CV Tips & Tricks
Think of your CV from a marketing perspective. Who is your audience? What will they want to know about you? What do they need to know about you? What sort of document are they going to want to read?
What will keep their interest? You are the product. Your CV is your main marketing document. It needs to keep the reader interested, excited and enthused enough to keep reading.
- Format
- Inclusions
- Presentation
- Sample CV
- Display All
CV Format
You will be assessed on the presentation of this document. Therefore it needs to be clear, concise, well organised, relevant and interesting.
Your CV does not have to be a long drawn out document. Aim for four pages maximum. You need to get relevant information about yourself in an articulate and succinct manner on to the first couple of pages.
Your CV should include
Personal Details
For thoroughness, please ensure you have included your name, address, telephone numbers and e-mail address in this section.
Education and Qualifications
- Secondary school, University, degrees/diplomas, current study. Include outstanding achievements, honours and awards.
- Provide the information only if you know that it will increase your chances of getting the position. If the information works in your favour put it in, if not leave it out.
Employment History/Work Experience
This is the most important part of your CV. You should include your previous employer/s, your title in that role i.e. solicitor, clerical assistant etc, your responsibilities, and a flavour of the type of work you did in that role. Your work experience should be in reverse chronological order. You should indicate the month/year your commenced and finished work.
Emphasis should be given to the work experience that is directly relevant to that role. This is not an invitation to put in everything you ever did in that role. Try not to use generic headings such as commercial litigation'. This alone does not tell the reader what type of work you did in that role. You need to be a bit more descriptive. E.g. Commercial litigation - appeared in the Local Court, drafted witness statements' etc.
Personal Interests/Activities
These act as ice breakers in an interview and give the employer an idea of the type of person you are.
Are you a well-rounded person that enjoys team sports as well as individual pursuits? Have you had any extraordinary experience? If so, include it.
Professional Associations
Memberships, professional bodies (if any).
Referees
Make sure you have contacted your referees first so that they will be prepared for the telephone call.
Please note, the cvmail system does not allow you to attach references to your application.
Presentation
Your CV should be typed and set out in a clear and concise manner. Remember it is a business document. Bullet points are a good way of making a point quickly and effectively. Check for spelling mistakes and the grammar. This reflects your attention to detail.
Do not get carried away with decorative cover pages, different type faces, fonts, colour printing or lavish binding. Presentation is more important but the substance is more important.
After you have prepared your CV go through each sentence and ask yourself, does a prospective employer need to know this? How would they reach to this information?
Sample CV
NAME: | Sue Mareva |
ADDRESS: | 22 Long Drive Box Hill VIC 3128 |
E-MAIL: | smareva@hoomail.com |
TELEPHONE: | (03) 9898 9999 |
EDUCATION: | |
Tertiary 1996-present | Federation University Bachelor of Law/Bachelor of Commerce (results attached) Undertaking final year in 2001 |
Secondary 1990-1995 | Wesley College Glen Waverly TER: 95.95 |
LEGAL WORK EXPERIENCE: | |
January 2001 | Freerobs Dawson Working in the Corporate and Commercial Litigation Group. Prepared a number of research memorandums, assisted in numerous discovery proceedings and worked closely with a number of solicitors. |
December 2001 | Mint Corrs & Fox Based in the Mergers and Acquisitions Group. Drafted agreements assisted in due diligence. |
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY: | |
1998-present |
Nike Factory - Sales Assistant Working 8 hours a week serving customers, using cash registers and answering incoming telephone inquiries. |
1997-present |
Top Notch Language School - Intermediate Italian Teacher Working 8 hours a week teaching Italian to a class of 15 students. |
1995-1997 |
PGA Tour - Caddy Assisted professional golfers during the Melbourne Golf Tournament. |
EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES:
|
ADDITIONAL SKILLS:
|
INTERESTS:
|
REFEREES: Professor Michael Somerby Mark Green |
CV Format
You will be assessed on the presentation of this document. Therefore it needs to be clear, concise, well organised, relevant and interesting.
Your CV does not have to be a long drawn out document. Aim for four pages maximum. You need to get relevant information about yourself in an articulate and succinct manner on to the first couple of pages.
Your CV should include
Personal Details
For thoroughness, please ensure you have included your name, address, telephone numbers and e-mail address in this section.
Education and Qualifications
- Secondary school, University, degrees/diplomas, current study. Include outstanding achievements, honours and awards.
- Provide the information only if you know that it will increase your chances of getting the position. If the information works in your favour put it in, if not leave it out.
Employment History/Work Experience
This is the most important part of your CV. You should include your previous employer/s, your title in that role i.e. solicitor, clerical assistant etc, your responsibilities, and a flavour of the type of work you did in that role. Your work experience should be in reverse chronological order. You should indicate the month/year your commenced and finished work.
Emphasis should be given to the work experience that is directly relevant to that role. This is not an invitation to put in everything you ever did in that role. Try not to use generic headings such as commercial litigation'. This alone does not tell the reader what type of work you did in that role. You need to be a bit more descriptive. E.g. Commercial litigation - appeared in the Local Court, drafted witness statements' etc.
Personal Interests/Activities
These act as ice breakers in an interview and give the employer an idea of the type of person you are.
Are you a well-rounded person that enjoys team sports as well as individual pursuits? Have you had any extraordinary experience? If so, include it.
Professional Associations
Memberships, professional bodies (if any).
Referees
Make sure you have contacted your referees first so that they will be prepared for the telephone call.
Please note, the cvmail system does not allow you to attach references to your application.
Presentation
Your CV should be typed and set out in a clear and concise manner. Remember it is a business document. Bullet points are a good way of making a point quickly and effectively. Check for spelling mistakes and the grammar. This reflects your attention to detail.
Do not get carried away with decorative cover pages, different type faces, fonts, colour printing or lavish binding. Presentation is more important but the substance is more important.
After you have prepared your CV go through each sentence and ask yourself, does a prospective employer need to know this? How would they reach to this information?
Sample CV
NAME: | Sue Mareva |
ADDRESS: | 22 Long Drive Box Hill VIC 3128 |
E-MAIL: | smareva@hoomail.com |
TELEPHONE: | (03) 9898 9999 |
EDUCATION: | |
Tertiary 1996-present | Federation University Bachelor of Law/Bachelor of Commerce (results attached) Undertaking final year in 2001 |
Secondary 1990-1995 | Wesley College Glen Waverly TER: 95.95 |
LEGAL WORK EXPERIENCE: | |
January 2001 | Freerobs Dawson Working in the Corporate and Commercial Litigation Group. Prepared a number of research memorandums, assisted in numerous discovery proceedings and worked closely with a number of solicitors. |
December 2001 | Mint Corrs & Fox Based in the Mergers and Acquisitions Group. Drafted agreements assisted in due diligence. |
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY: | |
1998-present |
Nike Factory - Sales Assistant Working 8 hours a week serving customers, using cash registers and answering incoming telephone inquiries. |
1997-present |
Top Notch Language School - Intermediate Italian Teacher Working 8 hours a week teaching Italian to a class of 15 students. |
1995-1997 |
PGA Tour - Caddy Assisted professional golfers during the Melbourne Golf Tournament. |
EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES:
|
ADDITIONAL SKILLS:
|
INTERESTS:
|
REFEREES: Professor Michael Somerby Mark Green |