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We’re happy to share some tips on how to write your CV. Our colleague Sarah, seasoned recruiter, trainer, and coach, has a keen eye for detail and a passion for helping individuals get jobs through a well written CV. Read on to find out more. 

The Dos: 

• Do explain career gaps – it’s better to explain the gap in your job history than leave employers to guess. You can use explanations such as ‘career break’, ‘studying, ‘travelling’, ‘mental health break’, ‘looking for work’ etc.  

• Do make your CV simple and relevant – you only need to include the last 7-10 years of your career history. This will help you keep your CV to 1-2 pages. 

• Do use tools to help craft your CV – tools such as Grammarly are free and you can check the spelling and grammar of your CV. You can also download templates from Google or use free CV builders or formatters. 

• Do put your desired job role at the top of your CV – this helps tell employers what you’re looking to do in your next job as it may not always be obvious from your work history. 

• Do use keywords – most employers look for keywords in CVs that are relevant to the job role. For example, if you are looking for a warehouse position, keywords such as ‘stock control’, ‘picking and packing’, ‘shipping and dispatch’ may be useful. 

• Do use job boards – upload your CV and make it visible to employers. You can also activate job alerts to find roles relevant to you. Good ones include Total Jobs, Reed and Indeed. 

• Do consider writing a cover letter – this can help you tailor your CV to the role, especially if you have been out of work or considering a job change.  

• Do pick up the phone – this can help your chance of success if you phone before to ask questions or follow up your application with a quick call. Ask for the hiring manager.  

• Do set up a LinkedIn account – it’s free and you can do this on your phone. You can find jobs there and even make connections with others. Copy and paste the content onto your LinkedIn profile and use the ‘Easy Apply’ button to begin applying for jobs. 

The Don’ts: 

• Don’t use AI (artificial intelligence) to write your CV for you – AI such as ChatGPT can be helpful to get ideas but shouldn’t be used to write your whole CV. Some employers have AI detection technology which means they will know you haven’t written it yourself and may discard your CV. 

• Don’t job hunt alone – speak to recruitment agencies who can help you find local jobs. It can be tiring and frustrating searching online, and they have access to additional job boards and know what employers are looking for.  

• Don’t write off temporary work – temp roles can often be available immediately and can sometimes lead to permanent work. Even if it’s for a short while, you’ll still get paid and may pick up some skills while there. 

• Don’t just list job responsibilities on your CV – use the STAR method: 

• Situation – begin by describing the content or situation you were involved with. This could be a specific project, task or challenge. 

• Task – explain the specific task or objective you need to accomplish in that situation. What were you trying to achieve? 

• Action – detail the actions you took to address the task or challenge. What steps did you personally take to tackle the situation? 

• Result – finally, describe the outcome of your actions. What were the results of your efforts? 

• Don’t write a long profile summary – keep it to a brief overview of your experience including the types of companies and roles you’re looking for. 

• Don’t use the word ‘I’ too often – instead use strong action verbs at the beginning of your sentences such as ‘Accountable for’, ‘Responsible for’, ‘Created’, ‘Developed’ etc. 

• Don’t include irrelevant information – hobbies and interests may take up space that is better used for your work experience. Save this for your interview if you want. 

• Don’t include references on your CV – you can provide these when requested during interview stages. Employers shouldn’t contact your references without your permission, so use that space to sell your skills.  

We hope these tips are helpful and if you’d be interested in attending a CV workshop to help find a job, register your interest by emailing citeam@ccha.biz.