Cv writing

[bashbarnard]

Any good sources of information about cv writing. I have never had to write one and have been lucky so far moved jobs 3 times since i left school and never once shown a cv always been a recommendation. However this is changing as im moving my skill set to another area in the trade.

[Dum-Dum]

Depends how old you are and how qualified you are.

Rule 1 however is DONT make it more than one side of A4 otherwise nobody will read it.

A quick bit of you and your contact details, a quick "personal statement" bit and a lift of any pertinent qualifications and your experience
"2006-2007 Security Officer for Charter Security ltd - Worked in manned guarding, event security, CCTV control and also team leader positions"
that sort of thing.

If people want to know more they can ask.

[MY95]

Id say 2 pages max, you cant write very much on 1 page! Especially if you have a lot of qualifications/job experience!

[Iceman299]

Keep it to 1 page. All you need is your work experience, any training/qualifications and a short personal statement. I've easily got my CV on a single page and i've had a fair few jobs in the last 12 years

[bashbarnard]

Ive done a few drafts now and its on the one page. Thankfully im looking for a job within the motortrade still and i know a LOT of people in this area that would happily employ me as a tech, howver thats not what im going for so i have to convince them ill be good on the service side of things

[Magenta Sunset]

(still don't have a CV)

[Iceman299]

A good personal statement should be convincing enough. Leaving a trade which you are good at and wanting to try something new shows commitment (to me anyway). Good luck 

[1616six]

Your CV should be no more than 2 pages long, don't put references on it just at the end put "References available upon request"

Always write a covering letter, never ever apply for a job by just sending your CV in. A covering letter is so important.

My brother is a careers advisor for ex prisoners & a professional CV writer so any advice can be provided

[bashbarnard]

Completely forgot to put references upon request. Good shout. This forum is a wealth of information that extenders beyond cars

[RetroPug]

Mine is two pages. I would say that whether or not you want 1-2 pages depends on the industry you're working within.

I'm happy with mine and it's done me pretty well so far. The personal statement idea is good idea, keep it to 2-3 sentences max I'd say. Who you are, why you want what you want and what you want. It should fully summarise your career aspirations without being tiresome and time-consuming to read. People will decide whether or not they like your CV in the first few seconds so make it look good and make the summary at the top make them want to find out the details about you. Just off the top of my head something along the lines of:

"I am a dedicated, adaptable and enthusiastic mechanic who has been working in the motor trade for X years. I have a genuine passion for the care of motor vehicles and enjoy working with customers, which has fueled my desire to move into a customer orientated role such as Y."


Also, I'd advise showing your draft to quite a few people. You might not take all of their advice and some of it will be conflicting but you'll at least get a good feeling of the range of potential reactions the same piece of paper can evoke which might inform your final edit of it a bit better.

[Dum-Dum]

That's a great point from retro pug. Show it to as many people as possible and get opinions. My mum used to be a director in her organization and was involved in alot of the hiring and firing so I got told stories of how bad some peoples are and what gets you an interview.

Spelling and grammar are vital, the assumption is is you cant even get writing about yourself right then there probably isn't anything else you'll get right.

I cant say I'm talking from a position of personal experience as I've not needed a CV in a decade.

[1616six]

Not that you're either a teenager or an old man but just a thought for some - You do not need to put your age or date of birth on a CV.

It's not needed nor required.