Writing a cv?

Speedy · 04-09-2007, 20:32

Been told by a lot of employers to hand in my cv. The problem i have is i dont have one. So im wondering what information to include and what to leave out. I dont have any gcses so do i need to mention what school i went to. And most of the jobs i have had have been temporary work through agencies so do i list each individual company or just the agency? I went to the jobcentre today to ask for advice and they cant make me an appointment till next week and the closing date for a few of the jobs id like is before then so any advice is welcome. Also should i handwrite it or type it? Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

churchfcrules · 04-09-2007, 20:35

a good one to use is, educated to gcse standard in ........list the subjects you studied at school, its not exactly saying you have those gcse and if questioned at an interview you can explain

lancsdave · 04-09-2007, 20:39

Have a look at this link which also has links to sample cv's.

learndirect - How to write a CV

Gayle · 04-09-2007, 20:41

Definitely type it.

Start off with personal information - name, dob, address, tel no etc.

Then you would normally put education - is there anything positive that you can say about your education i.e. any skills that you learnt there or things that you did like play for the football team or something.

Then work experience.

List all the more notable jobs and things you did there with bullet points underneath

Job title
Company, address
. general filing
. organised new collection system
. answered telephone

etc

Then list the agency and all the skills you used for the jobs that you haven't listed seperately.

Hope that helps

Good luck

BERNADETTE · 04-09-2007, 22:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Speedy

Been told by a lot of employers to hand in my cv. The problem i have is i dont have one. So im wondering what information to include and what to leave out. I dont have any gcses so do i need to mention what school i went to. And most of the jobs i have had have been temporary work through agencies so do i list each individual company or just the agency? I went to the jobcentre today to ask for advice and they cant make me an appointment till next week and the closing date for a few of the jobs id like is before then so any advice is welcome. Also should i handwrite it or type it? Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

I've never done one but good luck, you certainly deserve a job because as far as I can see you are really putting the legwork in. Hope it pays off

garinda · 04-09-2007, 22:27

It is really difficult when you're young, and don't have a lot of work experience to write on your c.v.

Be honest, employers can soon sniff out a lie, but I'd suggest putting things like if you had a paper round, or worked Saturdays in a shop, if you did. To show you were both reliable and good at handling money, as well as showing you were honest, and had enough gumption when younger to get a job.

I used to get sent c.v.'s all the time. Some firms thank you, and throw them away, saying you'd be 'kept on file'. I did actually recontact people that had taken the trouble to send in their c.v.'s, when a vacancy arose, and found some very good staff that way.

Good luck.

steeljack · 04-09-2007, 23:25

One thing I allways notice when going thru cv's is how many people are too lazy to use the spellcheck feature on their PC , absolutly no excuse for not using it for a final check before clicking 'print' .
Nothing worse for an older prospective employer than having to read or try to decipher 'txt speak' either so thats a definate no-no .

Probably not a problem since you are a guy , use only white paper

If you have a 'clean' driving license make a special note of pointing that out , otherwise it's ok just to mention you are a licensed driver.
No mention of any sort of family commitments , remember prospective employers want people to turn up for every shift, not cry off during week one because Grandma has to go get her toenails clipped .
One final thing, if you get called in for an interview and have any tattoos visible ,try to cover them up , long sleeves , top button fastened etc.

Good luck with the job hunt

Speedy · 04-09-2007, 23:44

Thanks lots of helpful advice there. Really looking forward to doing my cv now. Hopefully it will make finding a job easier.

ChrissieB · 10-09-2007, 15:38

CV Writing

and

Example CV

Two of many sites you can find through a search engine. Keep your CV short (if it fits on an A4 sheet, better still) . Good luck in your jobsearch.

glasgow guy · 10-09-2007, 22:09

no more than 3 pages...or else it gets boring for those reading them.. in a previous job I recieved a cv written in gold paint pen...the whole thing here.. I had to get them in to see what kind of person writes there cv in gold paint pen..
and more recentley going through a bundle of cvs and one guys hobbies were juggling whilst riding a unicycle...I nearly got him to see if he would turn up wearing a clown outfit !!

becareful what you right though..

Speedy · 10-09-2007, 23:51

Did my cv on friday (typical me left it till a few hours before an interview to start it). Took me around 45minutes to do and i was really impressed with how well i managed to make myself sound. Only printed ten copies and i only have 2 left now. And i have had 2 friends offer me money to do thier cvs for them(looks like i might have found my hidden talent lol).