CV Workshop

Writing your CV

A curriculum vitae (CV) is a great way to showcase your skills, experience and personality to an employer.

When you are applying for a role, it helps to explain your level of understanding about a particular sector and your transferrable skills.

However, with so many templates, formats and guidelines, it can be a minefield trying to understand where to start.

Should you include a photo of yourself? Do you need to list your full address? Should you include soft skills?

These are all very common questions.

Common Misconceptions

Writing a CV is confusing. Below, we distinguish between what is MYTH and what is FACT.

Myth

You need to include your full address so they can contact you.

Adding a picture helps to identify you from the rest.

Once you create a CV template, you can send it to multiple employers.

Fact

Adding your full address might have been necessary before the invention of emailing but not now! Simply adding the area you live in is enough.

You don't need to add a picture! A CV is memorable without a picture.

Incorrect! You need to tailor your CV to each role you apply for.

Let's go over the key principles

Although a CV is a great way to show off your personalised skills and experience, there are a few rules regarding CV writing:

Don’t lie – this will only cause you a future headache. Employers can quickly spot if you’re lying and may even do a background check to validate these claims.
Check grammar and spelling – it’s obvious, but many people make this mistake.
Clarity is important – recruiters only spend a few seconds scanning your CV. Make sure it is inviting and easy to read.
Contact details - first impressions count. Ensure you have a professional email.

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Tailoring your CV to tech

Personalising your CV to the sector you want to pursue is key.

For a career in tech, this can include mentioning your technical abilities and skills, ensuring you highlight examples of this in your work experience and education.

You can make this easy to read by including the level of competence. For example:

Expert: Python, Linux
Intermediate: JavaScript
Basic: Test Director, Mercury Quality Centre

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