your resume to specific employers and keep your industry in mind at all times. First, formatting is very important: your CV should be clear and neat, readable. For instance, the formatting of the dates everywhere in the CV should be consistent. You should highlight the important points of your profile. As you are still students, you should put qualifications before experience. Include a profile and use of clear section headings and bullet points to enhance legibility. Example of sections: career experience section - key skills and achievements - personal section Match your CV to the job ad Sending out a blanket batch of CVs isn t worth the cost or the effort. Tailor your resume to specific employers and keep your industry in mind at all times. Your CV is competing with hundreds of others so you need to make sure the job you are applying for is highly relevant to your experience and former job titles and you need to include the right keywords for recruiter searches just to get to the first stage of getting your CV read. A CV should be targeted to a specific field position. If you are interested in a specific role, your CV should be tailored to match the job description. Interests and hobbies Keeping their private lives a secret may be a full-time job for some footballers and MPs but, if you want to get your dream job, then make what you do in your private life as public as possible. Detailing your interests and extra-curricular activities is always a bit embarrassing, like writing an ad for the lonely hearts page of the local paper. But your CV will probably be read by people who will have no other insight into your personality, skills or potential than what is laid out before them. Conventional careers advice has been to list only those activities which are directly related to the job. But many employers are now scanning CVs for more offbeat interests as evidence of creativity, personality and enthusiasm. An intriguing list of free-time pursuits can also make up for lack of work-related experience, gaps in your knowledge, or even missing qualifications. The interests part is crucial to achieving what your CV really sets out to achieve - getting an interview. Don't bet on it swinging you the job but it will get you on the shortlist. Some employers value extra-curricular activities higher than others, but many companies, particularly those in client-facing industries, are seeking as diverse a group of graduates as possible. After all, the V in CV stands for 'vitae' - Latin for life - and the interests part of your application is the ideal opportunity for you to prove you have a life. A wide range of interests always looks good because the employer will want to see that you can fit into different environments with ease. In professions like accountancy, consulting and law, the importance of client relationships means employers are eager to find candidates with a wide range of outside interests. A broad spectrum of interests suggests to an employer that you are able to get on with other people from different backgrounds and of varying levels of seniority. The interests section can make it easy for the recruiter to understand you, your values and what motivates you. Why make an unsubstantiated claim like "I work well in teams" if you can demonstrate it by telling the employer you play hockey for a local club? Many job advertisements now specify a range of desired traits, so match these to your leisure interests. Offer variety and avoid lists. Specific detail is what makes it interesting to the reader, so give examples and emphasise any significant achievements related to your interests. If you are, for example, applying for a management trainee position, your interests should point out your interpersonal and leadership skills. Writing down "Captain of football team" is not as good as "While captain of my university football team I organised practices and led the team to a national final." There are a few no-nos. Steer clear of extreme sports as these suggest you are a compulsive liar. Mentioning your pets will make you sound nice but wet. List polo as your favourite pastime and employers may think you'll buy the company if the fancy takes you. And of course, anything to do with railways - trainspotting, steam rallies, ticket collecting - is career suicide. Should you lie? Of course not but there are ways of making the most of even a pathetic ragbag of interests. For example, a passion for, say, 19th century French literature sounds much more positive than an interest in "reading".
