Did you know that CV stands for Curriculum Vitae, which is Latin for ‘course of life’? John, our Careers Advisor, has put together his top 15 tips for you to test your CV against, so dig it out, and see how you can make some more edits to polish it up!

1. TARGET each CV – to the specific employer/profession/type of work (save each version)
2. Remove ‘Curriculum Vitae’ as your CV title – your name as the heading is fine
3. First impressions count! – use a logical structure, same terminology as the recruiter
4. Keep to a maximum of 1 side (part-time work), 2 sides (graduate/full-time positions), 2+ sides for academic/research positions (depending on the recruiter)
5. Choose an attractive/professional/easy to read font! Say NO to ‘Comic Sans’ and YES to ‘Arial’, ‘Verdana’ or ‘Helvetica’!
6. Read the job advert/description, then read it again to pick up any key information you may have missed
7. Use the same terminology/key words as the recruiter uses in their job advert/description
8. Use space effectively – devote more space to your unique selling points (USPs) – most relevant/targeted information on page 1 of your CV. Match your skills and experience to the recruiter’s needs.
9. Add an ‘Interests and Activities’ section – anything you enjoy doing in your spare time and any positions of responsibility you hold to reinforce your skills/experience already stated.
10. Do not lie. This could prove embarrassing for you at interview and a serious lie could cost you the job, career, and even potential legal action against you.
11. No spelling or grammar mistakes. Do not give the recruiter an easy reason to bin your CV!
12. Link it all – adapt your CV for the online world, include links to social media, blogs, portfolios etc. Remember if uploading your CV to websites, to edit your online CV regularly so it stays near the top of the CVs on show.
13. Use our CV templates on the Careers and Enterprise Hub
14. Utilise ‘CV360’ to get instant feedback on your CV
15. After utilising our Careers & Enterprise plethora of CV information, advice and guidance resources, send your CV as a Word document to: careers@canterbury.ac.uk

Getting further support from The Careers and Enterprise Team at CCCU

You can get ongoing careers support via the following ways:

• Email careers@canterbury.ac.uk
• Log onto the Careers and Enterprise Online Hub to access resources such as CV360, Interview Simulator and more. Our Live Chat function is also available for you to speak to us 10-12 and 2-4 Monday to Friday