CV guidelines for full-time roles

This guide will walk you through the key elements to tailor your CV for different roles and help you stand out to employers.

For more help, use your School Employability NOW Learning Room or use our CV Builder tool.

Before you begin

Remember the golden rules:

There is no ideal format or layout of a CV; these are simply guidelines to help you
You will need to adapt your CV to every application
Employers expect your CV to be targeted towards the job you are applying for
Make sure you include evidence proving that you meet the employer’s requirements
Recruiters spend on average 5-7 seconds looking at a CV- first impressions count!

The purpose of CV is to show that you match their requirements – make sure you include evidence that proves you meet as many of their requirements as possible
Use the job description to identify the skills, knowledge, experience and personal qualities the employer is looking for
Use key words from the job description throughout your application (some companies will use computer software to scan for keywords first!
Prioritise your information according to the job description – the most relevant information should always go firs
If there isn’t a detailed job description then do your research – have a look at the company website, or similar job roles for ideas

Our tips on how to present the content in your CV, including tone and use of language.

Order the sections by prioritising the information that the employer will be most interested in
The first page should contain the most important information for the role
Typically: Personal details, Personal Profile (optional), Education, Work Experience, Skills (optional), Interests and Achievements, References

Spelling and grammar must be correct – proofread your CV carefully and read it out loud
Avoid starting too many sentences with ‘I’
You can write in the third person but don’t use your name, (‘A business student with retail experience’)
Use action words at the start of bullet points (e.g. ‘managed/coordinated/liaised’)
Write in short and snappy sentences
Be consistent with your use of tense – it is generally much easier to write in the past tense

Here's what to make sure you include on your CV in terms of content:

Name, address, telephone number, email
Ensure that you have a professional-sounding email address
Do not include: date of birth, nationality, marital status, national insurance number, passport number or any other personal information
Do not include a photograph (unless requested)

A 3-5 line overview of your key selling points for the position you are applying for. You could include:
- Who you are
- What you have to offer, e.g. experience / skills / knowledge / personal qualities
- Your career aim / what you are looking for
Avoid generic statements - do not write ‘a hardworking individual’, ‘can work well independently or as part of a team’ – everyone writes this!
Use evidence, e.g. customer service skills developed through multiple retail positions
You could choose the top three achievements from your CV to help you

List qualifications in reverse chronological order (most recent first)
List the full course title, provider/institution, dates to and from, and grades
If you are part way through your degree then list the grades you have so far
Include UCAS equivalency information for BTECs or overseas qualifications where possible
Include relevant modules, projects or practical assignments – you don’t need to list all modules
Avoid including negative information, (e.g. listing failed exams)
List any relevant professional memberships, (e.g. RICS Student Member)

List your job title, place of work, location, type of work (e.g. Work Experience/Volunteering) and the dates you worked there (MM/YY) in reverse chronological order
If you have more than one example of relevant work experience, then you could have a separate section on your first page (e.g. ‘Teaching Experience’)
Bullet point the responsibilities of the job, your personal achievements/contribution within the role and relevant industry specific or transferable skills you demonstrated
Do not just list every duty of the job – make it relevant

Include a list of the key skills with examples of where you have demonstrated them
Choose 4-5 skills that match the job description and order by importance to the job
Provide a range of strong examples, including some context and emphasising your achievements
Examples can be gained from work, volunteering, extra-curricular activities and education
These sections are useful if you have limited work experience or extensive work experience
If you include this, you do not need to include as much detail about skills in the rest of the CV

List your most relevant, recent, interesting or impressive interests and achievements
Provide some information about what you have achieved for each one, (e.g. Running: recently completed the Nottingham Half Marathon raising over £200 for Cancer Research)
Could include: volunteering, being a course rep, mentoring other students, being part of a society or going to personal / professional development events, sports, charity work…
Do not just put ‘socialising’, ‘going to the cinema’, ‘reading’ etc.

Provide contact details for two referees or write ‘references available on request’
Can be previous employers or university tutors – but ask permission first