Now it’s the end of the college year, you may be preparing to step into the world of work, using the skills you’ve gained throughout your course to do something you love, but to do this you’ll need a spot-on CV. 

Your CV is a summary of your strengths and explains why you are suitable for a particular role. It is your way of being able to tell employers how great you are, what experience you have, what you’re passionate about and why you’d be brilliant working for them. 

To make sure you write the best CV which will stand out from the crowd, follow the top tips below from the highly experienced Careers team at Reaseheath College. 

  1. Clearly list your relevant work experience, volunteering experience, education and interests which show why you are right for the roles you are applying for, putting your most recent experience at the top. 
  2. Use subheadings for each of these sections and use bullet points to list your experience, rather than long paragraphs of text. 
  3. Keep it fairly brief and aim to keep your CV on no more than two sides of A4. Say enough to show you’re perfect for the role, but not so much that there is too much to read. 
  4. Include your name, email address and phone number at the top of your CV. Don’t include your date of birth, or any personal photos. 
  5. Read over your CV to make sure it is accurate and doesn’t have any spelling mistakes. It might be helpful to print a copy as this might show up any mistakes, or ask someone else to check it for you. 
  6. Make sure your CV is easy to read, displayed neatly and that you’ve used the same font throughout. 
  7. Save your CV with a sensible name, e.g. “Bob Smith CV June 2022”, and save it as a pdf to send to the employer, rather than a word document.  
  8. Send your CV with a covering letter to further explain the experience you have mentioned and a bit more about yourself, clearly stating why you are passionate about securing the position. Also explain your current position and clearly state when you are available to work. 

For more help with writing your CV, contact our fantastic careers team at Reaseheath College by emailing careers@reaseheath.ac.uk who will be able to help you. They will also be able to advise you on which career is best suited to you based on your interests and abilities, and they are experts in helping students with applications, interview preparation and much more too.