If you're looking to get a job, a CV is one of the most important and useful tools you can use. CVs are an overview of your work and study history that introduces you to the potential employer, giving them an overview of your abilities that will hopefully lead them to inviting you in for an interview or offering you a job.

Many employers nowadays use online application forms, but a CV is still useful as you can collect all of the relevant information in one place - which will help you memorise your key qualifications, skills and experience when it comes to an interview.

If you want to find out how to write the perfect CV, read on...

Things to include

First of all, think about the information you'll need to include. These should be the key things that make you the right person for the job. Many people have a 'standard' CV that they adapt depending on the role they are applying for, but every CV should include:

• Your details. This includes your name, address, email and telephone number. You don't have to include personal information such as your date of birth, gender, etc.
• Your background and key skills. Most CVs start with an introductory paragraph which tells employers who you are, what you're applying for and a bit about why you're applying for the role.
• Your work experience. Start with your most recent job and work backwards, including: the name of the employer, the dates you worked for them, the job title, and a list of your main duties. Focus on the relevant experience and list any voluntary work you've done. If the job you're applying for is your first job, think about work experience you took part in in year 10 or things you've done as part of your course that are relevant to the role.
• Your qualifications. Again, list the most recent qualifications first and work backwards, listing the qualification name, where you studied and the year you got the qualification. Bear in mind that employers might ask for copies of the certificates!
• Other information. List anything else that might be of interest to an employer, for example: computer literacy, languages you speak, achievements such as the Duke of Edinburgh award, driving licence, anything else that makes you the ideal candidate for the role.
• Your interests. Employers tend to employ people who they think will fit in with their business. Try to include interests that make you sound like a team player, and highlight interests that are relevant to the position you're applying for (for example, if you're applying for a job in catering, include that you're interested in food, cooking at home, etc.).
• References. Employers might want to contact a former employee or lecturer to ask whether they'd recommend you - particularly if this is your first job. If you don't want the employer contacting the references until you are offered the job or an interview, write: "References available on request."

Useful tips

 Things you should do:

• Be clear, use headings, paragraphs and bullet points. This makes your CV easy to read. You can use a résumé template on Microsoft Word to help you with the layout.
• Choose a professional font, and try not to make the font too big or too small. Size 11 or 12 is perfect.
• Check the spelling and grammar.
• Keep it short. Employers have to read hundreds of CVs so you should aim for a maximum of two sides of A4.
• Adapt the CV to the job you're applying for.

Things you should avoid:

• Lying or exaggerating too much! The employer will find out if you don't have the skills or qualifications when your aren't able to perform the job as well as you made out. Similarly, being too modest is also a bad thing!
• Embarrassing email addresses. Before you start on your job search, you should set up a 'professional' email - it'll give the employer a better impression than the email you set up when you were younger!
• Don't over-design it. The best CVs are easy to read and follow a consistent format (that means no images, coloured text, borders, etc.).

Want some help?

If you're putting together your CV but are feeling stuck, our expert progression team is on hand to help you out. The team is based primarily at the Knightstone Campus, but drop-in sessions are held weekly at Loxton and South West Skills, and they are always contactable by email or over the phone.

Click here to find out more!

At the Honeytree Day Nursery we invest in apprenticeships as we believe that apprentices are practitioners of the future. We like to train apprentices and support them in gaining their qualification. We do this as we recognise that at times it is difficult for young people to gain the experience required to follow their career aspirations. All we ask for in return is hard work and a commitment to follow our ethos and values.

Apprentices allow us the opportunity to ‘home-grow’ our practitioners and as such we employ 98% of apprentices once they have completed their course. There are clear progression routes for our apprentices and this is evident in one of our Deputy Managers who started off as an apprentice within our business. I myself completed my Level 3 full time at college and if I was to turn back time I would have completed my qualification through an apprenticeship as the benefits are clear, both for apprentices but also employers. A very big benefit of completing an apprenticeship is the fact that you are getting paid as you learn, and you get to know what it's like to work in the industry. Employers see it as the ideal way to form their perfect employee, which is why so many apprentices are offered jobs at the end of their course. Apprentices are also entitled to paid holidays and other benefits.

The things that employers look for in an apprentice are quite simple. We look for people willing to work hard and commit to enhancing the lives of children. We work very closely with Weston College and we know at what stage each of our apprentices are at. This allows us to give support in the workplace.

Another benefit is that our apprentices work with a range of different ages ranging from 6 months to 5 years and in some of our nurseries the children are older as we offer holiday club. This means the apprentices receive a wide range of knowledge and understanding for different age children that may be in their care.

Jay Sparkle,

Lead Manager,

The Honeytree Day Nursery

We have been using Weston College for our apprenticeship program for the last three years now. Weston College has been extremely helpful with this process and we have always been impressed by the candidates that they have given us.

The process worked very well as a representative from Weston College came and met with us to learn about our business and the office environment that we run. They then sent us CVs for candidates they felt would be suitable in our required role and we handpicked candidates from these for interview.  We started off by offering a traineeship program to the successful candidate which lasted four weeks, this allowed us to analyse their suitability for an apprenticeship and to see if they would fit in with the culture of the business.

It is very difficult to judge a candidate from an initial interview as some candidates may not be confident in a formal interview yet could be very confident and capable in a team environment. This initial four-week program also allows the candidate to decide if our work place is the correct choice for them rather than just going for an interview, accepting the job and then finding that they don’t feel comfortable in that work place.

We were very sceptical when we first took on an apprentice due to their age and maturity, however, I am pleased to say that they have exceeded our expectations at every level.

It is important to us that the candidates are smart, conscientious, hard-working and willing to learn. We strongly believe that you get out what you put in, which is why we expect the apprentices to show commitment to us and in return we will show commitment to them. We believe in continual training and upskilling our staff, even after the apprenticeship has finished, allowing the candidate to be successful in their chosen career.

We have found the apprenticeship program extremely beneficial to our business as it has allowed us to mould them into the role we required within the business. 

Two of our apprentices have passed their qualifications on time and the third is due to finish this month. We have been so impressed with our apprentices that we have offered them full time employment and they are now very valuable members of our team.

One of our apprentices has gone on to become a fully qualified Mortgage Adviser and the other is now a full qualified Will Writer.

We would highly recommend the apprenticeship program and Weston College.

Nick Barnes,

Director

EveryStep Financial