CV WRITING TIPS

CV WRITING SKILLS
What information will you

need?
You should gather together all of the information required below. You
will probably not use all of this information in your CV but it will provide
you with useful reference material when it comes to preparing for
interviews.
Personal Details
Your full name, address, home telephone number and mobile phone
number. You don't need to include date of birth or marital status. You
may want to include nationality if you are applying for jobs abroad or if
you are a British/EU national and your name does not sound like other
names in the country you are applying to work in. Do you have a full
driving licence? Is it clean?
Education / Qualifications
List your qualifications and education history, for example:
• BSc (Hons) 2.2 in Biochemistry at the University of Warwick, 1980

- 1983.
• GCE A Levels: Maths [C], Biology [B], Chemistry [C] at Farnham
School, 1978 - 1980.
• GCE O Levels (or GCSEs if you did them): Maths [B], English
Language [C], History [C], Geography [C], French [C], Chemistry
[C], Biology [C] at Farnham School, 1973 - 1978.
If you have a degree you probably will not need to list all your O
Levels/GCSEs; just listing the number is probably sufficient.
Professional Qualifications
List your professional qualifications, membership of professional
associations and professional ID numbers.
If you recently completed a college or university degree or HND or
Diploma, etc, then you may want to list the courses you studied if the
subject you studied was relevant to your target job.
Training Courses
List any work related training courses which you attended, including
company courses and any you attended on your own initiative. If you
obtained a qualification on any course please list it. You only need to
By MOINUDDIN F. SYED
CV WRITING SKILLS
list the important courses you attended; no one really cares if you went
on a time management course as everyone gets sent on these courses!
Work Experience
If you have been working for a number of years you probably do not
need to include any part-time jobs, vacation jobs, voluntary work or
unpaid work experience. Charity work could be included in your
interests. However you might want to include these jobs if they covered
a period of unemployment, or a time when you were not working for
any other reason, or you feel that some of the experience you gained
will be useful in your next job. You should normally concentrate on your
two most recent jobs (unless you were only there for a short time),
because employers are usually most interested in these.
Start with your most recent or last job and work backwards. For each
position (treat internal promotion as a new job and record the dates
separately) list your job title (e.g. Manager, Supervisor, etc), the job title
of the person you reported to (e.g. Director, Manager, etc) and when
you started and finished in each job. Give the name of the company and
include a brief description of the service they provide (using the terms
they would use to describe themselves). Set out your main
responsibilities, achievements, duties, and skills that could be
transferred to another employer. Be specific and positive about your
skills, e.g. 'good written skills' may be a better description of your
abilities rather than 'good communication skills'.
Include your level of responsibility if any, e.g. 'responsibility for
departmental budget of £100K and managed 10 staff'. In particular list
any achievements you had in each position, including increases in
sales/productivity and cost savings made. Quantify your achievements
if possible. 'Increased sales by £100K' is more interesting and positive
than just saying 'Increased sales'. You should try to include some
achievements such as meeting deadlines, budgets, etc, and any
information that may be relevant to your next job.
Major Achievements
When you are listing your achievements in this section, only list 3 to 6
of your most important work achievements; your other achievements
can be described under the work experience section. You should only
list achievements which are relevant to your next job and indicate how
you achieved them.
This section is very important as an employer will only invite you for an
interview if they can see a benefit in doing so. Your achievements may
sell you to an employer and make them choose you for an interview
rather than someone else. For this reason it is vital that you think
carefully about your achievements.
Other Experience
CV WRITING SKILLS
List any computer skills you have, including the make and type of
equipment you are familiar with, the software and operating system
used, e.g. IBM compatible PC, Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Office
97.
If you have foreign language skills which may be relevant for any jobs
which you are applying for, please list them and indicate whether your
skills are spoken, written, business or technical. Please also indicate
your level of fluency: fluent, good working knowledge, etc. You should
only list these skills if they are relevant to the jobs you are applying for
as no one really wants to hear about a French language course you did
at school a long time ago.
If relevant to your next job please include your typing or shorthand
speeds.
Interests / Hobbies
List your interests, hobbies and any sports you play. List any positions
of responsibility you hold or have held in any club or organisation, and
say what your responsibilities and achievements were.
References
You do not normally need to list referees on a CV, but it is a good idea
to think about whom you could ask now. For some professions however
it is normal to list referees; these include the teaching and health
service (NHS) professions - your referees in these professions are often
asked to provide you with a reference before you are even asked to an
interview.
Summary
List your major skills, strengths, personal qualities and achievements.
Be specific, e.g. good team player, excellent written skills, versatile,
able to motivate others, etc. Look at your staff appraisals or at your
references.
General CV tips
1. These days you can write your CV in the first person (i.e. I have)
or the third person (i.e. he/she has). However, you do not need to
use 'I', 'he' or 'she' in a CV because its use is implied.
2. Do mention things you are good at, but do not go over the top.
You can oversell yourself.
3. Don't mention things that you are bad at or say negative things
about yourself in your CV.
CV WRITING SKILLS
4. Make sure that the CV you write conjures up the right image of
you and your skills, capabilities and achievements. If you do not
match the picture you have painted with your CV at the interview,
then your application will not be taken further.
5. Be careful when you use abbreviations - they can be
misunderstood.
6. If you are not happy with your CV or you only seem to get
rejection letters then please get a professional CV writing service
to write it for you. Yes, you will have to pay for it. But, it could
save you a lot of time, lead to you getting less rejection letters
and hopefully you should get an interview that much quicker.
What should you leave out of

your CV?
1. Photos - the only people who need to include these are models,
actors, actresses and possibly air cabin crew.
2. Any sort of failure - exams, marriages, businesses, etc.
3. Reasons for leaving each job.
4. Salary information - this can only be used to reject your
application. If an advertisement specifically requests this
information you can always include the information in your cover
letter.
5. Fancy patterns/borders - these detract from your presentation
6. Title pages, binders and folders are usually unnecessary and can
be off-putting (though if you are doing a special presentation,
enclosing your CV in a binder may look more impressive)
7. Do not include a list of publications if you are a scientist, unless
they are asked for.
8. Leave out age (put in date of birth instead - but, even date of
birth may not be required), weight, height, health, or any other
personal information that is irrelevant to your application.
9. Do not use poor quality photocopies of your CV - they make it
look as though you are sending off your CV to lots of companies
and that you may not be too bothered who you work for.
Selecting your CV format

To get yourself noticed it is important to use a CV format which will best
represent you in the jobs market. There are any number of ways of
laying out a CV, but these can in fact be reduced to 5 basic examples:
Chronological CV (traditional approach - superseded by the
CV WRITING SKILLS
Performance CV), Functional CV, Performance CV (an updated form of

the Chronological CV), Targeted CV and Alternative CV. Each of these
formats has its advantages and disadvantages (see below).
In general the Performance CV works best for most people, assuming
that you are staying in the same field. If this format is unsuitable for
you then you could try either the Functional or Targeted CV formats and
see which reads/looks better for you. Even if you create a Performance
CV for yourself, there are times when a Functional/Targeted CV may
help you secure an interview when a Performance CV would fail.
Performance CV
In a Performance CV your employment history is shown in reverse
chronological order, with your most recent job first. Job titles and
company names are strongly emphasised and duties and achievements
are described under each job title. You should use a Performance CV
when you are seeking a job which is directly in line with your past
experiences or your last employer was a household name. The only
difference between a Chronological CV and a Performance CV is that
the Performance CV highlights a list of your major achievements near
the start of your CV.
Advantages:
1. If you are planning to stay in the same field/work area.

2. If you want to show-off your promotions.
3. If the name of your last employer is highly prestigious.
4. Most people prefer this format to the other formats listed here
because it is easy to see who you have worked for and what you
did in each particular job.
Disadvantages:
1. If you are planning to change career direction.

