How to produce a good resume

The Basics
Before you even start, it is worth thinking about the purpose of your CV. It must accomplish a few key things.
It should:
∙ Present all of your relevant skills and accomplishments
∙ Tell a story of your educational and professional experience so far
∙ Reflect something of your character through your extra-curricular activities and interests sections
It shouldn’t:
∙ Be an exhaustive list of your every achievement, regardless of relevance
∙ Include lengthy discussion about every course you’ve ever taken
∙Contain information just to ‘bulk it out’. Being concise will help your reader
8 Rules
1. Presentation:
Clear, concise and easy on the eye. Rather than using elaborate presentation to stand out from the crowd (unless of course you are going for a design job, in which case you may have room to be more creative) you should be relying on strong content to catch the reader’s eye. Making the document as accessible as possible is a must. Some suggestions: ∙ Use a simple business font (Arial, Calibri and Verdana are popular choices)
∙ Use bold or italics to emphasise text rather than underlining
∙ Use bullet points, numbering and dashes to format content
∙ Aim for one (American-style resume) or two (British-style CV) pages in length
∙Name
∙Postal address
∙Email address
∙Telephone number(s)
∙Be no longer than 2-4 sentences
∙Give an overview of your current situation –“I have just graduated with a degree in …”∙Add something relevant that will set you apart from the competition –“I have work
experience in ...”
∙The dates that you attended each institution
∙Degree subject, type and grade
∙More detail on majors/specialisms/relevant modules
∙ A level grades, subjects and Secondary School name or SAT scores and High School name
∙GCSE grades and Secondary School name (listing individual subjects and grades is not strictly necessary here)
∙Other skills - computer literacy, languages, etc.
∙Company or organisation, dates and job title
∙ A sentence outlining the role you performed
∙Bullets summarising specific responsibilities
∙Bullets backing up specific achievements whilst in this role
∙Sports teams
∙Societies/clubs
∙Travel
∙Hobbies
∙Charity
∙Awards (these are particularly good as they can demonstrate high achievement and ambition)
∙Leave it for an hour - you will find that fresh eyes spot new mistakes
∙Don’t forget the obvious - spell-check is a must.
∙Read it out loud - this can help i dentify tone, check the flow and ensure you haven’t just constructed a wordy list
Typos and poor grammar will render your CV worthless. If you can’t get this right on the most important ‘marketing’ document you may ever write – your CV! – than chances are would-be employers will assume you are even sloppier in other aspects of your life!
See CV template below…
CV Template
YOUR NAME HERE
Home Tel. No. here / Mobile Tel. No. here
Email here (use a professional sounding one like firstname.surname@!)
Nationality, Gender and Date of Birth can go here but are not required
PERSONAL PROFILE
<This section tells the reader what type(s) of position you are looking for and should also include a bit about what you bring to the employment situation. Keep it short, focused and to the point. This is the one part of your CV that is likely to be read so make the most of it> An example Objective would be: “I am a recent graduate with a BSc Economics degree from Durham University. I possess international work experience in Fundamental Equity Research and am seeking an entry-level role within a buy-side firm.”
EDUCATION
<The College or University you attended goes here> <dates you attended go here>
<Your Degree and grade (attained or expected) go here>
If relevant, list a selection of modules from your degree here. Include any areas of specialism that may relate directly to your chosen field.
<The High school or Secondary School you attended goes here> <dates you attended go here>
<A Level/SATS or equiv. and grades go here>
WORK EXPERIENCE
<This section is arguable optional for undergraduates, but certainly not for graduates. Relevant experience you may have can be included here>
<Employer and Job Title go here> <The location and dates you worked there go here>
<Job Title here >
<In this first, short paragraph introduce the reader to the company and the department/product/area you worked on/with. Use no more than two to three sentences>
∙<Bullet points are useful here too. This helps highlight key information and is easy on the eye.
If possible, the first bullet point for each position should contain a “success.” Employers will be looking for a situation where you’ve gone above and beyond in a work situation; grew
revenues, saved time and money, won an award, or consistently performed at a superior level.
Try to quantify the achievement as much as possible>
∙<Write down three or four of your key job responsibilities. Use positive words.>
∙<Employers are looking for three main things: Can you do the job? (do you have the skills). Will you do the job? (are you motivated). And do you get along with people? Keep these things in mind when you are writing your CV>
∙<Finally, keep in mind the type of roles you are applying to. Your CV should be targeted towards the requirements of these.
<Employer and Job Title go here> <The location and dates you worked there go here> <Again, as with the most recent position (above) you can follow the same format, SEE ABOVE.
<Use three or four bullet points to describe your successes and job responsibilities> EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES & ACHIEVEMENTS
∙<Bullet points work well here as the reader can pull out key information quickly>
∙<Use this section to elevate your application by pointing out some of your biggest successes so far>
∙<If you’ve saved a company, club or society money, increased revenues, saved time, etc. you should consider including here >
∙<If you’ve won awards consider including them here>
∙<Don’t use more than 6 or 7 bullet points in this section as the bullets down the bottom have less chance of getting read, and the layout starts to look crowded>
SKILLS & INTERESTS
<List IT Skills and Language Skills.Typically this section would include in addition to skills relevant to your chosen industry and role.>
<List Interests & Hobbies. This section does two things: It gives you an opportunity to demonstrate that your interests are aligned with your chosen career and it shows the reader you have a life and personality! Use bullet points to briefly cover things you do outside of studying or work. Don’t just list things. If you like swimming, say you love swimming because you like to keep fit. Present your points in a positive and constructive light, instead of saying you like shopping you could say you have an
interest in fashion and trends. Remember to mention achievements and try and relate them to the job you are applying for.>
REFERENCES
Excellent references available on request <Use this term if you have excellent references which will usually be an academic contact>。