CV Writing

It is best to regard the Curriculum Vitae (CV) as a sales document rather than your life in print. If applying via an agency, they tend to work primarily on CV's, whilst if applying directly to an employer, it may be prudent to send a covering letter.

The covering letter and your CV should be designed to attract the employers attention and persuade them to take you to the next stage in the process.

Covering letter

Any covering letter should be clear, concise and outline your ability to meet the requirements of the job in question ideally within one page.

Speculative letters need to be addressed to an individual, so contact the business to do some research and get a name.

One suggested format is to extract key phrases from the advertisement or job specification, and address these individually with how you would tackle that particular issue.

Your CV - Curriculum Vitae

Make it logical, easy to read, compact and focused on the job in hand.

Agencies and employers need to very quickly see how your experience or skills relate to their job, so don't make it difficult to find.

Otherwise, the following are some useful hints and tips.

Personal information

Full name, address and contact details, including mobile and home phone numbers and an email address where available (Hotmail addresses or similar can help avoid problems at work), date of birth and nationality. Marital status may not be that important these days.

Professional experience-Previous Jobs

Starting with most recent position first, include employer's full name, location, position(s) held and start and end dates. Use bullet points to list main achievements, responsibilities and include numbers where practical - team of 25; increase profit by 4%, reduced complaints by 20%; £400K sales; 30,000 calls per week etc.

It depends on the role and what you have been doing in your career, but you really only need to go back no more than 5 years. Certainly the call centre industry moves fast, so make the most of very recent roles.

Saturday girl in Miss Selfridge, or OAP care worker may make you a more rounded person, but can be an unnecessary distraction on a CV when looking for specific call centre experience.

Education

Agencies and employers are interested if your have been to university or college, or have work related qualifications such as NVQ's or have studied at night school. Most are not bothered about 'O' levels. A career in call centres is relatively new, so many managers have not come through a 'traditional' graduate route, so 'hands on' experience counts for a lot.

Professional qualifications and Training

List professional qualifications (awards, certificates, associations or recognisable skills). Include languages (with level of fluency), software applications relevant to your industry, main stream training courses for key skills such as negotiation, or project management skills that are recognisable by employers. First aid if you have it.

Do not include qualifications which have little relevance (eg scuba diving certificate).

Versions

You may need more than one version of your CV if you are applying for different types of roles - operations; customer service; outsourcing etc.

Your CV should be directly focused on the role you are applying for. Emphasise the skills and qualifications which most closely match the job on offer. Prospective employers are turned off if they see CV's which look as if they relate to a completely different type of job.

However, please ensure you keep a track of who has been sent what version!

Hobbies and Interest

As someone who reads a lot of CV's this provides the most amusement. People seem to do the most bizarre things in their leisure time, none of which helps their job application. It is best to keep it to a couple of 'main stream' activities and maybe something of interest that you can talk about. But remember if the interviewer spends time talking to you about “bell ringing”, they are not talking to you about how you can do the job you have applied for!

Salaries

Opinion is often divided, but our recommendation is not to put your salary on a CV, as it leaves you with limited room for negotiation for a position.

Don't use...

More than 2 pages, artistic fonts, graphics, highly stylized formats, inappropriate references (hobbies such as drinking, or trying to be funny), false information (it will always catch you out when you least expect it) woolly or non-specific “business speak” as a professional CV reader can spot “bull” from a mile away.

Check and double check for errors

Spelling mistakes and errors in a CV tell the employer that you are sloppy in your work and do not pay attention to detail. Check your CV and cover letter carefully to ensure that it reads well and does not contain silly mistakes or unnecessary repetitions. Do not simply rely on the spell check function. It is a good idea to have a friend or colleague read your CV with a fresh pair of eyes - it is difficult for you to look at your CV objectively after reading it several times.

References

If you provide references, make sure that your referees are aware that you have asked them to act in this capacity and that you are comfortable they will provide positive support to your application. If you put 'available on request', make sure that they can be provided promptly.

Summary

Your CV is a targeted summary of your professional and personal achievements and qualifications. It should draw the readers attention to the qualities you believe are relevant to the position without providing unnecessary or superfluous information. It is the means by which you are selected for interview.