2. If you have frequently changed employer.
3. If your work history has been patchy in recent years, either
through unemployment, redundancy, self-employment, ill health,
etc.
4. If you do not have many achievements (you could just leave out
the achievements section as in a traditional Chronological CV) or
your achievements are not in line with what you want to do now -
either leave out the achievements section or consider using a
Functional or Targeted CV.
Functional CV
This type of CV highlights the main functions/achievements of your
whole career and it can therefore be very useful if you have had a
varied career or you are seeking a change of career direction. In this
CV WRITING SKILLS
format, job titles and company names are given less dominance or even
omitted in some cases.
Advantages:
1. If you want to emphasise abilities and achievements that have

not been used in your most recent job(s).
2. If you are changing career direction.
3. If you have had a large number of jobs and you would prefer to
describe the experience you have gained in total.
4. If you want to include voluntary/unpaid experience.
etc.
Disadvantages:
1. If you want to highlight promotions/career growth - you could

include this sort of information on the second page of your CV,
but it would not be as prominent as on a Performance CV.
2. If your most recent employer is highly prestigious, because their
name will not be prominently displayed on the first page. You can
get round this by putting their name in both the profile and cover
letter.
3. If your job has only a limited number of functions.
4. Unusual CV format - may not be liked by everyone.
Targeted CV
This type of CV emphasises your abilities and achievements which are
directly relevant to a specific job target. It is best used when you are
planning a change of career direction.
Advantages:
1. If you want to emphasise abilities and achievements that have

not been used in your most recent job(s).
2. If you are changing career direction.
3. If you have had a large number of jobs and you would prefer to
describe the experience you have gained in total.
4. If you want to include voluntary/unpaid experience.
etc.
6. If you have several completely different job targets and you need
a CV for each.
Disadvantages:
CV WRITING SKILLS
1. If you want to highlight promotions/career growth - you could

include this sort of information on the second page of your CV,
but it would not be as prominent as on a Performance CV.
2. If your most recent employer is highly prestigious, because their
name will not be prominently displayed on the first page. You can
get round this by putting their name in both the profile and cover
letter.
3. Unusual CV format - may not be liked by everyone.
Alternative CV
This sort of CV is suitable for creative careers in, for example, writing,
public relations and fashion designers. It is not suitable for senior
managers/executives who would be better advised to use the
Performance CV.
Advantages:
1. If the job requires exceptional talent in either the written or visual

mediums.
2. If you will be applying directly to the person you will be working
for.
Disadvantages:
1. Not to be used if you are seeking a management position.

2. If you are planning to apply through normal channels such as
advertised vacancies/the Personnel Department.
3. This CV format may fail utterly if your ideas are not well received
by the recipient of your CV.
Why are CVs rejected?

First impressions
First impressions matter; if your CV does not attract the reader's
attention in the first 20-30 seconds then your chances of obtaining an
interview are greatly reduced. An employer may have a hundred or
more CVs to look through and probably only a couple of hours in which
to make their selection. So put your work experience at the start of your
CV, not personal or educational details, unless you have only just left
education.
What an employer really wants to know is why they should invite you
for an interview. For this reason a short summary of your capabilities
and/or a list of your major achievements can often be a good idea. This
CV WRITING SKILLS
should make an employer want to invite you for an interview - but

please be careful that you do not oversell yourself.
Poor visual layout

The visual layout of your CV is very important. Even though the wording
you use may be correct, if people cannot find the information they want
quickly they will move on to someone else's CV. You should use plenty
of 'white' space in your CV and appropriate headings and section
breaks.
Always use a word-processor/DTP package. Never use a typewriter as
you will look old fashioned and out of date. Use good quality A4 paper,
preferably 100gram for both your CV and cover letter.
Length of CV
It is usually best to try and keep your CV to two pages of A4, unless
someone specifically asks you for a longer CV. If you cannot keep your
CV to this length then you probably have not understood an employer's
requirements. Employers do not want to know your whole life history -
just enough to decide whether they should interview you or not.
Organising the information on your CV

If your CV is not well organised then the reader will find it hard to follow
and will not be able to build up a picture of you quickly. Remember the
reader will not spend very long looking at your CV - so if they cannot
find what they want they will not bother to read any further.
Overwritten - long paragraphs and

sentences
This makes it difficult to read quickly - try and keep your sentences
short and punchy and use bullet points to break up the text under
section headings.
Too little information

A lot of people do not include enough details about their previous jobs
and experience and an employer therefore does not have enough
information - they will therefore have to reject your application.
Not results orientated

You need to shout about your achievements. Please remember that
your CV is your sales document to an employer. If it does not tell an
CV WRITING SKILLS
employer why they should employ you then it has failed. An employer
will only want to employ you if they can see a benefit in it for
themselves. So do tell them the benefits of employing you.
CV makes you look too young/old for the

job
In general being too young/old can be a real problem and a barrier to
future advancement, or even to getting a job in the first place. There
are a number of ways round this problem - but this depends very much
on your individual circumstances and the industry/job you are applying
for. There are further hints and tips throughout this website to help you.
Mis-spellings, typographical errors, poor

grammar
Your CV should be carefully checked for such errors before you send it
out to employers. Tiny errors in your CV can detract from an otherwise
good CV and make you look lazy or careless - not the sort of qualities
you want to portray to an employer. As you will probably be 'blind' to
these errors you should get someone else to check your CV for
grammar and spelling errors.
Example performance CV
Christopher Jones
24 Mansfield Drive, Chedlee,
Manchester, M23 4DJ.
Tel: (0161) 234 1234
Chrisj@gepofoods.com
PROFILE:
A Senior Quality Assurance Technician with a wide range of

experience in the food industry. Able to work on own initiative and
as part of a team. Proven leadership skills involving managing,
developing and motivating teams to achieve their objectives.
First-class analytical, design and problem solving skills. Dedicated
to maintaining high quality standards.
CV WRITING SKILLS
MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS:
• Saved the company £50,000 a year by implementing a new

quality assurance system.
• Increased the acceptance level of finished goods from 96%
to 99%.
• Achieved BS5750 for the production line by rewriting the
company's quality assurance procedures.
• Solved major quality assurance problems which temporarily

halted production.
EXPERIENCE:
1989 -
GEPO FOODS LIMITED
date
1992 - Senior Quality Assurance Technician

date Gepo Foods manufacture biscuits under the brand
name Manu at their Manchester factory. Responsibilities
and achievements:
• Managed all quality assurance in Gepo Foods'

Manchester factory and reported directly to the
Factory Manager.
• Managed a team of 6 people; assigning them
tasks, and motivating them to meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated the quality assurance procedures
to customers on factory visits.
• Performed Quality Audits at the factory.
1989 - Quality Assurance Technician

1992
• Created computer applications with the help of a
programmer to monitor the factory environment.
• Analysed the quality assurance system and made
recommendations for improvements. These were
incorporated into the current quality assurance
system.
• Examined equipment in the factory to check that
it met the company standards.
• Investigated new equipment installed in the

factory to make sure that it would comply with
quality assurance procedures.
CV WRITING SKILLS
Page 2 of 2
1985 -
SURRET FOOD PRODUCTS LIMITED
1989
1986 - Research Technician

1989
Surret Food Products manufacture a wide range of
grocery products. Responsibilities:
• Formulated new product lines and conducted the

relevant laboratory experiments.
• Performed a study of the shelf life of various
canned foods.
• Tested new products to check that they met EEC
guidelines for bacteriological content.
• Conducted a survey on packaging.
1985 - Plant Operator

1986 Worked on the production line at the canning factory.
Responsibilities:
• Operated the canning machinery producing tinned

fruit and vegetables.
• Solved and fixed any production line problems

with the help of the service engineer.
TRAINING COURSES:
Various courses including: Quality Assurance, The

BS5750 Quality Approach, Team Leadership I & II, Time
Management, Report Writing.
QUALIFICATIONS / EDUCATION:
BSc (Hons) 2.2 in Chemistry at the University of

Warwick (1985).
3 A Levels: Chemistry [B], Mathematics [B], Biology [B];

6 O Levels.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Driving Licence: Full, clean.
INTERESTS / HOBBIES:
CV WRITING SKILLS
Football, Grand Prix racing, physical fitness - gym.
Writing your performance CV

