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  • Writing a CV


    What is a CV?

    A CV, or Curriculum Vitae, is a summary of your experience, skills and education. A good CV gets you an interview. A good interview gets you the job.

    Most employers will probably only spend a few minutes skimming through the CVs of potential candidates so you want to make your CV stand out.

    Here are some tips on creating a successful CV:

    • Adapting your CV to suit the role – look at the job ad or selection criteria and make sure your CV clearly demonstrates that you meet the requirements.
    • Making your CV clear and concise. Your CV should be no more than 2-3 pages.
    • Ensuring it is easy to read and formatting is uniform.
    • Doing a thorough spell check before sending off your CV and have someone read over it to check for mistakes.


    What to include in your CV

    Contact Details

    Include your name, phone number, LinkedIn profile and email address. Ensure you have a professional voicemail and a
    professional email address, and that the details are accurate so that employers can get in touch.

    Personal Statement
    Tailor this to the role you are applying for, highlighting your personal attributes and personality traits which make you a good fit for the role.

    Key Skills
    Choose 4-5 skills to highlight which are relevant for the industry you are applying for. Rather than just listing bullet points, also add a description of how you demonstrate each skill.

    Work Experience
    List your most recent job first and work backwards.Include the dates you worked there, the role name, company name and a description of your responsibilities and achievements for each role. You do not need to include every job you have ever had, only the roles which are relevant and demonstrate transferable skills for the job you are applying for. 

    Education
    List you most recent qualification first and work backwards. Include the date, full name of the qualification and the name of the institution. It is not necessary to include your school results once you have a tertiary qualification.

    Interests (optional)
    Give a brief description of your personal interests. These can help to show an overall picture of who you are and any transferable skills you may have.

    Referees
    Include the contact details of two referees if possible. These can either be work references or characters references, from someone who knows you well. Make sure you have spoken to the referees before you include them and only ask people who will give you a positive reference.

    See the CV Information Sheet attached. 


    Book an appointment

    You can book an appointment with the Careers Advisor to discuss your CV by visiting a Student Helpdesk, calling 0800 141 121 or emailing lss@wandw.ac.nz


    Useful Links

    You can find example CV's on the Careers NZ website. Click here to see their CV templates and examples. Also see the CV Information Sheet attached.

    CV Workshop