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How To Write A Graduate CV
The old saying "You never get a second chance to make a
first impression" is absolutely true when it comes to
applying for graduate jobs and your CV is the first opportunity
you will get to impress a potential employer. If your CV
is not carefully written you may never get a second
chance.
What Format Do You Use?
The difference between a Graduate CV/Postgraduate CV and
the CV of a person established in the workplace (sometimes
called a Performance CV) is predominately one of emphasis.
A Performance CV is written in reverse chronological
order, beginning with Profile, then a list of
Achievements, Career History, Skills, Education, Personal
Information and Interests. It is designed to highlight
achievements and responsibilities in a person’s career.
The main emphasis is on job titles and the companies they
have worked for.
As a graduate this can seem intimidating as you suddenly
realise that three years hard academic study doesn’t seem
to provide enough experience to complete a CV.
Your emphasis, therefore, should be on the ‘Profile’ and
‘Achievements’ sections of your CV, which are in the focal
point, i.e. one third down from the top of the page, where
it is thought that the human eye is naturally drawn.
The format can be the same as the Performance CV because:
1. It is the most popular and therefore makes it easy for
the reader to scan your CV quickly and find the
information they need.
2. The ‘Education’ section provides a concise list of
qualifications that, although valuable, may not
distinguish you enough from other applicants for you to be
invited for interview. Therefore this section can remain
further down the Graduate CV just as it is on the
Performance CV whilst a summary is written in the
‘Profile’ and ‘Achievements’ sections.
Profile
This is a statement in the focal point of your CV that
summarises what you have to offer. The key is to emphasise
the transferable skills gained while at Uni that will be
of benefit to a potential employer. Examples could be
drawn from your educational achievements, foreign travel,
work experience, and involvement in clubs and voluntary
work. You must be specific and concise and a full
description of your skills with evidence should be written
elsewhere in the Graduate CV. The reader should be able to
see that the skills described in the ‘Profile’ are
relevant to the vacancy they are trying to fill otherwise
they may not bother reading any further.
Achievements
This section should be used only to highlight specific
achievements that are relevant to the job for which you
are applying. It is a good idea to complete it after you
have written the rest of your Graduate CV/Postgraduate CV.
Pick out a maximum of six, preferably write them in bullet
points and if you cannot think of any then leave this
section out altogether.
Work Experience
Both employers and students know that the University
environment is unique and very different to the full-time
workplace. Employers need to have re-assurance that you
have had experience in the ‘real world’. Your work
experience therefore is very important on your post
graduate CV, whether it was a summer job, part-time work,
voluntary, or an industrial placement.
Any job will have provided you with valuable skills and
experience that should be highlighted to an employer and
linked to the requirements of the job.
For example: A part-time job in the local petrol station
provides cash-handling skills, customer service
experience, diplomacy, stock control, ability to accept
responsibility, able to work in a team and/or work on your
own initiative, willing to learn new skills,
trustworthiness, hardworking, able to cope with routine
tasks.
Skills
This section gives you an opportunity to list your
computer skills, languages, and any extra-curricular
courses you have taken outside your degree. Make sure you
include the level you have achieved, for example: fluent
German, conversational Italian, regular use of all
Microsoft Office Applications.
Education
Start with your most recent qualification, which may be
your degree or a post-graduate course. Do not list every
course or module that you have studied but include any
that are relevant to the job you are applying for
including presentations, projects and travel as part of
your course. Only include grades if they are impressive.
A levels, or other qualifications achieved before
university, should only be included if relevant.
Interests
Many professional CV writing companies advise not to
include any interests, as they are rarely relevant to the
job for which you are applying. However, it is a good idea
to add some information about how you spend your free time
for two reasons: firstly, it gives the reader a rounded
picture of you as an individual secondly, if invited for
interview your interests are often discussed as a soft
introduction to the interview before the more searching
questions are asked. If you include interests in your
Postgraduate CV try not to just write a list but include a
fuller description of your involvement.
A
great resource for graduate jobs can be found at
www.hobsons.co.uk
E & O E - Copyright 2005 CV Writing
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