This section will teach you how to write a CV if you have identified that
you need a performance CV. Generally you will find the layout
described here will work for you. Please feel free to add other sections
as required or change the ordering of later sections to suit you.
Profile/Summary
This should be a short summary of your experience, skills and abilities,
and be contained in four to six lines of text. Only list the attributes that
will be of interest to your next employer; do not include irrelevancies.
Achievements
List 3 to 6 achievements which you feel will be in line with your next
position. Do not list achievements which are not in line with what you
want to do next. Bullet point your achievements to make them stand
out. Start with the strongest point in your favour and then work
backwards from there.
Experience
This should be in reverse chronological order starting with your most
recent job and working backwards. You only need to include the year
you started and the year you finished each job. You do not need to
include the month or day, e.g. put 1993 - 1995 rather than 1.8.1993 -
4.6.1995. If you have had a lot of jobs you may need to group some of
the earlier jobs together, e.g. '1975 - 1980 various engineering
positions'.
If your job title does not reflect what you actually did, or it sounds a bit
obscure, consider changing it. For example, if you are applying for a
position as a Sales Representative and you are currently a Sales
Representative but your job title (given to you by your company) is
Customer Home Representative, you would be well advised to change
your title to that of Sales Representative.
When you are describing your experience for each position you should
start with the strongest point in your favour and then work backwards.
If you have a lot of points to put under one specific job you may want to
break this description into two or more sections. You could break up this
CV WRITING SKILLS
section into responsibilities and achievements or you could break it up

into specific functions, e.g. management, sales & marketing; the choice
is yours.
If you have had a number of positions for a particular employer you
may not want to include every individual job (in which case leave out
the year designations for all jobs titles and just include the start and
finish years for this employer), or you may be able to combine one or
more of the jobs. If the jobs are completely unrelated you may be better
off using a Functional or Targeted CV.
Make sure you stress your responsibilities and achievements under
each job which will be useful in your next job, but do not repeat
information in your CV as this will just bore the reader.
Training
Only include the most important training courses on your CV. You may
not want to bother with a section on training or you may combine it
with Education/Qualifications depending on how much space you have
on your CV.
Education/Qualifications
Only list the most important qualifications. If you are a graduate you do
not really need to list your 'O' Levels/GCSEs, just indicate the number of
'O' levels gained. You may want to put this section before the Training
Section. Unless you have just completed a degree or MBA, this section
should go after work experience. In the case of recently completed
education, if your work experience is more likely to be of interest to an
employer, you should still put work experience first. You could perhaps
mention your recent qualifications in your profile or in your cover letter.
Additional Information
Include any additional information, such as whether you have a driving
licence - if you have a clean driving licence, say so. Date of birth,
marital status and nationality can usually be left off your CV.
Interests
Keep this part fairly short, but make sure you list any current positions
of responsibility. If you do not currently have any management
responsibility and you are applying for a management position you may
want to include positions of responsibility that you have held over the
last few years, e.g. Play football for a local team - Captain, 1993 - 1996.
CV WRITING SKILLS
Functional CV example
Christine Jones
Tel: (0161) 234 1234
Chrisj@jackson-eng.com
PROFILE:
A self-motivated and hard working Personnel Officer with

experience in all aspects of personnel work. Able to use own
initiative and work as part of a team. Proven leadership skills,
including managing and motivating other staff to achieve
company objectives. An effective communicator at all levels within
an organisation. Good problem solving and analytical skills.
Computer literate.
HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING:
• Assessing the company's future staffing requirements over

the short, medium and long-term.
• Liaising with the company's senior management to
determine their human resources requirements.
• Producing a comprehensive human resources plan for the
company's expansion over the next five years.
REWARD MANAGEMENT:
• Administering the company's pay policy.

• Devising new and effective company incentive schemes -
these have reduced absenteeism and increased production
levels by 10%.
• Managing the company's share ownership scheme.
• Liaising with the external fleet manager.
RECRUITMENT & SELECTION:
• Preparing and placing advertisements in the local and

national press.
• Interviewing candidates and checking references.
CV WRITING SKILLS
• Producing job descriptions and contracts of employment.

• Liaising with other departments in the company over
candidate selection/rejection.
• Co-ordinating with local job centres, schools and colleges.
TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT:
• Developing effective training programmes in conjunction

with other departments in the company.
• Organising and conducting induction training sessions for all
new employees.
• Appointing and monitoring external training organisations
for specialist training courses.
Page 2 of 2
EMPLOYEE SERVICES:
• Managing and maintaining staff personnel records.

• Counselling staff as and when required.
• Organising social activities as the Activities Officer of the
staff social club.
• Producing Health & Safety reports.
EXPERIENCE:
1989 - JACKSON ENGINEERING
date
1995 -
Personnel Officer
date
1989 -
Personal Assistant to the Director
1995
1983 -
ATLAS FOODS LTD
1989
1987 -
Secretary to Manager
1989
1983 -
Typist
1987
TRAINING:
Presentation Skills, Negotiation Skills, Team Leadership,
CV WRITING SKILLS
Training the Trainer Course, Administration in a Personnel

Department.
QUALIFICATIONS:
IPM Certificate in Personnel Practice.
6 GCE O Levels: English Language [C], Mathematics [C],

French [C], Biology [C], Geography [C], History [C].
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Driving Licence: Full, clean.
INTERESTS:
Keeping fit - tennis, squash, gym. Amateur dramatics - usually
take part in at least one production per year (work
permitting!).
Writing your functional CV

When you are writing a Functional CV you have to try and list all your
experience under various functional headings. You should have a look
at the headings below and decide which of them may be useful to you.
You can of course use other headings. Once you have chosen the
headings you will have to decide which is the most appropriate order to
put them in, e.g. if you are looking for a management position put this
functional heading first.
You should have between 2 and 5 bullet points under each of your
headings. If you have more than 6 bullet points under a heading
consider whether you could list any of the bullet points under another
heading. You should probably end up with between 3 to 6 functional
headings.
When you are writing the bullet points under each functional heading
you must stress the responsibilities and achievements which are
relevant to your next job. In a Functional CV you should include
voluntary/non paid work experience which is relevant to your next
position under the functional headings.
In general you should normally include a brief summary of the employer
you have worked for, the job titles and dates, after the functional part
of the CV. If you feel that this will stop you getting to the interview
stage you may want to leave out any reference to your actual
employment history. In this case it may be best to keep your CV to one
page.
Example Functional Headings
CV WRITING SKILLS
Administration, Advertising, Communications, Construction, Consulting,

Counselling, Designing, Editing, Education, Electronics, Engineering,
Human Resources, Insurance, Journalism, Law, Management, Marketing,
Medicine, Music, Nutrition, Organisation, Planning, Production,
Promotion, Public Relations, Publishing, Research, Sales, Secretarial,
Strategic Planning, Training, Transport, Travel, Writing
Training
Only include the most important training courses on your CV. You may
not want to bother with a section on training or you may combine it
with Education/Qualifications depending on how much space you have
on your CV.
Education/Qualifications
'O' levels gained. You may want to put this section before the Training
Section. Unless you have just completed a degree or MBA, this section
should go after work experience. In the case of recently completed
education, if your work experience is more likely to be of interest to an
employer, you should still put work experience first. You could perhaps
mention your recent qualifications in your profile or in your cover letter.
Additional Information
Include any additional information, such as whether you have a driving
licence - if you have a clean driving licence, say so. Date of birth,
marital status and nationality can usually be left off your CV.
Interests
Keep this part fairly short, but make sure you list any current positions
of responsibility. If you do not currently have any management
responsibility and you are applying for a management position you may
want to include positions of responsibility that you have held over the
last few years, e.g. Play football for a local team - Captain, 1993 - 1996.
Example targeted CV
Christopher Jones
CV WRITING SKILLS
Tel: (0161) 234 1234

