What gets you your interview? Having a good CV - here's what you need to include.

There are several elements to a CV, but there are some absolutely essential things you need in there in order to get your CV into the ‘maybe’ or even ‘yes’ pile. You have to imagine that the person that is looking at your CV will be looking through lots of CV’s for the same job, but it will really stand out to them if one or two out of that pile are missing some key information- they will immediately be put on the ‘NO’ pile which NOT what we are after here.

Make sure you include your name

It is the simplest of things but can be forgotten! They need to know exactly who you are otherwise you could be anybody.

Make sure all your personal contact details are in there and they are up to date!

Your address, phone number and e-mail address- you will want your prospective new employer to be able to contact you easily off the bat. Make sure you have a professional e-mail address- for example, dragonman2234@hotmail.com will make the employer cringe but johnsmith@hotmail.com is suitably professional and doesn’t cause any unnecessary embarrassment!

Make sure you have a nice clear and concise personal statement

Just a few lines that really sell yourself and let your prospective employer know what you’re all about in a snappy paragraph!  Include any work experience you’ve had in the past that you can link to the position you are applying for, make sure it is relevant experience. If you don’t have any work experience, then think of examples in the past when you have used particular skills the employer is looking for. It doesn’t have to be much If you don’t have it, but it will show the employer you have the desired skills!

Include any education and training you may have had.

Make sure you put your grades for different exams in an easy to read format and give a brief summary of any significant and relevant training you have done in the past. To finish off your CV, include any interests you have, just give a quick description of what you do out of work- your hobbies say a lot about you.

Also, put in any references you have from past work or perhaps a school teacher or college lecturer - include contact details for the reference so the employer can get in touch easily.

Apprenticeships