Critique my CV

Didnt really fully proof read, but as above:
Too much white space
Too many pages (mine is 1 page)

If it's not relevant I'd get rid of stuff like "food hygeine" etc.

Rather than "other skills"- Football
(They're not employing you for football skills!)

Other interests:
Football - This has improved my teamwork and communication skills..... (if you want to add stuff)
Depends on job you're going for but you could also say "Computer modification/overclocking" etc

But really it should be compressed down overall, my CV is 1 page (Final year engineering masters student with little work experience)
 
As an example, I'm reviewing cv's before deciding on which to invite for interview.

A 13 page CV filled with waffle was hardly read, its just an immediate no, it could be Stephen hawking for all I know, however if you can't be concise on a cv, you won't be concise in a meeting or email etc
 
If you're applying for a computing position also, and have little relevant experience I would put your education (uni) and your specific interests in your course as the first thing. Put irrelevant work experience (beer money jobs) after.

You can tailor your specific interests to the company:
IE applying for a robotics job: "I have specific interests in robotics..."
 
da_mic_1530 said:
As an example, I'm reviewing cv's before deciding on which to invite for interview.

A 13 page CV filled with waffle was hardly read, its just an immediate no, it could be Stephen hawking for all I know, however if you can't be concise on a cv, you won't be concise in a meeting or email etc
Click to expand...

Someone didn't actually submit a 13 page CV for a job did they?! :eek:
 
Your CV should be tailored to the job you're using it to apply for.

Unrelated skills and experience should be removed or reduced to one-line bullet points.

Unless you actually are a widely recognised expert on subject X, don't say that you are as you'll be busted in the first minute of your interview.

No likes and hobbies unless they relate directly to the role or show useful skills and/or mindset as this is a CV, not a dating site advert.
 
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It doesn't stand out at all.

I literally looked at it and couldn't be bothered to read it.

Imagine you're someone who is going through thousands on CV's. You would make three piles, yes no and maybe.

Now look at yours for 3/4 seconds. I'd say No straight away.
 
I don't by any means claim to have the greatest CV in existence but I have been very successful in getting to interview stage from grad schemes (Offers from: Deutshe bank for technology, KPMG/PwC for Audit/ACA, invited but not attending interview for Barclays Corporate Bank, MandG Change Management, IBM Technical Consulting, Microsoft Management Consulting, John Lewis Technology Group, Allianz Insurance Technology). So perhaps mine below will help a little.

Very little of that is based on CV, however, as big companies usually have web forms with questions and the like to complete. Change your CV and cover letter for every job you apply for, even if it is very minor details to try and make it focused on the role you are applying for.

I am completely revamping it as soon as I start my first 'real job' at PwC in September (pending getting a 2:1!). Will focus much more on 'skills' as opposed to experience then.

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On the real PDF there are margins but the blurring on photoshop took em away.
 
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You need to lose the format you're using because it is awful. As someone has already said, your entire CV could sit comfortably on one page which, unless you are amazeballs (you are not), typically does not work.

Try using the format a few posts above or google 'cv templates'. There are literally thousands and I'd be surprised if they were not all better than the one you are using.

Your content tells me of tasks you've done or places you've worked at. It doesn't tell me who you are or how you achieved [x], nor does it engender any sense of achievement or willingness to improve, expand, and develop your existing skill set.

To not have a good CV in this day and age is not only massively detrimental to your career aspirations, it is almost mocking your potential employer with the laziness of application it suggests. "Here are some terrible words about me, can I have a job, k thx?"

Do it better. Apply yourself or be unemployable.
 
Some basic advice, CV's should always be written in as a 3rd person.

It needs a lot of work. I'm too drunk to really contribute well right now - but scrap this one and start again.
 
Also the format sucks..

Change it. There is an global source of information to create a good format, there is really no excuse for this, except laziness.
 
Energize said:
Don't think I've ever seen anyone write their cv in 3rd person before... would look very bizarre when it's clearly been written by said person.
Click to expand...

It's very common (having worked in 'the city' for 5 years and recruited) to present the CV as 3rd person.

For example "I was engaged as a market risk analyst" should be written as "Engaged as a market risk analyst".

"I" shouldn't be used in a CV.
 
I know that.. Perhaps harsh is the word I was going for.

Regardless I just wanted to point out that there are a few posts that just say "this is bad" without offering too much advice.
 
Something wrong when your 3-4 year degree takes up as much space as your 1 day food hygiene course.

Trim it down, a lot.

As a student with no real experience, 1-2 pages should be enough. Here is my CV when I had a similar amount of experience and skills as you - I received a total of 4 graduate offers using it

Untitled_zps9be59777.png


All bullet points, name and contact info at the top, easy to read. Then Education, relevant work experience, other work experiences, skills - starting with the most relevant and then a bit of achievement stuff at the bottom. 1 Page



You say you can't fit it into 2 pages, but look at the amount of white space your CV has compared to the ones we posted here.
 
Your CV should grab the readers attention within the first paragraph. Remember, if you're applying for competitive positions, then HR will likely have hundreds/thousands of CVs to read through. If they're not interested after the first few paragraphs then they won't read the full 2 pages.

Drop "Primary School" from education.

Your skills section needs expanding - be more specific.

"Vast knowledge regarding cloud computing" - Cloud Computing is HUGE - No one has a vast knowledge in this area. Hence the need for specifics. Do you have a good understanding with security in the cloud? or perhaps cloud networking? or the various management systems that make up a cloud? etc etc.
 
Read some of the posts above (literally skimmed through them, reading 1/2 lines at most). I see most responses are negative, which I semi expected. :p

I'll do a v3, no problem.

I found most difficult keeping ti concise and giving details. I mean, some people said you need to expand that segment, but then again, I need to keep it to two pages and max 4 bullet points per experience etc. For example, to answer one of the problems (probably the only one I remember), the reason my Uni degree takes the same lines as my primary school is because I just started Uni. I just finished the 1st semester, and I only did 1 project. I want to see the mark of the project before I list how good/talented/experienced I am in doing my own stuff. It surely will be expanded on in the future.

I want to thank rogan, who sent me his own CV. Its quite easy to say do this, that and the other, but its harder to actually do it. Now I have a good guide to work on. :) Same goes to Hxc.

@The Person who said people just post "its terrible" with no advice. I was just reading a thread where someone had to do 3 essays/reports of a combined total of 6k words. There were people (quite a few) who just said its easy and left him do it, and others who said how he should work around the titles and the time limit. You just know when someone really wants to help and when someone just wants to but in.

To conclude, as I said, I will let the thread free for ~2 more days and I will come back to it, summerise it, and work on my CV again. After all, I did have some good job offers till now, so I had something right. Improving it will just increase my odds :)
 
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