Chrisj@gepofoods.com
PROFILE:
A self-motivated Senior Quality Assurance Technician with a wide range

of experience in the food industry. Able to work on own initiative and as
part of a team. Proven leadership skills involving managing, developing
and motivating teams to achieve their objectives. First-class analytical,
design and problem solving skills. Dedicated to maintaining high quality
standards.
ABILITIES:
• Managing all quality assurance procedures and systems in a

modern food manufacturing environment.
• Controlling a team; assigning them tasks and motivating them to
achieve deadlines.
• Performing quality assurance audits, which includes analysing
procedures and making recommendations for improvements.
• Obtaining ISO9000/BS5750 accreditation for manufacturing
sites/departments.
• Organising and conducting the training of Quality Assurance
personnel.
• Testing products to ensure they meet all UK and EU food
regulations/directives.
• Presenting reports and demonstrating Quality Assurance
procedures to clients.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
• Implemented a new quality assurance system for a major

manufacturing client which will save them £100,000 per annum
on one production line alone.
• Increased the acceptance level of finished goods from 97% to
99% in a modern factory, reducing wastage and thereby
increasing their profits.
• Achieved ISO9000/BS5750 accreditation for a Production
Department by designing and implementing new quality
assurance procedures.
• Solved major quality assurance problems which temporarily
halted production at a well-known food manufacturer's plant.
CV WRITING SKILLS
EXPERIENCE:
1989 - date GEPO FOODS LIMITED
1989 - date Senior Quality Assurance Technician
1985 - 1989 SURRET FOOD LIMITED

1985 - 1989 Research Technician
QUALIFICATIONS:
BSc (Hons) 2.2 in Chemistry at the University of Warwick
(1985).
3 A Levels: Chemistry [B], Maths [B], Biology [B]; 6 O Levels.
Writing your targeted CV

To produce a Targeted CV you will need to decide which attributes and
achievements will be appropriate for the job you are applying for. As
well as including past experiences you can also include future related
skills that you may not have had actual work experience in. For
example, if you have recently undertaken a course you can include any
activities you performed whilst on the course.
Your work history and education history may be included after you have
described your capabilities and achievements. Try and keep a Targeted
CV on one page of A4 paper. You may have to prepare a Targeted CV
for each individual job you are targeting.
Education/Qualifications/Training
'O' levels gained. Unless you have just completed a degree or MBA, this
section should go after work experience. In the case of recently
completed education, if your work experience is more likely to be of
interest to an employer, you should still put work experience first. You
could perhaps mention your recent qualifications in your profile or in
your cover letter.
Word-processing & printing

Your CV should be produced using a modern word-processing package,
such as Microsoft Word, WordPerfect or Lotus WordPro and printed on a
high quality laser printer. It is not really good enough these days to
produce your CV on a typewriter and it will make you look very
unprofessional, out of date and out of touch with the modern world.
CV WRITING SKILLS
If you do not have access to this technology, or using a computer is one

of your worst nightmares, then you will have to pay someone to do this
for you. If you get someone else to prepare your CV make sure they
print it out on a laser printer. Dot matrix or inkjet printers are not really
good enough and the ink from an inkjet tends to smudge fairly easily.
Always ask for a proof copy of your CV so that you can check that it
meets your needs.
When you are creating your CV you should ensure that you have all
margins set to one inch. Name, address and telephone number should
be included in the first page header. Section headings should be in
BOLD UPPER CASE. In a Performance CV you should pick out
employers and job titles in bold text, but you may not want to pick
them out in bold in a Functional or Targeted CV. Please ensure that you
use enough 'white space' (empty space) on each page - do not squeeze
things in and make your CV looked cramped.
You should check your draft CV thoroughly for spelling and grammatical
errors. When you are happy with it you should get at least one other
person to check it over and give you some feedback. You should then
re-draft it and show it to them again. You may need to do this several
times before you are completely satisfied with the final version.
When it comes to printing your CV out you should use good quality
paper, preferably 100gram weight and you should also use this paper
for writing any letters on. You can use brilliant white paper or if you
want to be distinctive and different you might try cream or vellum
paper. When you are sending your CV to someone you should always
send it in an A4 envelope rather than folding it.
Cover Letters
Every time that you send out your CV you will need to send out a cover
letter with it, whether you are sending your CV in response to an advert
or direct to an employer or recruiter. This cover letter needs to tell the
person you are sending it to why they should read your CV.
A cover letter needs to say a lot more than just: 'Here is my CV!', which
is all some people seem to think a cover letter should say. It needs to
tell the person why you are writing to them and outline why you are the
ideal candidate for the job. You need to pick out the highlights from
your CV that are relevant to this specific application.
Setting Job Hunting Objectives
To attain your goal of finding a new position you will have to constantly
motivate yourself and set yourself daily and weekly goals. It is not
sufficient just to set goals, you must also achieve them. First thing each
week you should set yourself a series of goals for the week and at the
end of the week you should check that you have achieved them. When
CV WRITING SKILLS
setting yourself goals try to be realistic and set goals which are
achievable, otherwise you will become de-motivated and lose interest in
your job searching campaign. Once you have set yourself goals you will
have to work hard to achieve them.
If you have been made redundant or are unemployed it can be hard to
motivate yourself. Try and stick to your normal daily working routine; if
you rise early continue to do so - do not stay moping in bed all day or
be tempted to have a lie in. You should work at least 7 hours per day
five days a week. Any less and you are just deluding yourself that you
are working hard enough. As well as working hard it is important to
relax in the evenings and weekends, otherwise you will burn out.
Which Items Will You Need?
Buying a phonecard might be useful if you do not have a mobile phone.

If you are out and about, carrying a bag of change may be
inconvenient. If you have not already got a telephone answering
machine then now is the time to buy one. This will be an essential tool
in your job hunting, because if people cannot reach you they cannot
offer you interviews or convey information to you. Your message should
be professional, something along the lines of "This is [your name]
speaking. I am sorry but I cannot take your call at this time. If you
would like to leave a message please state your name and telephone
number after the tone". You may also want to consider adding a second
phone line if other people spend a lot of time using your current phone
line.
A good diary (A4/A5 size) with a page per day would be ideal. You will
need to write down your appointments here, including the person you
are seeing, the name of the company, the time you are meeting them,
the address of the company, directions (how to get there) and any
other important information such as how you found out about the
company.
You will also need to build up profiles of companies/people and keep
notes of jobs you applied for and interviews you attended. So the
purchase of some A4 loose-leaf binders and A4 paper would be a good
idea.
During your job hunting campaign you will need to write a lot of letters
and you may want to alter your CV for a specific application. A PC, laser
printer and word-processing package may therefore prove very useful
and, if you were already thinking of buying these items, now would be a
good time to purchase. If you are buying from a shop or by mail order it
is usually safest to pay by credit card as the credit card company is
then jointly liable if anything goes wrong. If you buy second hand
equipment you should ensure that everything is in full working order
before parting with your money. Another alternative would be to use a
friend's equipment or just pay someone to type up your letters.
Using good quality stationery is a must, as you will need to convey a
professional image when you are writing to people. Paper should be
CV WRITING SKILLS
good quality A4 100-gram paper in a tasteful shade of white, cream or

vellum. A4 matching envelopes can add that extra special touch and
look more professional than plain brown envelopes. Always use A4
envelopes so that you do not have to fold your letters/CVs. A personal
business card with your name, home address and telephone number
printed on it may also prove useful.
Check list
1. Set yourself daily/weekly objectives.

2. Keep fit and active.
3. Ensure you receive your redundancy/pay cheques from your
employer (if you have been made redundant).
4. Visit your local unemployment benefit office to sign-on (if you
have been made redundant).
5. Phone card.
6. Telephone answering machine.
7. Page a day diary.
8. A4 loose leaf binders.
9. A4 loose leaf paper.
10. A PC & laser printer.
11. Quality A4 100 gram paper with matching A4 envelopes.
Job Hunting Methods
Once you have prepared your CV you are ready to start looking for a
new job in earnest. But how are you going to find that new job you
want? There are essentially four ways to find a job these days:
advertised vacancies, recruitment agencies/head-hunters, speculative
applications, and networking (using your own personal contacts/making
new contacts).
You should devote time to all of these various methods. How much time
you devote to each method is very much a matter of personal choice.
To start with you might spend some time contacting the various
recruitment agencies. Once you have contacted them they will normally
contact you if anything suitable comes up. Replying to advertisements
is a weekly task which definitely merits some time spent on it.
Networking should definitely pay dividends (especially if you are at a
senior level). If one method seems to work better for you in terms of
obtaining interviews then you should devote more time to it.
Advertised Jobs and Vacancies
Vacancies are advertised in a wide range of publications from national