British-style CV DESIGN How should I design the layout of my CV? There are many ways to design a CV. There are important points to consider when preparing an effective CV. It should be clear, concise, complete, and up-to-date with current employment and educational information. This is an example with some advice on the format. Always type your CV. Print your CV on good quality white paper. The paper size should be A4. Usually you should not attach a photograph. Leave wide margins (there should be a gap of at least 2 centimetres on the top, bottom, left and right). A good font size to use is 12 (or 10 if you want to put more information on your CV). The document should use only one font style, for example Times New Roman. Use bold (Bold) or italics (Italics) to emphasise important words. Only underline section titles (or do not underline any words). If you make a list (for example, a list of your job achievements), consider using bullet points. Try to keep the CV on one side of paper, or use two sides if you have a lot of relevant work experience or qualifications. Keep your sentences short and simple. A typical section order is: - Name - Address - Employment - Education - Other skills - Personal details SECTIONS Name When writing your name, always put your own name first and your family name last (even if you write the family name first in your own country). Address Include the full postcode in your address. Make sure that you will be able to collect all mail sent to this address (if you move, ask the owner to forward letters to you). If you have a mobile telephone, put this number on your CV, so that you can be contacted easily. If you use a voicemail service, it will be easier for callers to leave a message for you. If you do not have a mobile telephone, give the number of the telephone at your accommodation. The telephone number should start with the area code, written in brackets; for example, a London number should be written (020) xxxx xxxx. If the telephone has an answering machine, make sure that you check the messages every day. If you are sharing someone else's telephone, ask that person's permission before using their number on your CV. Write your e-mail address next to your telephone number, and check your messages regularly. Employment Create two columns Use the left-hand column for dates. For start and end dates, use either full years (eg 1998-2000) or the first three letters of the month followed by the last two digits of the year (eg Jun 98-Sep 00) In the right-hand column, provide information about each of your job roles. Start by writing the name of the company (in bold) and its location. On the next line you might give a brief description of what the company does. You might give a title for your job (and perhaps a department name) on another line (highlighting this in bold italics) You should list your main responsibilities and achievements within each role (perhaps using bullet
points) List the most recent jobs first. Give more detail for recent jobs. Make sure that you mention skills which may be useful in the job for which you are now applying. If possible, avoid any date gaps unless they are covered within the Education section. Don't mention how much you were paid. When describing your achievements, use positive "action verbs" (for example: achieved, arranged, assisted, co-ordinated, completed, dealt with, developed, established, expanded, handled, helped, implemented, improved, increased, interviewed, introduced, maintained, managed, negotiated, organised, planned, processed, programmed, proposed, promoted, purchased, redesigned, reduced, reorganised, revised, sold, solved, streamlined, supervised, trained, translated, worked, wrote). You should not use the word "I" on your CV; this is understood. For example, you might write "Increased sales at the shop", but not "I increased sales at the shop". Education Remember that the person reading your CV may not be familiar with the education system in your country. Create two columns. Use the left-hand column for the dates. For start and end dates, use either full years (eg 1998-2000) or the first three letters of the month followed by the last two digits of the year (eg Jun 98-Sep 00) In the right-hand column, list the name of the school or university on one line, followed by further details (the course name or the number of exam subjects passed) on the next line. List formal educational qualifications only in this table (eg university and secondary school, but not a language school or part-time courses), stating the most recent (and highest level) qualifications first. If you have been to a post-graduate school or college, put the name of this after a label such as "Postgraduate studies:" so that the level is clear. If you have been to a university, use the word "University" in the name, or put a label such as "University:" before the name so that the level is clear. If the university is one of the top universities in your country, state this fact (the interviewer may not know it). State the name of the town and country after the university's name. In the description, put the name of the main subject studied (try to avoid using the words "major" or "minor", which are used in American English). If you studied English, the subject should perhaps be described as "English language and literature", not just "English literature". Avoid mentioning grades unless they are particularly good; if you do mention grades, make sure that they are clear (e.g. "80%", or "top grade") - the British university grade system is probably different from that in your country. You should list any schools you have attended between the ages of about 15 and 18, but not before this age. You should add the label "Secondary school:" before the name of the school, or include the words "High School" in the name. If you took exams in a wide range of subjects, you may prefer to list only the number of subjects passed instead of the subject names, or if you have been to university you may choose not to list any secondary school qualifications. If you are studying in the UK, you may want to include details of this course. If so, write this in a line under the main table. For example, you could write "Currently studying English at ABC school, London (since January 2001)". Other skills If you have other skills or qualifications which you believe may be relevant, you can list these. For example: English exams which you have passed (eg "Passed Cambridge First Certificate of English"). Computer skills (eg "Good knowledge of standard office software, including e-mail and the internet") Typing speed (only mention this if you are applying for data entry or secretarial jobs) An international driving licence (only mention this if you may need to drive for the job) Personal details Create two columns; use the left-hand column for labels and the right-hand column for information. The exact list of personal details you want to give may depend on your circumstances and what the job requires, but the list below will give you a guide.
