Erasmus +

IES Rafael Alberti

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Roadmap
Search and apply to Work hard and finish the
Write your CV companies you like course

1 3 5

2 4 6

Prepare your social Already have a company?

networks Search for
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1
Writing an
excellent CV
Learning Outcomes

◉ Learn about appropriate styles and formats for

CV’s.
◉ Know how to find out what the Employer
wants
◉ Learn how to use STAR technique and Action
words in a CV
◉ Know how to write an excellent CV

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Your CV

◉ Your personal sales brochure tailored to the needs of your

future boss 
◉ Probably your first contact with a prospective employer
◉ YOU until the employer meets you
◉ Your CV tells an employer:
○ What you are
○ Where you have been
○ What you have done
○ What skills you have acquired
○ That you can do the job
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Purpose of CV

Your Perspective: To get you the Interview

Employers Perspective: Make Me Want to Meet You

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The importance of a CV

◉ You may be one of 100, 200, 500 applicants

◉ The signal to noise ratio is not in your favour!
◉ Give the employer a reason to put you on the “maybe”
pile
◉ Make your CV stand out for the RIGHT reasons
◉ On average a potential employer will spend less than 15
seconds (depending on the position) looking at your
CV….. A recruitment consultant will spend even less
time….

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Facts from Undercover
Recruiter
◉ First applications are received 200 seconds after a job is posted
◉ Average time spent looking at a CV is 5-7 seconds
◉ One spelling or grammar mistake and your CV will be chucked in the
bin
◉ 88% job rejection rate if you have a photo of yourself on your CV
◉ One in three employers reject candidates based on something they
found about them online
◉ An average of 250 CVs are received for each job position
◉ 68% of employers will find you on Social Networks
◉ 17% chance that your cover letter will be read
◉ 76% of CVs are ignored if your email address is unprofessional
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Whats is your CV used for?

◉ Apply for jobs (advertised & speculative)

○ Market yourself to an employer
○ List your career history
○ Demonstrate relevant experience
◉ Sell your skills, qualities and achievements
◉ For securing work experience
◉ For networking – In person and Online
◉ As an ‘aide memoir’ when completing application forms
◉ To hand out at recruitment fairs

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Job Specification

◉ The tells you skills or competencies, qualifications, experience

that the employer is looking for

◉ Need to analyse the job spec and identify the key skills
required

◉ Tailor your CV to the Job Spe

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 CV TYPES

Skills
Based

Reverse
Chronological
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Reverse Chronological CV
layout
◉ Contact details/header
◉ Profile/Personal statement/ Career Objective (tailored to
the role)
◉ Technical Skills
◉ Work Experience
◉ Education
◉ Interests and Achievements
◉ Referees
◉ Brevity counts - 1 to 2 page A4
◉ Additional Information on LinkedIn
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Skill Based CV layout

◉ Use this format to document skills acquired from multiple

employments in different sectors
◉ Keep it to 1 to 2 pages
○ Personal details
○ Education;
○ Career Summary;
○ Professional Membership;
○ Choose headings to cover skills for the job
■ Team working:
■ Problem solving:
■ Communication:
■ Technical Skills
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CV Basics

◉ Clear font – don’t over stylise and use approp. font size
◉ Your NAME across top – we know it’s a Curriculum Vitae
◉ Reverse Chronological – most recent first
◉ Punchy, snappy and accurate – you are selling yourself
◉ Use action verbs to describe experience
◉ Proof read it again and again and again…
◉ Spell checker is not always your friend / fiend!
◉ Use bullet points – makes CV easier to read
◉ Footnote your Name

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CV Basics

◉ A CV should be clear, concise and most importantly easy to

read
○ Black writing only
○ No borders
○ No Tables
○ No photos
◉ Avoid Repetition

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Contact details / Header

◉ Name
◉ Address
◉ Mobile (with professional voicemail activated)
◉ Email address
◉ LinkedIn url
◉ Availability (eg June 2022)
◉ Car Driver
◉ Don’t include date of birth, marital status, the words
Curriculum Vitae
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 Mary Smith
123 Mayor St, Blackheath, Co Louth
086-1234567 mary.smith@ncirl.ie
LinkedIn profile Url - E-portfolio link to published pages here
_____________________________________________________________________________

Mary Smith
123 Mayor St. Blackheath, Co Louth
086-1234567
mary.smith@ncirl.ie
LinkedIn profile Url here (if up to date)
E-portfolio link to published pages here
Profile

◉ Personal Statement
◉ Summary
◉ Write it after you have written the other sections of
CV

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Technological Skills

◉ Languages: Studied Java programming language for 3 years and have

successfully achieved a 95% result in Data Structures and Algorithms
module from the second year of my course.

◉ Java: Studied Java for 4 years and have successfully achieved a first
class honours result in all of the modules throughout the degree.

◉ JavaScript: Use JavaScript in projects for developing dynamic web

pages. Enjoy using jQuery and also have experience using the
AngularJS Framework from my internship.