daily papers such as The Times, The Financial Times, The Telegraph,
The Guardian and The Independent, to local and regional daily/weekly
CV WRITING SKILLS
papers. There are also regional and national papers devoted solely to
jobs. Consult your local newsagent to find out which papers are
available in your area. If you are planning to move to a new area you
may want to get the local/regional papers from that area as well.
Jobs are also advertised in journals/trade magazines for your
profession/industry and you should subscribe to these publications if
possible. Subscription is often free if you are already in the
profession/industry. As well as carrying job vacancies, there will also be
news on which companies are expanding and those which have won
new contracts - you may want to approach these companies (see the
section on speculative applications and networking below).
Other places where you will find job vacancies advertised include your
local job centre, teletext and radio 'job spots'. Job Centres may well not
have any advertisements for the sort of job you are looking for, but it
costs nothing to look!
Advertised vacancies, especially those in the national papers, often
attract 100s of applicants so do not spend all of your time applying for
advertised jobs, unless of course you are one of those lucky people who
land an interview every time they make an application. When you reply
to an advertisement please ensure that you meet most of the
employer's criteria, otherwise you will be wasting your time. The
employer will have decided on the factors they feel are essential for the
job before advertising the vacancy. If you do not match these factors
fairly closely your CV will end up in the bin.
Replying to Advertised Vacancies
If you meet the criteria of an employer's job advertisement and you

want to apply, how can you entice an employer to invite you for an
interview? As mentioned above, advertised vacancies can attract 100s
of replies so you need to make both your CV and cover letter stand out.
Far too many people put a CV and cover letter in the post with very
little thought and are then surprised when a rejection letter arrives
through their letter box.
To get a good response you need to tell an employer in your cover
letter why you are the ideal candidate for the position. If you write your
letter properly you can really make an employer want to meet you. You
have to tell them just enough about yourself and what you can do for
them. An employer will only ever invite you for an interview if they can
see a benefit in it for themselves. You must, however, keep your cover
letter to a maximum of one side of A4 paper (in fact you should always
keep any letter you write to one page - brevity is important).
When you write your cover letter it is essential that you analyse the
advertisement carefully and try and work out what an employer is
looking for. If you want to increase your chances of being selected for
an interview make sure that your reply identifies how you match the
employer's requirements - but do not copy out bits of the
advertisement.
CV WRITING SKILLS
Make sure you use paper which matches your CV when you write your
cover letter. A matching A4 envelope adds that finishing touch which
distinguishes you from everyone else who will use either plain white or
brown business envelopes. It is important that you always use an A4
envelope for sending your CV and cover letter, as folding these
documents will create a poor impression - you want them to arrive in
good condition and not all crumpled. A laser printed label looks much
more professional than a hand-written envelope, so, if you have access
to a PC and laser printer, invest in some laser labels.
When you reply to an advertisement you should make sure that you
include everything which has been mentioned. For example, if two
references are required, you should supply two references. Do not
include the following (unless specifically asked for): salary details,
current photo and references.
Salary information can only ever be used at this stage to reject your
application, i.e. if you earn too much (or too little!). If the advertisement
specifically asks for your salary history you should therefore note that
this may be used to weed out your application. If you do earn more
than is being offered in the advertisement you might want to leave out
your salary details or leave out your fringe benefits. However, if you do
leave out your salary, your application may be rejected on the grounds
that you failed to supply all the information required.
Letter Writing Etiquette
Always make sure you start and end your letters correctly. If you are
writing to Mrs Jane Smith then you should start the letter 'Dear Mrs
Smith' and finish it with 'Yours sincerely' - N.B. 'sincerely' does not start
with a capital 'S'.
Particular care is required when you are writing to a woman. If she has
just written her name as Jane Smith do you start the letter 'Dear Jane'
or 'Dear Ms Smith'. She might be offended if you refer to her as 'Ms' and
you might not feel comfortable writing 'Dear Jane' as it sounds too
familiar. To get round this problem all you have to do is ring the
company and ask them how she likes to be addressed. If there is not a
telephone number for the company in the advertisement just call
Directory Enquires (dial 192 in the UK). When you ring the company all
you have to say is that you are writing to Jane Smith and you would like
to know whether she is a Ms, Mrs or Miss so your letter can be correctly
addressed.
If the advertisement just says reply to J. Smith how would you address
the letter? Dear Sir? or Dear Madam? Dear Mr Smith? You would be well
advised to ring the company and find out J. Smith's full name and title
(Mr/Mrs/Ms/Miss). Remember politeness costs you nothing, but it can
really pay dividends and you will probably be the only person who has
bothered to find out. This may distinguish you from everyone else who
CV WRITING SKILLS
applied - being noticed is the key to writing a potential interview-

winning covering letter.
If the advertisement just says write to the Personnel Department or
reply to Box Number 55 it may not be possible for you to find out who
will be handling your reply. In these cases you will have to start your
letter 'Dear Sir/Madam' and finish the letter with 'Yours faithfully'.
Please note that 'faithfully' does not start with a capital 'F'.
Example Advert
Quality Assurance Manager
Allied Foods is a leading manufacturer of both branded and own label

canned products. We are currently seeking a Quality Assurance
Manager to head up our Quality Assurance Department. You must
have strong leadership skills and be able to work closely with the
Production Department to resolve QA issues. You should also be
experienced in obtaining BS5750/ISO 9000 accreditation as we are
aiming to achieve this over the next year. If you are interested in
applying for this demanding position, please send your CV to: Mrs
Jane Smith, Personnel Manager, Allied Foods Limited, P.O. Box 337,
Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 4ET, quoting reference BD/133 Quality
Assurance Manager.
24 Mansfield Drive,
Cheadlee,
Manchester M23 4DJ.
Tel: (0161) 234 1234
Mrs Jane Smith, 3 January, 2007

Personnel Manager,
Allied Foods Limited,
P.O. Box 337,
Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 4ET.
CV WRITING SKILLS
Example Letter
Dear Mrs Smith,
Ref BD/133 Quality Assurance Manager
Your advertisement for the above position has interested me very

much and I would like to apply.
As you will see from my CV, I am currently working for Gepo Foods
as the Senior Quality Assurance Technician. In my present position
I am responsible for managing all quality assurance in Gepo Foods'
Manchester factory. I have worked closely with the Production
Department and have been able to identify problems before they
affected production deadlines.
Over the last year I have implemented BS5750/ISO 9000

throughout our factory. This meant rewriting many of the
company's procedures and in some cases creating new
procedures. I successfully obtained accreditation at the first
attempt within the Board's six-month timescale.
With my proven ability to manage and maintain the highest QA

standards whilst also minimising costs, I feel that I would be able
to make a significant contribution to your company's management
team.
Yours sincerely,
Christopher Jones
Christopher Jones.
Employment Agencies and Head-hunters
Registering with employment agencies and head-hunters can prove

very useful in your search for a new job. Of course they may not have
any vacancies for which you are suitable, but it will not take you very
long to find this out and it will not cost you anything. Please note that
employment agencies (with the exception of modelling agencies) are
not allowed to charge you for getting you a job, instead receiving a fee
from employers.
CV WRITING SKILLS
You should not rely solely on them finding you a job, and should also try
other approaches as well. If possible, get a recommendation from a
friend or colleague on some good agencies in your field. You should sign
up with several agencies, preferably those which specialise in your
field/industry. Do not just pick the large agencies; register with some
smaller agencies as well, which are located in your geographical area.
Employment agencies can be found using our Recruitment Agency
Finder UK. You may also want to look in the Yellow Pages and the
Thomson Local Directory. A list of employment agencies also appears in
the Executive Grapevine (which can normally be found in the reference
section of a public library). Alternatively you may find agencies
advertising the sort of vacancies you want to apply for, either in
newspapers, or in trade journals/newspapers.
You should contact the agency before sending them your CV because
unsolicited CVs may be filed in the bin! It is definitely to your advantage
to go and talk to each agency - the best agencies should invite you to
come and meet them. If they specialise in your field or industry they
should be able to give you some valuable inside information on the
state of the job market. They may also be able to suggest other
avenues for your talents that you have not thought of and will be able
to tell you what sort of positions they would consider you for and the
likely salary range (you may be worth more than you thought!). Whilst
you are there you should ask them to give you some feedback on your
CV.
They should ask for your permission before sending your CV to a
company. If another agency wants to put you forward for the same job
you should inform them that you have already been put forward - if a
company receives your CV twice they will not like the prospect of
having to pay both agencies. If you see the agency advertising a job in
the press which you are interested in - ring them up and make sure that
they send your CV off.
Speculative Applications
Another way to find a new job is to make speculative applications to