Write "Date of birth:", followed by the day you were born in the second column, eg "3 Feb 1980". Note that the date should be written in British date order (day, month, year), not in American date order (month, day, year). Write "Nationality:", followed by your nationality eg "Japanese". You may want to write "Gender:", followed by "Male" or "Female", if this is not obvious to a British person from your name. Whether you are a man or a woman may be relevant for some jobs. Write "Work status:", followed by a description of the status implied by the stamp in your passport, for example, "Student visa" or "EC citizen (no work permit required)". Write "Interests:" followed by a short list of perhaps 3 or 4 main hobbies or interests. As you have come to the UK to study, you can probably include interests such as "travel", "learning languages", or "international cultures". Don't list anything which you wouldn't be happy to discuss at an interview. Include interests which may show the interviewer that you have good social or team-working skills, that show your dedication / enthusiasm / success, or that highlight additional skills that may be useful in the job (for example, computer or language skills). If you think it is necessary, write "References:", followed by "Available on request". You should only provide references if your employer asks for them. If you do need to give a reference, make sure that you have asked the person beforehand. Possible referees include a teacher or previous employer. It may complicate your application if you give the name of a referee who lives abroad; if you want to do this, make sure that the person will be able to provide comments in English, and give an e-mail address so that delays can be minimised. COVERING LETTER If you are sending an application directly to a potential employer, you should write a one-page letter to accompany your CV (a "covering letter"). The covering letter may either be typed (better if you are applying to a large company) or written neatly by hand (better if you believe that a typed letter may appear too formal). There is an example covering letter shown below. If you know the name of the person who is dealing with the job applications, you can start the letter with "Dear Mr Smith" or "Dear Ms Smith" (you can use "Dear Mrs Smith" if you know she is married; if the person has a title you should use it, for example "Dear Professor Smith"), and in this case you should end the letter with "Yours sincerely". If you do not know the name of the person, you should start the letter with "Dear Sir" or "Dear Sir/Madam", and end the letter with "Yours faithfully". If you are applying for a particular job vacancy, write which job you are applying for (including a reference number if there is one) and where you saw the advertisement. Briefly describe why you think you are suitable for the job; mention any relevant work experience or qualifications which you have. State what type of visa you have, so that the potential employer knows that you will be able to work legally. You may want to mention the level of your English ability. Explain in your letter how you can be contacted. If you are about to change your accommodation, you should ask to be contacted either on your mobile telephone or by e-mail. If you give the telephone number of your host family, you should ask them for their permission first, and you should check if they have an answering machine. Examples of CV and covering letter:
Employment AKIKO TANAKA 52 Orchard Street, London W2 3BT Telephone: 020-7654 3210; Mobile: 07960 999999; E-mail: akiko9999@hotmail.com 1999-2001 Natural Group, Tokyo, Japan A manufacturer and retailer of natural foods and supplements in Japan Sales Assistant Advised the main shop's customers about organic and health foods Developed new business in smaller satellite stores, explaining the benefits of supplements and organic food to potential new customers Increased sales at both the main and the satellite shops. The extra profits were used to expand the business by establishing a new shop 1997-1999 Sony Corporation, Tokyo, Japan A Japanese conglomerate which develops and manufactures consumer and industrial electronic equipment world-wide Education Administration Assistant, General Affairs Department Examined incoming mail and redirected this to the appropriate division Translated foreign letters (written in English) into Japanese Customs Clearance Officer, Import Division, Sony Air Cargo Completed reports (e.g. bills of entry) to facilitate the import of goods from abroad Dealt with customs enquiries and procedures Sep 2001 - Britannia School of English, London English language school; passed Cambridge First Certificate exam in June 2002 1993-1997 Meikai University, Chiba, Japan Degree in International Relations Other Skills Computer literate: good knowledge of Word and Excel, as well as e-mail and the internet Fluent in Japanese; practical knowledge of English and Korean Personal Details Date of Birth 6 January 1975 Nationality Japanese Gender Female Work status Student visa Interests Studying English, visiting museums, playing golf
Fortnum & Mason's 181 Piccadilly London W1A 1ER Akiko Tanaka 52 Orchard Street London W2 3BT Mobile: 07960 999999 E-mail: akiko9999@hotmail.com 3 August 2002 Dear Sir/Madam, Re: Job as a part-time sales assistant (reference: JBW5014) I would like to apply for the job of a part-time sales assistant in the food section of Fortnum & Mason's in Piccadilly, as advertised in Loot Recruit on 2 August. Please find attached a copy of my CV. My previous jobs include two years as a sales assistant in an organic food shop in Japan. This has given me experience of dealing with customers, as well as cashier skills and a basic knowledge of food retailing. I have been living in London since last September, and am currently studying English at a language school. I have good English communication skills (recently I passed the Cambridge First Certificate in English exam). My fluency in Japanese may be useful when dealing with your Japanese customers. I am an enthusiastic worker, and enjoy working in a team. My student visa entitles me to work up to 20 hours per week (or longer during my school holidays), and I could start work immediately. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss the job vacancy with you on the telephone or at an interview. I can be contacted most easily on my mobile telephone or by e-mail (see details at the top of this letter). Yours faithfully, Akiko Tanaka