◉ If you have technology skills outlined in Job Sec include early in CV

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Education

◉ Reverse Chronological : Start with most recent education and work

backwards to leaving certificate
◉ College Education
○ dates attended
○ institution name
○ course studied
○ grade achieved (if 2:1 or above highlight on CV)
○ relevant modules and projects
○ can include an appendix on back page with detailed results if necessary
◉ School
○ name of school
○ dates
○ leaving cert points (if a selling point) , or highlight strong results e.g.
Leaving Certificate including a B1 in Honours Business. 21
Work Experience

◉ Must include Job Title, Organisation Name and

Address and Dates of Employment
◉ Must include your duties or key responsibilities:
○ Bullet points
○ Use action verbs to describe your duties and avoid repetition
○ So what? Ask yourself so what after every bullet point.
○ Sell don’t tell!
○ Use active language
○ We hire people who make a difference!
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Action Verbs

administered processed encouraged

analysed recorded evaluated
assigned retrieved explained
attained screened informed
chaired specified initiated
contracted tabulated persuaded
consolidated validated set goals
coordinated adapted stimulated
delegated advised organized
developed clarified prepared
directed coached planned
evaluated communicated prioritized
executed coordinated produced
improved developed organized
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 Employment History

June 2022 – date PC World, Main St, London

Sales Assistant
◉ Delivered excellent customer service
◉ Consistently exceeded monthly sales targets
◉ Developed relationship management and organisational skills
◉ Awarded Customer Service Employee of the Month for quality
service

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 Interest and Achievements

◉ Appeal to/impress the employer.

◉ This is an opportunity to show a bit more of your personality. Include any
Volunteering, Hobbies, Committees
◉ Include any certs/awards that you may have obtained from extra
activities ie. ‘Qualified Piano Teacher’

REFERENCES:
◉ May chose to simply state :
○ ‘References Available upon Request’

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 Common mistakes

◉ Using the same CV for every application

○ but…..

Solution:
◉ Adapt your CV for every job!
◉ 20 seconds to impress

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 Common mistakes

◉ Telling the Employer how great you are!

○ An excellent communicator, great team player

◉ You have to prove it!

○ Give an example….
■ Use STAR (Situation/Task, Action U took, Result)

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Personal statement

◉ Short statement outlining why you should be picked for the role

◉ Helps focus your CV- making what you have to offer stand out

◉ An introduction to you and your CV

◉ Keep the statement impersonal – do not refer to yourself in the first

person

◉ This statement should be changed/altered for each different position you

are applying for and should address and include the job role specifications
as outlined

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TIPS

◉ Get straight to the point: avoid lengthy descriptions and make your
testimonies punchy and informative
◉ Keep it between 50 to 200 words maximum
◉ Read your profile out loud to ensure it reads naturally
◉ Avoid overused clichés such as ‘good team player’. Try to find another
way to say the same thing
◉ Eg: “A motivated, adaptable and responsible graduate seeking an
entry-level position in public relations which will utilise the
organisational and communication skills developed through my
involvement with promotional work during vacations.” 29
Personal Statement - Don’ts

◉ Don’t use stock words: instead personalize it, giving it a stamp of
individuality. Phrases like, “I’m looking for a challenging opportunity”
are clichéd and don’t sound individualistic either. Also, they’re biased
towards you and not towards the company's needs. Rather, the
employer is more keen to know what you can do for them to help
their business grow. Tailor-make the statement to suit the job
description of the position applied for

◉ Trash the unquantifiable skills: Unquantifiable skills like a 'good team

player' or 'excellent communicator' don't reveal much about you or
your suitability. Rather go for tangible skills such as "Capable of using
excellent communication skills to attract and retain high profile
customers." 30
 Personal Statement

◉ Your personal statement is your elevator pitch.

◉ 3 – 4 sentences
◉ What you have done
◉ What you are doing now
◉ What you are looking for

Pairs : Ask the person beside you what is their story

5 Mins

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 The process is easy

Think of
Choose Technolog
the styles
the CV Header y Skills
and
type
formats

Profile Work
Interest Experience
Education

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 Do’s

✓ Tailor your CV to an identified target audience – use the job specification

or employer website to guide you
✓ Read the essential skill set criteria repeatedly and address/include these
points in your CV
✓ Present your CV well – consistent fonts and formatting
✓ Keep your CV to 2 pages
✓ Bullet point your information
✓ Use words that make an impact
✓ Spell and grammar check the CV
✓ Write with achievements in mind
✓ Ask yourself SO WHAT at the end of every bullet point
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 Don’ts

× Don’t use phrases such as “My duties included…” – Instead use action
words such as ‘organised’, ‘managed’, ‘liaised’
× Don’t use the word “I”
× Don’t put CV, Resume or curriculum vitae at the top
× Don’t use photos
× Don’t leave unexplained gaps in your CV
× Don’t lie
× Don’t include personal details such as date of birth, nationality, marital
status, age – these details are irrelevant to an employer and just look
unprofessional and out-dated

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Review

◉ Put in … or leave out…? – Ask yourself 2 questions:

○ Will it encourage them to interview me?
○ Will it discourage them from interviewing me?

◉ Checklist:
○ Does your CV look professional – are the fonts consistent, are
paragraphs aligned?
○ Have you tailored your CV to a job description?
○ Have you shown, through your CV, an interest in the area?
○ Have you made yourself stand out? (for the right reasons)
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Will my CV encourage them to interview me?

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2 Extra Resources
Coming soon..
Thanks!
Any questions ?
You can find me at
◉ @0xmrivas
◉ mrivsan736@g.educaand.es

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