CV FAQs
Do I need to include a photo with my CV or personal information like my date of birth?
- Do not include any personal information in a CV relating to age, gender, marital status, or ethnicity. Your CV should be assessed purely on your ability to do the job. Including any other personal information – including a photo – can induce subconscious bias on the part of the reader, so better to leave this out of the CV. More advice: CV Structure Part 1: Contact details and personal information
How many pages should a CV be?
- No more than two. More advice: Why keep your CV to two pages?
Do I need a professional profile on my CV?
- A well written professional profile can be a very good idea. More advice: Does your CV need a professional profile?
What if I don’t have any work experience?
- Focus on every experience you have including academic, voluntary, any office based work or other projects or initiatives you have been involved in. More advice: How to write an intern CV | How to gain work experience
How do I explain a career break in my CV?
- There are several things you can do, like regarding your break as a role and valuable experience to talk about, among other things. More advice: How to tackle your CV after a break
How do I write an intern CV?
- We've written an article dedicated to writing intern CVs, which is also useful for anyone who doesn't yet have much work experience: How to write an intern CV
What are application tracking systems and how do I optimise my CV?
- Applicant tracking systems (ATSs) automate the initial sifting of CVs to ensure the most appropriate ones are put in front of the human recruiter. Read more about what they, how they work and how to optimise your CVs for them: How to get your CV through ATS systems | How to optimise your CV to get through ATS filters
How do I present transferable skills in my CV?
- We've written several pieces on transferable skills in CVs. You can find them here: How to present transferable skills in a CV | 3 things you should know about transferable skills and CVs
Can I express my personality in my CV?
- Yes! Read how here: Give your CV some personality
How do I present the contact details and personal information?
- This might seem simple, but it's an easy area of a CV to get wrong. Get advice here: CV Structure Part 1: Contact details and personal information
How do I write a key skills section?
- This is all about getting your important and relevant skills to pop out. You want key words and phrases that match the job advert to stand out. Read how to do it here: CV Structure Part 3: Key Skills Section
How do I write my career history?
- It's important to tweak your career history to each job application. What does the employer want and how can you provide that in your career to date? More advice: CV Structure Part 4: Career History
How do I present qualifications, memberships and professional development?
- This area is really important if you don't have much work experience, but also for experienced people with a lot of qualifications. Read advice: CV Structure part 5: Qualifications, memberships, and professional development
How do I write a CV for a senior or experienced professional?
- The trick is to be selective when it comes to your skills and experience to help the most important aspects stand out quickly. We've made a little expert video: CV writing for experienced professionals
Should I pay someone to write a CV?
- It can be a good option. CV writing experts can bring a lot of expert understanding and unique ideas to the process. CV writing can also prove very difficult for some people for various reasons: Should I pay someone to write my CV?
How do you structure a CV?
- There are two ways to structure a CV, the reverse chronological structure and the skills or competency style CV. Find out what they are which is right for you: How to structure your CV effectively
How do you write a finance CV?
- When writing a finance CV, it's important to focus it to your target jobs and make sure you keep it brief. More here: How to write a finance CV
Do you have a CV template?
- Yes we do, and it's downloadable: Downloadable CV Template
Should references be included with a CV?
- Standard practice is not to include references. Read why: Should references be included in a CV?