Bootcamp Highlights - CV 101

Guest post by Kimberley HaywardA CV is your way of getting your foot in the door and landing yourself an interview, so you need to make sure it’s good!Luckily, we had John to tell us just what, exactly, a good CV is, these were the top tips:

• You have 6 seconds to impress before a potential employee dismisses your CV, so make sure the important information is at the top to draw them in.
• Most should be 1-2 pages long, though exceptions can be made, so long as all the information is actually necessary.
• Start of with a short objective followed by a personal statement, that way they can get a feel for who you are as a person, rather than just what skills you have. Then follow up with your personal and technical skills, before finally your academic and work experience.
• Don’t include anything that you wouldn’t be able to talk about in an interview! Assume they will ask you about everything you’ve included, if you can’t explain it or talk to it, don’t include it! This catches people out quite often in interviews.
• And finally, whatever you do, don’t use a CV template/generator! It may seem easier, but most of them follow the same format which doesn’t highlight the skills that we as students need to highlight.

If you’re having trouble writing your CV or want someone to check over it and give some feedback, check out some of our upcoming Summer of Tech events such as the CV clinic, and keep an eye out for new ones! You will need to be signed up to our platform to RSVP.  Click the log in or register button at the top of the page.