How To Write a CV and Covering Letter
Posted: 14th December 2018
Getting a job is all down to how well you market yourself to potential companies. Knowing what goes into making a good CV or application form and being able to perform well at interview, can go a long way towards convincing employers that you are right for the job.
Top tips for writing your CV
- Your CV is your marketing tool. It summarises your qualifications, experience and skills, targeting that which is most relevant to meet the criteria specified by the recruiter.
- You decide what to include and what to leave out, but it most cases it should be no longer than two pages
- The layout is important – this is what first attracts the reader to read and then to continue reading your CV
- Content matters too; order your content by relevance, i.e. the more relevant your studies, experience, skills etc, the earlier they should appear in your CV
Best practices for writing your Covering Letter
- When sending a CV it is usual to attach a ‘cover letter’. This provides the opportunity to further promote your skills, knowledge and experience to the employer
- Ideally, your letter should be no more than one page in length
- The cover letter allows you to expand on specific aspects of your experience that you consider to be particularly relevant to the job, e.g. specific modules from your course, your final year project, or relevant work experience in the sector
- Personalise your letter to the employer; don’t fall into the trap of sending out a generic cover letter.
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