Creating your first CV can seem daunting, but do not fear, we are here to help you! As your CV is often the first thing that employers see, it is important to give off the best impression. Understanding how to build your personal interests, experiences and achievements into a strong CV will be invaluable in helping you get work and internship opportunities. Keep reading to get some tips and advice on how to structure your CV to impress the people that you would like to work for…
Personal profile
It is important to begin your CV with an outline of your personal details, including your name, address, telephone number and email address. This allows for the employer to get in contact with you if necessary, so make sure that your email sounds professional! You can also use this section to write a brief description about yourself to tell the employer the top things you want them to know about you.
Education
This section will explain the academic qualifications you have received and give an outline of the course you are currently studying. If you feel that your course is particularly relevant to the role you are applying for, it can be useful to delve into a more in-depth explanation on what makes the course you are studying so applicable and the transferable skills you have learnt.
Work experience and internships
If this is your first CV, you may not have had any previous work experience or internships. However, it is important to think about any experiences you may have had that could be relevant to the job you are seeking. This could be any part-time roles, volunteering or workshops you have experienced. Think outside the box on what you have been involved with and don’t under sell yourself!
Extra-curricular activities
If you are just starting out on your career path and have not got any work experience or internships yet, you can also look to your extra-curricular hobbies and interests to showcase your skills. These are likely to be more applicable that you think and showing how you have contributed to sports clubs, university societies and activities will help to enhance your CV.
Skills and achievements
You can pick up transferable skills from so many different things and advertising these to employers will show what you can do for them, even if you do not have prior work experience. Pick up on specific skills that are relevant to the job role, for example you can emphasise your IT skills or any extra languages that you know. You can also include any achievements you have received. This could be academic awards or any competitions you have been involved in to give examples of times where you have excelled.
References
Employers might also require references upon application. It is usually fine to state ‘references available upon request’ at the bottom of your CV but you should think about any previous employers or academic teachers that know and support you to contact if needed.
Knowing how to structure a strong CV will help you get a head start when applying for jobs or internships. However, your first CV is a work in progress, and you can start to build on your experience over time. Just make sure to be professional and always remember to proof read for spelling and grammar errors!
Take a look at our online resources about the application process to discover our guides and examples on writing a CV. King’s Careers also host application advice appointments at Strand, Guy’s and Denmark Hill, which are available to book on King’s CareersConnect on the day of appointment. We also run regular Future Advantage workshops to help you build or improve your CV – find more information about these sessions here and on King’s CareerConnect.
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