Contact details
~ Name.
~ Address.
~ Telephone numbers, plus mobile number if you have one. If you don’t want them to 30 Write a Winning CV leave a message at work, add ‘no messages’ after the work number.
~ E-mail address. Never give a work e-mail address. This implies you use your employer’s e-mail for personal purposes, and prospective employers may assume you will do the same to them!
Qualifications
~ School examinations. List them in full, with subjects if you have little or no experience. If you have work experience, just list the number of passes, saving space to write more relevant things.
~ Professional qualifications. Give the full name as well as the letters – prospective employers may not know what they mean!
~ Degree or higher qualification. Give the university or college. You don’t have to give grades, but if you have a good grade, why not?
~ Other qualifications. Do not include Presenting the Positive 31 ‘other’ qualifications, such as night classes, hobby-type courses, etc. unless they are relevant – for example, if you have little or no work experience, ‘learning French at evening class’ may indicate that you are willing and able to be trained.
~ Failures. Never mention any exams/courses failed.
Other skills or experience
~ Include relevant information that won’t be highlighted in the main part of the CV, for example: Cricket Club Treasurer shows accounting ability School Governor shows responsibility, and awareness of educational issues
~ Avoid hobbies and sporting interests unless they are relevant and say something about your skills and abilities. 32 Write a Winning CV
~ Do not include websites unless they are professional in content and relevant to the job. They will rarely help you get a job unless you are in advertising, marketing, art, design, etc.
Hobbies and interests
Avoid these unless they are really relevant.
References
Never include these. Give them when asked for later. Some unscrupulous recruiters have been known to use them as possible candidates!
Type of work sought
Never write a paragraph about what you’re looking for. Most employers don’t care – they care about that they’re looking for. Use the space to convince them it’s you!
Summary of yourself
It’s becoming common to see a short paragraph summarising yourself. This is what I call the ‘ten second sales pitch’ – the section to get the employer’s attention and persuade them to read the rest of the CV. This is especially relevant if you have little or no work experience to refer to.