Help with CV.

Noelie

Hi guys,

I'm looking for a little help with what to put into and what to leave out of my CV.
For education should I include what Secondary school I went to, I'm not talking about results only stating what school i went to. Also for college I was only going to put down the college and my overall mark in each course, should I put in some of the main subjects or leave them out.

For work experience, I've only had the one job since leaving college, but while in college I worked in a Super Valu, I worked there for over 9 years. I was going to put this in as it shows I do stick with a job and don't tend to move around much. I wasn't going to give any more detail other than the dates i worked there for.

Thanks.

AARRRGH

Leave out Secondary School, put in your final College grade (e.g. First Class Honours, or Merit, or Pass, or whatever.)

Put the Spar job in. It shows you stick around.

grainne_t

I'd probably put in the secondary school name & dates you were there..I'd also put in the College and final grade, but if you were applying for a particular job that was inline with subjects you studied in college, I'd throw a couple of those subjects in as well.
I would put in the SuperValu job as well and list some of your responsibilities.

Vokes

I agree with dublindude, once you've graduated from college and have had a job since then, there is no need to include your secondary school education.

Include the Super Valu thing.

Noelie

Cheers guys

jetsonx

Noelie wrote:

I wasn't going to give any more detail other than the dates i worked there for.

do you really think that's a good idea. You could have been the manager or
were sweeping floors for 9 years. More detail needed.

fret_wimp

1. A CV is the most important tool you use in getting a job. Before an employer sees you or hears anything from you, its all they have to distinguish you from the other applicants. Therefore it must stand out, show you are organised, be well laid out, show you redeaming qualities and expirience at a moments glance.

2. It should show you can SPELL! sorry, but as basic as that sounds, most CV's have spelling mistakes.

3. Now, a CV is not a standard document. A CV will differ depending on the job you are going for and the area you are working in , eg, a cv for an IT guy will look and feel very different from a cv for an Engineer, and even for two sepearate IT jobs, the CV's will still be quite different. Always tailor a CV to the job

4. There are always standard things to have in a cv. Contact details, education, expirience, etc. The way they are laid out and what is emphasised matters. I am in IT and my expirience in my CV is heavily weighted towards databases as thats my chosen area.I have expirience in other areas, and although i mention it, its only mentioned to show i know that area, if the employer wants to know more, they can ask me about that specific niche area of my expertise.

5. Put in your hobbies/interests. It may seem trivial but it shows your a person, and not just a a qualification looking for a job. if possible have some interesting hobbies so you will stand out. eg. I can unicycle and its on my cv. my employer still asks to see my unicycle and for me to bring it into work. It wasnt a lie, and it helped me stand out.

6. Take a few weeks to do your cv and plan every single word in it.

7.as for education, list your qualifications starting with the highest ranking. Id leave out the leaving cert unless they ask for it. the fact that you have a college qualification generally means you have a leaving cert.

8. put certificates/qualifications gained since working in a different section in your cv. this will show the qualifications you got since starting work, and show that you have drive and can push yourself to excel and grow even when under the pressure of everyday work.

9. With regards to expirience. If you have enough expirience related to the job your applying for, leave out other stuff like summer jobs, shop work etc, unless it has something excellent that demonstrates how perfect you would be for the job. Employers want to see how your expirience has made you capiable to take on the work in the role they are offering. eg A applications developer would not put down the 3 years he worked in a pub during college. it has no relivance, no matter how difficult the job was. I say only put in whats relivant as you dont want a cv thats too long. i try to limit mine to 2 pages. it will soon span 3 pages, but with you just having left college, 2 pages should be more than enough for a cv. any more than that and it becomes an effort for an employer to read it.

I know these are only general guidelines, but they helped me a lot. my first cv out of college looks nothing like my current one.

Pablo

if you are still looking for help, see the thread about CVs in my sig.

That was a nice summary fret_wimp. I would also mention that you should really tailor your CV to each application or type of job you are applying for. This is to insure you have those special keywords in your CV, i.e. some of the requirements in the ad for the job position you are applying for.