E FR E r fo en ud st ts

How to

Write an Outstanding

Graduate CV

How to Write an Outstanding Graduate CV

You don't need a CV to use Witlr just one detailed Witlr pro le. However, you might still be looking at applying for graduate jobs in the traditional way, with a CV. Our only aim at Witlr is to help you get a great graduate job, placement or internship; we don't really mind how. So here's our top tips guide to writing a traditional graduate CV. There's loads of advice out there but we guarantee that if you read this guide you'll pick up at least a couple of points that help your CV to stand out to employers. So, what are you waiting for? Get reading and put our top tips into practice to transform your CV!

Traditional Graduate CV
This guide will look at the traditional graduate CV. If you are using a di erent format of CV, such as a skills or academic based CV, you will still nd elements of this advice transferable and useful for your CV. We will look at the information you should put in your CV and how to lay it out e ectively. We'll also go over some important tips on how to use language and the content in your CV to sell yourself e ectively to employers.

Before we get started

There are a few vital points you should bear in mind whilst you are crafting your CV.

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Make sure you tailor your CV to the role you are applying for; employers will just ignore a CV which has clearly been sent out in bulk. Remember your CV is essentially a sales document, after each statement you make ask yourself; is this really selling my skills to employers? The aim of your CV is to get you an interview, not a job! You want to try and make the reader curious to meet you and nd out more.

We'll try to help you with the second two points throughout this guide. If we repeat ourselves a couple of times don't worry we're not losing the plot; they're just really important! Be sure to read the section on writing and using marketing techniques at the end of the guide to nd some invaluable pointers which will help separate your CV from the competition.

Presentation
In terms of presentation, unless you're going for a creative or design role, forget the fancy stu ! Keep it simple. Most employers or recruiters know what they are looking for; so make it easy for them to nd it. Keep your font, layout and formatting clear and simple and make sure your CV is no longer than 2 pages long. There is nothing wrong with having a plain looking CV; it's the quality of the content that will make it stand out.

Sections to include in your CV

Personal details
Start with your name at the top of the page and follow this with your address and contact details. You'd be surprised by how many people either put inaccurate details on their CVs or fail to include any at all, honestly. It would be rubbish if an employer wanted to o er you an interview only to nd they can't get in touch; so be sure to use an active email address and telephone number on your CV.

Personal statement/pro le
Under your personal details include a personal statement. Keep it short and sweet, use this statement to quickly tell employers in 2 to 3 lines how you will add value to their business: Who you are and what you're looking for The degree you're studying/studied and the sector that you want to get into or the speci c job you are applying for. Why you're the right person for the job Ask yourself: if you were stood in front of the employer and could only make one or two points on why you are the ideal candidate for this role, what would you say? Try and write a sentence on these points. The sentence could be based on your skills, what you can bring to the table or any unique or relevant experiences you have that could help you stand out to the employer. Goals If you have any short term or long term goals for your career, let the employer know about them quickly here.

Get more advice

Have a look at our tips on writing towards the end of this guide; it could help you out when producing your personal statement. You can also take a look at our guide 'Perfect your personal statement' for more advice.

Education
When it comes to education, employers are most interested in your time at university so why not make it easy for them and start o with this. University As a heading state the start and end dates of your course, the name of your university, your course title and your grade or predicted grade. Underneath you can then summarise your course including skills learnt, relevant modules to the speci c role you're applying for and any areas you particularly excelled in or enjoyed. School and College After telling employers about your time at university it's time to delve back into the past and your time at school and college. Once again include the start and end dates and the name of the school(s) and colleges(s) you attended. You don't need any sort of summary here, just list your A-levels and GCSE results. Don't waste too much valuable space on your GCSEs by listing them down the page; just state the number you took and the grades you achieved: Eg. 10 GCSEs: 2A*s, 4As, 2Bs, 2Cs. (If the job speci cation speci cally asks for certain GCSEs, then make it clear you took the relevant subjects and achieved the required grades).

(Relevant) Work Experience

For each job include accurate start and end dates, job titles and company names. List your experiences in reverse chronological order, with the most recent rst. Demonstrate your value and use active language You should include important duties but don't just list tasks, instead you should put an emphasis on the value that you added to the business. You can do this by using active language such as increased, improved, initiated etc. Where possible you should also back up statements with examples to show the positive impact you had. Just using these two methods can have a radical e ect, as seen in this example:

Rubbish: Used online marketing to increase website tra c.

Brilliant: I initiated a new online marketing campaign using pay per click advertising on Google and social media sites; this resulted in a 60% increase in tra c to our website.

