BGA CV and Interview Tips

Advice How to write a strong CV:

A strong CV opens doors. A CV should be a concise but well balanced and with a comprehensive summary of your qualifications, skills and experience.

One of the best ways to make your CV more powerful is to link your skills to real life achievements. Be sure to highlight any awards you have been shortlisted for or won, product developments for which you were responsible, or key milestones achieved.

Many people think that one CV will fit all applications, but it needs to be a very targeted and bespoked document for the role they are going for. Do some research so you understand what employers are looking for.

There is no perfect CV template, and each sector may require a different emphasis on a different aspect of the content, such as career history or qualifications. However, experts suggest there are some basic rules on how a CV should be written and the information that should be included.

Overall, a CV should be neat and typed if possible. Most libraries now have public computers, if you do not have your own. It should also be consise, usually no more than two sides of an A4 page. It should be positive, stressing achievements and strengths, and make a good impression in a clear and positive way.

The basic format for a CV includes:

• Personal details, including name, address, phone number, email address and possibly any professional social media presence. You no longer need to include your date of birth, owing to age discrimination rules
• Career history, starting with your most recent job first. Include dates and temporary or voluntary jobs if appropriate
• A personal profile which sells yourself and your qualities, tailored towards the job you are applying for
• Achievements from previous jobs that are relevant
• Qualifications and training from previous jobs, with the most recent first
• Interests, if they are relevant and especially if the skills or teamwork concerned are relevant for the job
• Any extra information, such as reasons for a career change or reasons for gaps in career history, such as caring duties
• References, ideally two or more and including a recent employer
• Straightforward font and formatting is required – and the spelling must be checked and checked again.
• “Poor spelling is the quickest way of getting a rejection”
• Check five or six adverts for a particular job and then use the common requirements to mould their CV.

Please call one of our dedicated consultants who will be happy to assist and help with a CV writing service.

For enquiries or questions please email us or ring +44 7572 204 900

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