CV Advice

CV Guidance

General CV Advice

Try to make the first page a summary of your main skills and experience;limit the CV to a maximum of 4 pages. You can always use additional separate project summary sheets if required.

Present the information clearly and concisely; and should be easy to receive via email. It is best to have your CV as a word document attachment

Include industry / technical buzzwords where appropriate.

Highlight any added-value skills.

Page 1

Personal details

Make it easy for people to get hold of you; give a daytime telephone number or mobile (only if you keep it switched on!)

Name:                           Your name

Address:                       Your address

Telephone numbers:     Your Home, work and mobile number

Email:                           Your email address

Professional Profile:  

Focus on your target job requirements and highlight your key selling points. Ideally, this will be about 1 paragraph that explains the relevant.

·         Job titles

·         Key skills

·         industry sector experience

This section should be tailored to sell yourself to the role that you are applying for.

i.e. I am a CIPS qualified, Senior Buyer and Supply Chain professional with over 20 years experience within the procurement of parts, pieces and assemblies for mechanical and electrical environments. I have purchased both low volume, complex electrical parts and also for high volume. I have good commercial awareness, within contract legalities and for Import / export and pride myself on my ability to negotiate favorable terms for the business. I regularly work closely with the engineering teams and am able to read complex technical drawings.

Technical Profile / Skills synopsis:    

For a technical specialist, this is a vital section, so make it as comprehensive as possible; hands-on programmers might indicate the level of their experience in each.

Computer skills:                  MS office, Excel,                                                                

Applications:                        SAP, MRP, MS Project                                                                        

Methodologies:                    PRINCE II, CIPS modules etc

 

TOP 10 ACHIEVEMENTS

List your 10 business achievements. Remember that potential employers are always interested in where you can 1/ Make them money, 2/ Save them money and 3/ Improve process

1997, Company Name: Rationalised supply base from 150 to 20 key suppliers

1997, Company Name: Reduced material costs by 12% saving over £80,000

Professional Qualifications & Training

Detail only relevant professional qualifications/certifications and memberships of professional bodies; if you have tertiary qualifications (degrees), you don’t necessarily need to include your GCSEs/A Levels. Detail the content of relevant courses/training where appropriate. If you are not educated beyond A level, then move this section to the end of your CV.

1996 – 1997                  MBA Change Management and IT Strategy – Cranfield

1993 – 1996                  BSc (Hons) Computer Science 2:1 – Aberdeen University

Training

1999                              PRINCE II – Applied Learning Centre, London

1998                              CIPS

Employment Summary:

Detail your work experience in reverse chronological order and account for any major gaps; include only relevant ‘technical’ experience. If you are a graduate with limited work experience, include relevant work placements/experience. Give the name of your employer and their main business activities, plus location. Give a brief summary of your role & responsibilities, including details of any people/budget management responsibilities

1998 – present              ABC Limited (Luton, Beds) - IT Solutions Provider

                                      IT Consultant

·         duties and responsibilities

·          

·          

                                      Project Summary

If you have no relevant work experience, include details of projects you have completed as part of your training. If you have more than 2 or 3 projects to highlight, prepare a separate ‘Selected Project Summary’ sheet to be attached to the back of your CV. The project summary should highlight major projects including relevant technical detail including environment, application etc.

1997 – 1998                  Company (Area) – Nature of Company

                                      Job Title

·         technical detail

·         environment

·         application

                                      Project Summary

If you have no relevant work experience, include details of projects you have completed as part of your training. If you have more than 2 or 3 projects to highlight, prepare a separate ‘Selected Project Summary’ sheet to be attached to the back of your CV. The project summary should highlight major projects including relevant technical detail including environment, application etc.

 

Personal Details

Include date of birth. IT contractors should indicate availability and location preferences. Include details of languages or any other relevant skills.

Date of Birth:                                  22/03/70

Notice period:                                  1 month

Location preference(s):                   Herts, Beds & Bucks      

Languages:                             Conversational French, Fluent German