C.V. Writing tips for Apprenticeship Applicants

C.V. Writing tips for Apprenticeship Applicants

C.V. Writing tips for Apprenticeship Applicants C.V. stands for Curriculum Vitae which is Latin for the course of life. When writing your C.V, think about including the following information; Name and contact details Personal Profile (a short paragraph about yourself, include your qualities, e.g. hardworking, reliable etc.) Education/ Qualifications Work experience/ Employment History Key Skills (e.g. organisational skills, computer literacy etc.) Hobbies and Interests 2 x Referee details (could be a teacher/doctor or other professional) What does my e-mail address say about me? Make sure that your email address is appropriate when applying for jobs. fluffywuffybunnykins@hotmail.com may be fine amongst your friends but think about the impression it may give a potential employer. It is best to have a neutral address set up such as: firstname.lastname@hotmail.com Make sure you check this account regularly though as you won t want to miss out on any job offers! Should I use fancy lettering? Always use a clear, easy to read font when writing your C.V. You don t want to give the person reading it a headache! Use black ink on white or cream paper and space it out well. It needs to look professional. If the employer struggles to read your C.V. they may not bother. More hints and tips: When listing your Education or Employment History, make sure you do so in reverse date order (most recent first). This will make it easier for the employer to see what you have achieved so far. Make sure your contact details are accurate and you can be contacted. There is no point giving the employer a landline number if there is never anyone at home. If you never check your email account, you could miss important information or an interview date. Don t leave any unexplained gaps in your employment or education history as the employer may wonder what you have been doing during that time. If you have, for example, been travelling, taking time off to look after family or actively seeking employment make this clear on your C.V. Keep in contact with your referees and let them know that you are applying for jobs so that it doesn t come as a surprise if they get a reference request for you.

Use good quality plain paper and keep copies in a folder so they remain flat, clean and un-creased. Never fold your C.V. in half. If posting it, make sure you use a big enough envelope (and pay enough postage). Remember, the way your C.V. looks is a reflection of you. Don t be tempted to lie on your C.V. It should be an accurate reflection of your skills and abilities. The best thing to do is be positive and make the most of what you have. More often than not, if you lie on your C.V. you will be caught out. When writing about your work history, don t just give your job title and leave the employer to guess what you did, make sure you include a full description of your role. You should tailor your description to the job you are applying for and highlight the skills you have gained that are most relevant. That way, the employer can see at a glance that you have the experience they are looking for. If you are struggling to think of what your skills and strengths are ask a friend or family member. Asking someone else may give you a good insight into the qualities you have that would be valuable to an employer. Ideally your C.V. should be no longer than two pages. If you have a long career history or have had lots of jobs you may want to condense these to the most relevant. Usually an employer will want to see the last five years of your work history. Employers are busy people who receive hundreds of C.V.s these days. Try to make your C.V. reader-friendly. The layout should be easy on the eye. Try to avoid the temptation to cram as much information in as possible. In the case of your C.V. less is more. The reader should be able to quickly skim the C.V. and know exactly what your strengths and abilities are. Leave some space between the sections of your C.V. and also 2cm margins at the top and bottom of the page. This will make the content much easier to read and will make your C.V. look more professional. Student Services is open during term time and the holidays, you can make an appointment with our Careers Adviser for further help and advice about writing or updating your C.V. Please ring: 0800 306 306 to make an appointment.

How to structure your C.V. Name Use your first and family names, not a job title. Your C.V. should not exceed two pages. Use email friendly fonts like Ariel and Times New Roman. Contact Details List these at the top of the first page. Include your email address & mobile number, also a link to your website if you have one if it is career or work related. Don t use a jokey email or Facebook/Twitter page that could make you look unreliable or unprofessional. Profile This is a 30 to 40 word statement about what you are like to work with, please see example in italics below: Profile: An enthusiastic individual I approach tasks with results in mind. I am well organised and I can work well as part of a team or on my own. I like completing things on time, and making sure that I keep learning how to do things well and quickly. Qualifications If you are a recently qualified graduate list your qualifications by institution, course study dates, grade and subject. If you completed any project or dissertation work relevant to the jobs that you would like to do go into greater detail. Use up to 40 words to describe relevant course or degree work. See example in italics below: Qualifications: Academic institution York Sixth Form College Start date - Sept 2005 / Finish date - May 2007 Subjects studied A/S Level Maths, Physics & Music Grades achieved Maths B, Physics A, Music Theory B/ Performance grade 8 distinction

Work History If you have one; list your work history starting with your most recent and ending with your oldest one. If you haven t worked yet, miss this section out and go straight to hobbies and interests. See the work history example in italics below: Work history: Company name Start date: Month YYYY End date: Month YYYY Position, role or job title e.g. Events organiser - (maybe use bold or italics) Whilst working as an Events Organiser with company X I ran all of the events for on campus students including two foreign trips per year. I helped to increase profit for these events by 3% and saw attendance levels rise from 54% of under graduates to over 65% (on average). I was instrumental in building a Twitter & a Facebook page so that students could follow events and individual stories which created an on campus buzz and meant that people didn t want to miss out. Interests This is a really important section, as your work history (if you have one) is likely to be shorter than those of more mature candidates that may be competing for this job too. Show how what you have taken an interest in relates to the work that you want to do (where possible) and also identify work skills using 30-40 words. See the example in italics below: Interests I am a keen photographer and have won several awards for my work (Under 16 Photographer of the Year Canon Power Shot UK & Amateur Photographer of the Year Portsmouth Herald). I combine my love of events particularly gigs to try and capture that atmosphere and sense of adventure. Typically I will visit a venue before an event and take several set up shots, experimenting with light and exposure to get the best results. I put a lot of work into research before hand to stand the best chance of getting something special on film.

Apprenticeship C.V. layout 1 Fill in each section with your own details PERSONAL PROFILE YOUR NAME Y o u r p o s t a l a d d r e s s Phone: (landline and/or mobile) Email: xxxx@kent.ac.uk EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS year - year year year year School/college etc (name and town/city) A-levels or equivalent (subjects and grades) AS levels (if applicable subjects and grades) GCSEs or equivalent (subjects and grades optional) WORK EXPERIENCE Date[s] Name and location of employer Brief description of the work, your responsibilities, skills gained, etc Example: 2002-2004 Flora Motley Ltd, High Street, Canterbury INTERESTS AND ACTIVITIES Saturday Sales Assistant in fashion store, where my responsibilities included customer service, stock control, cash handling This involved me in advising and assisting customers, coping with problems and unexpected situations (such as a fire alarm) and taking responsibility for counting up and banking money

Fill in each section with your own details Your Name Address Phone Number Email address Personal Profile Education List most recent first. Include dates that you attended and qualifications you gained Achievements List academic and other achievements Work Experience Company Name, Dates of Employment Job Title, description, responsibilities Company Name, Dates of Employment Job Title, description, responsibilities Hobbies and Interests List volunteer experience, sports, clubs, etc as well as dates of involvement You can also briefly mention any hobbies or interests you have.