Basic CV writing tips to kick-start your job hunt

imagegen

If you’re getting ready to look for your first job, here are some helpful tips to get your CV writing off to a great start.

To help you illustrate your Scouting experience and skills, we’ve put together a resource that will take you through all that you have learned and show you how to apply them to your CV. You can find it here.

The planning stage

1. Don’t start from scratch

Starting to write a CV from a blank page is quite difficult, take the pain away by drawing from examples of great CVs! You can find examples of CVs here.

2. Use the correct template

How you present your CV is very important, it needs to be easy to read and get across the most important information about you that correlates with the job description and reflect the type of industry you’re applying to work in.

3. Plan what you’re going to say

Plan what you’re going to say by splitting your CV into these four parts: personal statement, work experience, your skills, your qualifications and achievements.

CV Tips Blog Insert 1

The writing stage

4. Start with a personal statement

Unless you already know your prospective employer, your CV will be the first impression they will have of you. Your personal statement should be a short summary that talks about your abilities, achievements and sets you a part from the competition.

5. Write about what have you done recently

The meat of your CV will come from your work experience, volunteering and projects you’ve been involved in. Write out a list of things you have completed, under each header write out a short description of what it is you did and what you achieved by doing it. Choose the experiences that relate the most to the job you’re applying for. This is called tailoring your CV.

6. Write about what you can do

Potential employers want to know about your skillset. A skill is the ability to do something well. Did you know that Scouting gives you a range of skills fitted for the workplace? Use the Scouting and Employability resource to help you select the skills you have developed.

7. Write about your qualifications and achievements

Employers want to know that you’re qualified to do the job. The job description should tell you what qualifications and training they are looking for in an employee. On your CV, clearly state the qualifications you have, in this section you can put down any Scouting awards that you have achieved.

CV Tips Blog Insert 3

The checking stage

8. Draft, check, change and check again

Spelling and grammar mistakes in a CV are off putting. You can minimise mistakes by going through your work looking for misspelt words and sentences that don’t make sense and correct them. If you’re unsure, ask your parent, tutor or leader to check over it for you.

9. Use positive active language

Your CV should be a lively, effective and an impressive read. Avoid using buzz words and jargon, instead use powerful action verbs to describe your experience and achievements. You can find some help with language and phrasing here.

10. Tell the truth

In the interview process you’ll be asked about the experience and achievements you’ve mentioned in your CV, which is great because it means you can expand on all the awesome things you’ve done in and outside of Scouting. However if what you’ve put down is not entirely true, it will reflect badly on your character and interview.

For more information on how to find work experience check out this blog post.

Young people first: Safeguarding and Safety in Scouting

Wherever we go and whatever we do, we put young people’s safety and wellbeing first. Here's how.