employers in your field. Applying speculatively can be frustrating, with a
relatively low response rate, but if you do find an employer with a
vacancy there will usually be less competition. The employer may also
keep your CV on file until an appropriate job comes up. To find suitable
employers see the section on 'Research' below.
When you are making a speculative application you should always write
to a named person if possible - people take more notice of letters
addressed to them rather than letters which say 'Dear Sir/Madam'. So
do not address the letter to the Personnel Manager or Human Resources
Manager; ring up the company (if you do not know their number try
Directory Enquiries dial 192 in the UK) and find out the name of the
person and their correct job title. You can find an example speculative
letter below.
CV WRITING SKILLS
24 Mansfield Drive,
Cheadlee,
Manchester M23 4DJ.
Tel: (0161) 234 1234
Miss Janet Timms, 3 January, 2007

Personnel Manager,
Oldbury Foods
Limited,
346 Wood Road,
Manchester,
M2 3LL.
Dear Miss Timms,
I am writing to enquire whether you have a vacancy in your

company for a Quality Assurance Manager. I enclose a copy of my
CV for your consideration.
As you will see from my CV, I am currently working for Gepo Foods
as the Senior Quality Assurance Technician. In my present position
I am responsible for managing all quality assurance in Gepo
Foods' Manchester factory. I have worked closely with the
Production Department and have been able to identify problems
before they affected production deadlines.
Over the last year I have implemented BS5750/ISO 9000

throughout our factory. This meant rewriting many of the
company's procedures and in some cases creating new
procedures. I successfully obtained accreditation at the first
attempt within the Board's six-month timescale.
With my proven ability to manage and maintain the highest QA

standards whilst also minimising costs, I feel that I would be able
to make a significant contribution to your company's management
team.
I would be grateful if you would contact me if you have any

vacancies in your company, or keep my information on file in case
of future openings. I would welcome hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Christopher Jones
CV WRITING SKILLS
Christopher Jones.
Networking / Personal Contacts
This involves you building a network of contacts, both business and

personal. Through this network you will hear of companies with a
problem that needs to be solved (if you can solve it there may be a job
for you), companies expanding/winning new orders (they may need to
take on additional staff), job openings (people leaving a company or a
new position being created), etc.
If you manage to uncover a vacant position or a new position before a
company thinks of advertising the position there may be very few
candidates or just one (you!). If you are a specialist in your field,
companies have been known to create a position just for you to utilise
your talents.
Your success in networking will depend on your ability to communicate
and interact with other people. If you find it difficult to communicate or
to get on with other people easily, then you will find networking a real
struggle. If on the other hand you are very outgoing and enjoy meeting
new people and possess excellent communication and interpersonal
skills, you will take to networking very quickly.
You will be talking directly to the decision-makers and you must be
confident both on the phone and in a face-to-face meeting. These
people will always be busy, so you will have to pick the right moment to
approach them and you will have to intrigue them fairly early on in any
conversation otherwise they will lose interest.
To be a successful networker you must be prepared to talk to a large
number of people both on the phone and in person. Expect to receive
some rejections using this method. This approach to finding a new job
can be much more effective than the other traditional methods, but
these are still worth pursuing nevertheless.
In the following sections we will teach you how to build your network
and how to use it as an active part of your job searching campaign.
Starting Your Network
To start your network you will need to list everyone you know including
business colleagues, personal friends, casual acquaintances and people
you meet in your every day life. When listing business colleagues you
CV WRITING SKILLS
should include everyone you have known at your present and previous
employers. You should also include people you have had dealings with
in other companies. This may include customers, suppliers,
competitors, accountants, solicitors and anyone else you have dealt
with. Do list literally everyone you know.
Record Keeping
When you are networking you will need to keep meticulous records of
both people and companies. You will also need a diary to put your
appointments in and you should keep an up to date 'to do' list. After
each telephone call/meeting you should update your records with any
information you have gleaned. You should use a sheet of A4 paper per
record, i.e. one per person and one per company. Store your records
alphabetically - otherwise you will never be able to find anything.
For each person you will need to know their full name, home address
and telephone number (if you know them very well), the name of the
company they work for, business address and telephone number (if you
do not know them very well), the name of the person who referred you
to them (if you do not know this person directly), the names of people
this contact has referred you to and the companies they work for, how
does this person know the referee (e.g. they may be a supplier, friend,
etc). You should also keep a record of each telephone
conversation/meeting with this person, including date/time of meeting,
what was discussed and any actions arising from the meeting.
For each company you are interested in (or may be potentially
interested in) you will need to know the company's full name, its
address and telephone number, the names of any contacts you have in
the company, any other information you have on the company,
including press cuttings, annual reports, company brochures and any
information you have gleaned from your contacts.
Making Initial Contact
Your main aim when you make initial contact with someone is to secure
a face-to-face meeting with him or her. If you already know someone
you can just pick up the phone and ring him/her for a 'chat'. If you do
not know the person directly (i.e. someone referred you to them) you
might prefer to write to them first and then call them a few days later.
Always mention the name of the person who referred you, as people will
then take more notice of your letter/call, e.g. start your call with "Good
morning my name is Christopher Jones. I am calling you because Dave
Baker of Perry Engineering said I should contact you".
If you know the person well, you might arrange to go round to their
house in an evening or at the weekend for a coffee, or you could go out
for a drink with them. You really need to talk to the person whilst you
have them on their own. If you have not seen them for a while or you
lost contact with them, they may or may not be glad to speak to you - in
CV WRITING SKILLS
these circumstances you really have nothing to lose and everything to

gain.
Business people make appointments, so if you are contacting someone
at work arrange to meet them at lunchtime/after work/in the evening or
at their place of work. If they will not give you an appointment, you will
have to try and get as much information as possible out of them whilst
you have them on the phone.
Writing an initial letter to a contact
You probably will not need to write a letter to a friend or business

colleague, but if you do, keep it short and perhaps include a copy of
your CV. When you are writing to someone you do not know you
probably will not want to include a CV. Once you have sent your letter
by First Class post, (never use second class for any of your job hunting
activities) you should make a note in your diary to call them. You will
find an example initial contact letter below.
24 Mansfield Drive,
Cheadlee,
Manchester M23 4DJ.
Tel: (0161) 234 1234
Mr Robert Brown, 3 January, 2007

Production Manager,
Express Foods
Limited,
125 Waters Lane,
Crewe,
Cheshire, CW3 4FF.
Dear Mr Brown,
Dave Baker of Perry Engineering suggested that I should contact

you.
Over the past few years I have worked as a Senior Quality

Assurance Technician at Gepo Foods Limited. I am now seeking a
career move and would welcome some advice.
Whilst I was speaking to Dave Baker the other day he mentioned

that your company was planning on attaining ISO9000
accreditation within the next year. I too have been heavily
involved with ISO9000 accreditation and would be happy to share
my experiences on how we attained it within a year.
CV WRITING SKILLS
I am not expecting you to have a job for me, but I would welcome
your advice on my next career move. I will be contacting you in
the near future to discuss this matter further.
Yours sincerely,
Christopher Jones
Christopher Jones.
Handling Network Meetings
When you are meeting someone in a work related environment you

