Back to basics – How to gain Work Experience by improving your CV.

What do I mean when I say ‘Back to basics? Well, I have a few points which could help brighten up your CV to make that work experience dream a reality.

For help and advice please contact the Careers and Employability team – careers@hope.ac.uk

• Do not reinvent the wheel! At the beginning of your career. It is hard to when your CV is blank sheet of paper. My advice would be the check out some strong examples from your career’s advisers. The team would be happy to help and give you advice on how to make your CV stand out from the rest. Email careers@hope.ac.uk.
  
• Include Keywords – Employers are attracted to this
  
• Tailor your CV to each work experience or job opportunity
  
• Do not forget to add all your achievements and internship, unpaid work experience etc. You need to show here the skills you must reach your dream job.
  
• Keep it on one page!!
  
• Do not get too creative with your CV. Keep it classy, nobody wants to see Bauhaus 93 text on rainbow coloured paper.
  
• Do not title your CV document “CV.” This tip comes from Software Advice CEO Don Fornes writing on the Job Bound blog. “About a third of applicants name their resume document, ‘CV.doc.’” Don writes. “’CV’ may make sense on your computer, where you know it’s your resume. However, on my computer, it is one of many, many resumes with the same name…. By using such a generic file name, the applicant misses a great opportunity to brand themselves.
  
• Get professional input – Get a family member or a friend to read over your CV. Its not shameful to ask for someone to proofread your CV. Be proud of your achievements, show them off!

For help and advice please contact the Careers and Employability team – careers@hope.ac.uk