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Candidate toolkit - top tips for CV writing

Your CV is intended to showcase your skills and expertise to us as a potential future employer and put you top of the list for us to call you. This is your opportunity to shine and make first impressions last! Before you send us your CV, look at our Top Tips and ensure your CV is the best it can be… 

When applying for a job you could be up against 100's of other applicants. We want to see what makes YOU the stand out candidate

  • Show us your skills
  • Tell us what you can bring to our business
  • If possible, provide evidence of success, include sales results and figures

Presentation is Key

A successful CV is always carefully and clearly presented. We spend a small amount of time looking at your CV for key information – ensure it is in our eye-line, easy to read and find. A typical CV will include the following:

  • Profile – no more than a few sentences. Tailor this to the role you are applying for.
  • Career history - present your CV in reverse chronological order with your current role first, we can then immediately see your progression up the career ladder.
  • Key skills – again try and ensure these are a close match to the role you are applying for.
  • Education and training – If you have work experience in the field you are applying for, your school education can be listed and brief. It is important that any industry related qualifications are given more detail. If you have little work experience it is important for you to give details of grades gained to support your application.
  • Personal interests – Be selective in this area and consider the role(s) you are applying for. For example an interest in team sports such as football or netball evidences your capability to work in a team. Resist putting any interests that can lead to an instant judgement – for example enjoying time in the pub!

Tips to also consider

  • Full career history. Include correct job titles and company names with full dates of employment and ensure the format is used throughout your career history.
  • Mind the gap! Fill in any gaps in employment with detail – but not too much detail!
  • Consider the length. Your CV should ideally be no more than two pages of A4.
  • Check, check – and double check. Make sure your final CV doesn't have any spelling and grammar mistakes. You can use a computer spelling and grammar check, but it is also a good idea to get it checked by somebody else.

Toolbox Interview tips and techniques

When your CV successfully makes you stand out - you'll need to start preparing for your interview.

Click here for our top tips and techniques for interviews...