should dress smartly and look neat and tidy. This may not be an
interview, but you should treat it as if it was. If you are going to a public
place such as a pub/restaurant make sure that you are the one facing
the door and the other person has their back to the door - you do not
want the other person constantly watching to see who is
entering/leaving; you want them to give you their full attention!
When you are talking to somebody you have not met before it is
important that you put them at ease. Do not directly ask them for a job
as this will put them under pressure and they may just try and get rid of
you as quickly as possible. It is far better to say that you are looking for
some help and advice with your job searching campaign - if they
happen to mention that they have a current vacancy whilst you are
talking to them all well and good.
Most people are generally willing to help other people they know. The
worst that can happen is that they say they are not prepared to help
you - big deal! Just cross them off your list and move on to the next
name.
If you know the person well you can just start talking to them as you
normally would, e.g. asking them how their family is, etc. Talking to
someone for the first time can be more difficult, so make sure you have
already thought of a few work-related topics of conversation. Do not
dwell too much on small-talk; get on to the subject of your job search
fairly quickly.
The sort of questions you will ask will depend very much on whether the
person is working in your field/industry and whether their company is
the sort of company you want to work for. The following is a list of
questions you might want to ask:
CV WRITING SKILLS
1. If you know the person you should ask them how their job is
going. You should always show interest in the person you are
talking to - do not appear to be totally self obsessed.
2. Is their company/department doing well? (There may be a job
opening for you here!)
3. If their company is not doing well can you solve any of their
problems? (There may be a job for you with the company if you
can help.)
4. Is their market contracting, expanding or stagnant?
5. Any new emerging markets?
6. Is their company expecting to win a large order? (They may need
to take on new people to fulfil this order.)
7. How well are their competitors doing?
8. Do they know of other people within their company or in another
company who might be able to help with your job hunting?
It is very important that you ask for referrals to other people/companies

otherwise you will quickly run out of names on your list. Try to get as
many names/companies as possible from them. You should write
everything down whilst they are reeling off the names, rather than
relying on your memory. You need to know their name, the name of the
company they work for and either home or work address/telephone
number.
If the person you are speaking to is not in your field/industry, find out if
they can give you the names/addresses of people who are. It is
generally best to contact people directly rather than letting your
contact ask for help on your behalf - that way you stay in control.
However, if they agree to set up a meeting for you it might be a good
idea to accept their offer. What you do not want is for them to ring up
their contact and say "Do you have a job for Christopher Jones?". You
need to talk to this person to obtain new contacts as well.
When you are networking with people always try to help them with any
problem they may have - they may be able to repay the favour at some
time in the future. Whilst you are talking to people you should ask them
what they think of your CV.
Making Initial Contact
Your main aim when you make initial contact with someone is to secure
a face-to-face meeting with him or her. If you already know someone
you can just pick up the phone and ring him/her for a 'chat'. If you do
not know the person directly (i.e. someone referred you to them) you
might prefer to write to them first and then call them a few days later.
Always mention the name of the person who referred you, as people will
then take more notice of your letter/call, e.g. start your call with "Good
morning my name is Christopher Jones. I am calling you because Dave
Baker of Perry Engineering said I should contact you".
If you know the person well, you might arrange to go round to their
CV WRITING SKILLS
house in an evening or at the weekend for a coffee, or you could go out

for a drink with them. You really need to talk to the person whilst you
have them on their own. If you have not seen them for a while or you
lost contact with them, they may or may not be glad to speak to you - in
these circumstances you really have nothing to lose and everything to
gain.
Business people make appointments, so if you are contacting someone
at work arrange to meet them at lunchtime/after work/in the evening or
at their place of work. If they will not give you an appointment, you will
have to try and get as much information as possible out of them whilst
you have them on the phone.
Writing an initial letter to a contact
You probably will not need to write a letter to a friend or business

colleague, but if you do, keep it short and perhaps include a copy of
your CV. When you are writing to someone you do not know you
probably will not want to include a CV. Once you have sent your letter
by First Class post, (never use second class for any of your job hunting
activities) you should make a note in your diary to call them. You will
find an example initial contact letter below.
24 Mansfield Drive,
Cheadlee,
Manchester M23 4DJ.
Tel: (0161) 234 1234
Mr Robert Brown, 3 January, 2007

Production Manager,
Express Foods
Limited,
125 Waters Lane,
Crewe,
Cheshire, CW3 4FF.
Dear Mr Brown,
Dave Baker of Perry Engineering suggested that I should contact

you.
Over the past few years I have worked as a Senior Quality

Assurance Technician at Gepo Foods Limited. I am now seeking a
career move and would welcome some advice.
Whilst I was speaking to Dave Baker the other day he mentioned

that your company was planning on attaining ISO9000
CV WRITING SKILLS
accreditation within the next year. I too have been heavily

involved with ISO9000 accreditation and would be happy to share
my experiences on how we attained it within a year.
I am not expecting you to have a job for me, but I would welcome
your advice on my next career move. I will be contacting you in
the near future to discuss this matter further.
Yours sincerely,
Christopher Jones
Christopher Jones.
When to Call / Write to People
People are generally freshest during the morning, so try and make your
calls at this time, but if possible avoid calling business people on a
Monday morning or a Friday afternoon. If you cannot get past the
receptionist/secretary who is 'guarding' their boss, try calling early in
the morning (before 9am) or late in the afternoon (after 5.30pm), when
the receptionist/secretary is not likely to be there.
Calling people at home can be more problematical. If you know
someone has young children, try calling him or her at about 9pm, when
they are likely to be more relaxed after having put the children to bed.
If you are going to call someone after sending them a letter you should
try and ensure the letter arrives on a Monday or Tuesday, then you will
be able to call them later in the same week - whilst they still remember
your letter.
Marketing Yourself on the Telephone
If you are a confident speaker on the telephone you should positively

enjoy networking. But supposing you are not confident on the telephone
and you freeze when the person at the other end starts talking to you.
The answer to your problem is forward planning. Before making your
call go over in your head what you are going to say and try and prepare
for all possible outcomes. It may help you to write down on paper what
you want to say - your telephone sales script!
Just like any other script your telephone sales script will have a start, a
middle and an end. You should start by saying who you are and why
you are calling them. The middle part will either be arranging a meeting
time/place or just finding out information if they will not agree to meet
you. Always remember at the end to thank them for talking to you.
CV WRITING SKILLS
Building Your Network
To find a job through Networking you may need to build an extensive

network of contacts. You will need to constantly add to your list as well
as maintaining a rapport with your existing contacts. If you run out of
names on your list, have a look at the section below entitled "Other job
searching ideas" to find some new ways of meeting people.
The network you build during your job searching campaign will not only
prove useful in uncovering jobs, but will also prove very useful to both
you and your new employer in the future. Never under estimate the
power of personal contacts - people are often recruited to a company
because of their good connections.
Whilst you are networking you should be prepared to ask everyone you
know whether they are aware of any suitable vacancies. You may even
hear of job vacancies from your hairdresser or doctor - so do ask
everyone.
Maintaining Your Network After Your Job Search
Once you have found yourself a job it is important not to just lose
contact with the network which you have spent so much time building.
This network can still be very useful to you in your new position, giving
you vital market intelligence. Just little things like a Christmas or
birthday card or a hello call on the telephone every six months, is
enough to keep in contact.
You should also remember how much the people in your network have
helped you. If these people come to you for help, try and use your
network to help them solve their problem. If you help someone they will
be more willing to help you in the future.
Job Hunting Research
When you are looking for a job you should try and build up as much
information about possible future employers as possible. Your local
library is a good source of information on possible employers. There are
often local and national trade directories kept in the reference section
and the library usually has copies of the Yellow Pages, The Thomson
Directory and the Phone Book for your area and other areas.
All companies who have a business line automatically get a free one-
line entry in Yellow Pages. You may need to look in the classification
index at the back of the Yellow Pages as there is often a choice of
classification and the free entry will only go in one classification.
If you cannot find out an address/telephone number for a company try
calling Directory Enquiries (dial 192 in the UK). When you are sending a
letter to a company make sure it has the full and correct postal address
on it including the postcode. In the UK call the Royal Mail on (08457)
CV WRITING SKILLS
111222 to find out the full address and postcode (calls to 08457
numbers are charged at local rates).
You should also keep an eye on local, regional, national and trade
papers to see which companies are expanding/winning new orders in
the area(s) you are interested in working in. These papers will also have
details of who is leaving/joining a company. If someone is leaving a
company then there may well be a vacancy which you could fill. If
somebody is joining a company they may want to build their own team
and clear any dead wood from the team, replacing it with new blood -
you could be the new blood! Whether you are networking or making
speculative applications you should be approaching companies where
people are coming and going.
It is very important to keep a separate file of information on each
company. Each time a new piece of information comes to light the file
should be updated. You should keep press cuttings, PR material that the
company distributes, a copy of their annual report and an up to date list
of key company figures.
How To Use The Internet
There is an enormous amount of information available on the Internet.

