A Resume or C.V. (Curriculum Vitae) is a brief overview of your work history, experience and qualifications. A good resume is vital when looking for work and is worth spending time getting it right!

 

What you need to include:

 

You must understand that there is no perfect template, each resume will be different dependant on the person and the job. However, according to several experts, there are a set of basic rules on how a resume should be written and what it should contain.

Your resume should:

• Be neat (preferably typed).
• Be short, usually no more than two sides of A4 paper.
• Be positive. You should emphasise your achievements, strengths and successes.
• Make a good first impression.

 

Your resume should include:

• Personal details including: name, address, phone number, email addresses (if you have one). Note: Due to age discrimination rules, you no longer need to include your date of birth
• Career history, putting your most recent job first (Including dates). If you don’t have much work experience, you could include any temporary or voluntary work
• A personal profile which shows off your qualities, skills and experience, tailored towards the job you are applying for. You should include positive words such as ‘confident’ and ‘adaptable’ etc.
• Achievements from previous jobs. (Make sure these are relevant to the job you are applying for
• Qualifications and training from previous jobs e.g. First Aid training, Health & Safety certificates etc. (Put in most recent first)
• Interests. List only those that are relevant and may support you application e.g. activities which highlight relevant skill and responsibilities
• Any other information, such as reasons for a career change or reasons for gaps in career history, such as caring for children or elderly relatives.
• References. It’s good to have two or more people who can provide a work or personal reference. Ideally, one should be your most recent employer. If you haven’t worked for a while it could be someone who has known you for a long time.

 

Example Resume

 

The Directgov website has resume example templates for you to download. Click on the links below (Requires Acrobat Reader):

• resume template example One
• resume template example Two

Each resume needs to be tailored towards your own skills, experiences and your job application.

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