Keep it relevant We've included the (relevant) in the title because it is important to try and show you have relevant experience for the job you are applying for. Your paper round as a 13 year old may reveal you have a good work ethic, but it doesn't necessarily show why you're suitable for a graduate job in a company. So, if you have lots of work experience cherry pick the experiences which you think show the employer you'll be great for their job. On the other hand, if you feel like your CV is lacking relevant work experience then emphasise the transferable skills you have picked up in other roles. If you believe you're lacking work experience altogether then you will have to try and show other areas where you have picked up the necessary skills. This could be through your university course, playing sport or being part of a society; just make sure that wherever possible you emphasise that you have the qualities the company is looking for.

Skills, Quali cations & Accomplishments

Use this section to show o your skills, quali cations and accomplishments to employers. This is quite a broad section and you may have oodles to say, however try to keep it concise; only expand on the points that really add weight to your application. So what sort of bits should you include here? Some examples of things you could tell employers about are: languages you can speak, computer quali cations, scholarships, awards, positions of responsibility and voluntary work. If you're a bit of an overachiever with too many accomplishments to t in you'll just have to be selective! Think about the types of things that will attract the employer you are targeting. What will make them intrigued to meet you?

Interests & Activities

This section is optional and you should only really include it if you think the content enhances your application. You can include extra-curricular activities such as sport, music and societies. If you have reached a high level in any of these activities let employers know about it. Whether you were captain of a sports team, part of a choir or the head of a society; these sorts of experiences will make you stand out from other candidates.

References
References can take up a lot of valuable space on your CV. Unless they are speci cally requested by an employer just say that they are available on request.

Some nal pointers

Exciting Writing
Your writing will probably be the rst impression you have on your prospective employer. If it isn't up to scratch then it's more than likely your CV will end up on the dreaded rejection pile! To avoid this fate follow these simple steps to make sure your writing doesn't let the rest of your application down.

3 Tips for Perfect Penmanship!

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Keep your writing as clear and concise as possible; avoid the use of long, complicated or overly formal language. Try and write the way you would talk to someone, this will create a rapport with your reader and keep them positively xated on the content of your CV! Passive words won't cut it in your CV. Use active words to create a positive impression and create momentum on your CV. If your CV is lled with active, positive language it's much more likely to be remembered by an employer. Finally, don't undo all your hard work by making silly spelling and grammatical errors. If you know these areas aren't your strong suit then get a grammatical guru to check your CV over for you.

Use Marketing Techniques to Sell Yourself

Marketing copywriters are the kings of using words to sell and as we've noted, a CV is essentially a document selling your skills to employers. So why not try and use a couple of copywriter's favourite techniques to sell yourself and get ahead of the competition?

Add Value
We've mentioned how important it is to show how you can add value to your prospective employer. So what's a good way to do this? When selling a product copywriters are taught the importance of selling BENEFITS not just FEATURES. You can use this method on your CV: Firstly you need to think from your audience's point of view, in this case your prospective employer; put yourself in their shoes and think carefully what it is that they want. When you've worked this out try and relate your skills to the needs of the employer. Think of yourself as a product. Don't just list your features (your skills or the things that you have done), tell employers why your skills will be bene cial to them. By doing this you show prospective employers how you can t in at their business and go a long way to showing them you can become an indispensable member of their team.

Testimonials
Copywriters use testimonials to back up their claims, providing evidence to put their customer's minds at ease. You can do this too. Back up your claims with real examples, using statistics, sales or feedback, to give credibility to your statements. Your examples don't have to be out of this world: 'I completed a charity fun run raising over 300 for cancer research' sounds better than 'took part in run for charity. Just like a marketer's testimonial, using examples adds authority to your statements and shows employers you're not just all mouth and no trousers.

Recap: Key points!

If you only remember (or read!) one part of this guide then this is the section to store away in the memory bank.

With CVs content is always king so keep the design and layout simple to make it easy for employers to nd the information they are looking for. Tailor the content of your CV to the role your applying for; relate your skills to employer's needs. Use short, sharp and active language. Always try to show ways in which you will add value to an organisation.

Back up your claims with examples to add weight to your application.

That's it from us
Thanks for reading; we hope you picked up some ideas to help you to stand out from the competition and get the graduate job, internship or placement you really want. If you have any feedback, questions or just fancy a chat please don't hesitate to get in touch with us at studentsupport@witlr.com or via facebook and twitter. If you thought reading our tips was worthwhile please go ahead and share them on facebook, twitter, email and rest of the web but please don't alter the guide's contents when you do. Thanks! You can check out heaps more of top advice on Witlr.com.

Want more advice? Check out our other guides:

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