Most major companies and a lot of smaller companies have websites on
the Internet. They often have a list of their current vacancies on their
web pages and you can often find a wealth of details about company
activities and a list of key company figures. The easiest way to find
them is often to use a search engine like Google or Altavista or a
directory like Yahoo.
We have compiled a list of sites on the Internet that you will find useful
whilst you are searching for work, including national newspapers
advertising jobs, recruitment agencies and other sites advertising jobs.
See the word document: “List of Job Search Sites in UK.doc”
Job Searching Companies
There are a multitude of companies offering a myriad of different

services for people seeking a new position. If you do need help you
would be well advised to use a service where you pay as you go - if they
do not deliver you will not have lost very much. Never ever hand over
large sums of money in advance, however tempting the discounts or
inducements. It is usually best to select a service where you can pick
and choose the services you require or where they will tailor their
service to your specific requirements - there is no point in paying for
something you do not want or need.
If you seem to be going nowhere fast they may be able to put you back
on track and give you a few ideas on where you have been going
wrong. They may be able to help you brush up your CV, suggest how
you can improve your job searching and help you prepare for that all-
CV WRITING SKILLS
important interview. If you do need help do not be afraid to pay for it,
as this will save you time in the long run.
Handling Redundancy / Unemployment
Being made redundant can be very demotivating and can lead you to
blaming your former employer. Perhaps it may help to talk your feelings
over with your partner or a close friend/relative or colleague or a
counsellor (if your firm has paid for one). You must try to lose these
negative emotions as quickly as possible so that you can concentrate
on the job at hand - finding yourself a new and rewarding position.
To beat the redundancy blues you must keep active and not give in to
depression. If you enjoy sport/keeping fit then make sure you keep
active during your job searching activities. Sport is excellent for
relieving the stress of everyday life. If you are not a great fan of sport a
30-minute brisk walk will do just as well. You should also keep up your
normal social activities - do not retreat into a hole to die! The people
who succeed in life are those who do not let adversity get the better of
them. Your friends will be able to help you through what may be a
difficult time for you - so do not shut them out, as they will be able to
give you support and encouragement.
Your Finances
If you have been made redundant then you will probably be entitled to
a certain amount of redundancy pay from your former employer; this
will depend on how long you have worked for them. Your company
should sort out your redundancy pay and any other monies they owe
you in terms of your notice period, which is typically one month's pay,
but may be more in your case - so check your contract of employment.
Please remember to sign on at your local unemployment benefit office.
The address can be found in The Phone Book in the Business & Services
section under Employment Service. You are entitled to this benefit as
long as you have paid the required level of National Insurance
contributions, so do remember to register. You will also receive National
Insurance credits whilst you are unemployed if you have signed on.
Redundancy can often stretch your finances, particularly if you are the
sort of person who spends every penny they earn each month. This
may be a time when you have to budget more carefully than usual. You
may want to calculate your monthly outgoings and then work out where
you can make savings. Large bills which come through the letter box
may be offset by paying them by instalment on direct debit.
Other Job Searching Ideas
CV WRITING SKILLS
The following ideas can be used either as part of your networking (if
you are adopting this approach) or just as part of your normal job
searching activities:
1. Join any local business clubs especially your local chamber of

commerce (there is often a junior chamber for people under 40).
The address for your local branch can be found in The Phone Book
under Chamber of Commerce in the Business Section. This may
give you local business contacts and directly assist you in your
job search.
2. If you have been unemployed for a while (usually six months) you
may be invited to go along to a job club. You should attend (as
there is no charge) and you will receive help and encouragement.
3. Joining professional associations - this may provide you with leads
from your professional colleagues.
4. Joining local clubs of any description - this will give you contacts
in the local area and may give you a new interest in life.
5. Attending training courses run by your local college/university -
these will teach you additional skills and give you a chance to
meet new people. The courses may also be free if you are
unemployed. If particular emphasis is put on computer skills in
the job advertisements for your profession make sure your skills
are up to date - day or evening courses (reduced rate if you are
unemployed) are a good way of updating your skills.
6. Contract/temporary/part-time consultancy work will put some
money in your pocket and if it is with a suitable company it may
lead to an offer of a permanent position.
7. If you are highly qualified/experienced in your field you might
want to consider organising and running training courses. As well
as providing you with a source of income this can be a good way
of meeting people from the sort of companies you want to work
for.
8. Look out for companies who are experiencing difficulties which
you may be able to solve. Offering your services on a part-
time/consultancy basis may lead to a permanent job offer.
Job Searching Afterthoughts
If your CV doesn't seem to have the impact you wanted and you're not
getting many interviews then you should consider the following: Are
you aiming for jobs that you aren't qualified for? Does your CV meet the
requirements of an advertisement? Are you older/younger than the
stated / implied age range on the advertisement? [Job adverts in
countries with age discrimination legislation shouldn't include age
ranges, but this doesn't mean that employers / recruiters won't
discriminate against you, even if this is illegal.] If you can see no reason
why you have been rejected then you should look again carefully at
CV WRITING SKILLS
your CV as this must be the culprit. It might be a good idea at this point
to seek advice from a professional CV writer on why your CV isn't
having much impact
If your CV is getting you interviews but you're just not getting the job
offers you desire then you need to look carefully at your interview
performance. You should try and get as much feedback as possible
from the people who have interviewed you. If you have been
unsuccessful in obtaining a job ring up the interviewer and ask them
where they think you fell down and how they think you could do better.
Once you have got feedback you can modify your interview technique
and hopefully do better at the next interview.

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What information will you

• BSc (Hons) 2.2 in Biochemistry at the University of Warwick, 1980

What should you leave out of

Selecting your CV format

Performance CV), Functional CV, Performance CV (an updated form of

1. If you are planning to stay in the same field/work area.

1. If you are planning to change career direction.

1. If you want to emphasise abilities and achievements that have

1. If you want to highlight promotions/career growth - you could

1. If you want to emphasise abilities and achievements that have

1. If you want to highlight promotions/career growth - you could

1. If the job requires exceptional talent in either the written or visual

1. Not to be used if you are seeking a management position.

Why are CVs rejected?

should make an employer want to invite you for an interview - but

Poor visual layout

Organising the information on your CV

Overwritten - long paragraphs and

Too little information

Not results orientated

CV makes you look too young/old for the

Mis-spellings, typographical errors, poor

A Senior Quality Assurance Technician with a wide range of

• Saved the company £50,000 a year by implementing a new

• Solved major quality assurance problems which temporarily

1992 - Senior Quality Assurance Technician

• Managed all quality assurance in Gepo Foods'

• Performed Quality Audits at the factory.

1989 - Quality Assurance Technician

• Investigated new equipment installed in the

1986 - Research Technician

• Formulated new product lines and conducted the

• Conducted a survey on packaging.

1985 - Plant Operator

• Operated the canning machinery producing tinned

• Solved and fixed any production line problems

Various courses including: Quality Assurance, The

BSc (Hons) 2.2 in Chemistry at the University of

3 A Levels: Chemistry [B], Mathematics [B], Biology [B];

Driving Licence: Full, clean.

Football, Grand Prix racing, physical fitness - gym.

Writing your performance CV

section into responsibilities and achievements or you could break it up

A self-motivated and hard working Personnel Officer with

HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING:

• Assessing the company's future staffing requirements over

• Administering the company's pay policy.

RECRUITMENT & SELECTION:

• Preparing and placing advertisements in the local and

• Producing job descriptions and contracts of employment.

TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT:

• Developing effective training programmes in conjunction

• Managing and maintaining staff personnel records.

Training the Trainer Course, Administration in a Personnel

6 GCE O Levels: English Language [C], Mathematics [C],

Writing your functional CV

Example Functional Headings

Administration, Advertising, Communications, Construction, Consulting,

Tel: (0161) 234 1234

A self-motivated Senior Quality Assurance Technician with a wide range

• Managing all quality assurance procedures and systems in a