Thoughts on my CV

Rocker

Rocker

Rocker

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28 Nov 2005
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431
Location
Scotland
Hi,

I am currently ending my student contract with my current employer as I have now graduated from university. I have been applying for jobs but have reently redone my CV and was woundering if anyone could spre a few moments to have a quick look over it and criticize, suggest or provide feedback, thoughts on it and what not to/should/etc include.

Link to draft version bellow.

Any feedback would be very much appreciated.

*removed*

Thank you very much :)

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UPDATE

I have taken suggestions on board and made some draft change to it, I feel it looks a bit messy :confused: I wasn't ure how to lay out the bullet points.

If you could spare some time to take a look at the content and layout this would be very mch appreciated again. Link for updated CV is as bellow:

*removed*

Thank you :)



EDIT

******** ~~ FINAL DRAFT VERSION ~~ ********

So I have taken all points and feedback on board and I (think) I have come to something that I am happy with and is close to the final version.
I think it might need jazzed up a little, possibly a bit of colour is it is a bit bland.

I have uploaded it bellow, hopefully I'm getting close now :)


Final Draft

Thanks
 
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Wall of text = tl;dr

You need quick, easy to read bullet points. No one who values their time is going to read a series of mini essays IMO.
 
Many of your sentences run on, there are spelling mistakes and never use 'etc' in your CV.

On the plus side, it's 2 pages long and you're clearly bright. Don't underestimate the Interests section; this is often the most telling part of a CV and can (and does) make a difference to whether you're put in the 'interesting, let's get him in' camp or the 'hmm, nothing special' camp.

Your degree sounds awesome, btw.
 
Points taken on board. Appologies for the spelling mistakes, as I say its a draft, but I will correct these!

So in terms of the wall of text, how should i shorten this, bullet points, short sentences?

I will also take 'etc' out!

I will take the interests section into more consideration.

Should I include examples of my experiance and work at uni rather tha listing a lot of things?

FnG, thanks, the degree was awesome...just need a job now! :( not so awesome!
 
Id lay it out in bullet points. I read through that and personally got bored.

Keep an introduction but the rest of it keep it short and sweet. Makes it easier to read and for you to edit to suit the job your going for.
 
Rocker said:
Points taken on board. Appologies for the spelling mistakes, as I say its a draft, but I will correct these!
Click to expand...

It's all good, man :)

So in terms of the wall of text, how should i shorten this, bullet points, short sentences?
Click to expand...

This is much more difficult to answer. I actually prefer your style to bullet points but only because I want to know as much information as possible before I consider what to do next. Other colleagues of mine prefer bullet points to get a very quick feel for whether the candidate is worth further consideration. It's a very personal thing. Bizzarely, my own CV is closer to the bullet point style so I don't know how that works, hehe.

I will also take 'etc' out!
Click to expand...

You should.

I will take the interests section into more consideration.
Click to expand...

It doesn't need to be War and Peace but generic interests don't make you stand out.

Should I include examples of my experiance and work at uni rather tha listing a lot of things?
Click to expand...
Your CV should be a rounded representation of where you are with your life.
Could you do both?

FnG, thanks, the degree was awesome...just need a job now! :( not so awesome!
Click to expand...

For some childish reason, I thought of the film Wargames when I saw the name of your degree :cool:
 
Thanks for all the feedback!

And thank you FnG for you points :)
I agree it's a bit of a difficult decision as to whether to bullet or go with the style I have chosen. I agree everyone is different and prefers different styles, its a matter of choice on whose reading it. I may try to shorten areas and include bullets too.
In terms of examples of expeiance, yes I could probably do both.

I will take all your points on board and have a look and a rearrange of the CV tomorrow night. I may post back again tomorrow for an update :D

Thanks,
 
1. Don't fully justify text, ever. It just makes it look like a huge wall of text. Also you're inconsistent in whether you double space between paragraphs.

2. Your sentences are far too long and run into each other like the frothing verbal enthusiasm of an overexcited five year old. Case in point, the first sentence: "This course required me to be resourceful and versatile, although wide ranging, touching on all areas of IT, it focused on IT security requiring me to study and recognise IT security-related threats, including developing the ability to understand and think like an individual with malicious intent." How long? How many different themes? How many subclauses?

3. Your phrasing is clumsy and too passive. Things like "During my summer holiday from university I undertook a summer job in the software security team at NCR" would be better phrased as "I worked in the software security team at NCR during the summer holidays" - shorter, more active, doesn't repeat itself.

4. You repeat the same phrasing a lot. All three jobs begin "during". It's a minor thing, but try to vary it a bit.

5. "Whilst in first year of standard computing, I consider that I was hard working and adaptable" just sounds weird. In fact, that whole section seems oddly defensive.
 
A CV shouldn't be longer than two pages.

Have a look at this template. It's pretty much spot on.

http://www.grb.uk.com/fileadmin/uploads/cv_template.pdf

I used an adapted version of this.

Also bare in mind it is good to tailor a CV to a specific employer, subtly highlighting relevant information. You might consider adding an objective section at the top. My objective was "I am an enthusiastic and driven business graduate with significant work placement experience in a blue chip FMCG company. I am now seeking the opportunity to progress my career in a demanding role within the marketing area of an ambitious business".

A lot of employers might also expect other sections:
- Awards and achievements: anything from D of E to school or uni awards.
- Key skills: it's better to put key skills learnt from jobs into a specific section to really highlight them. An employer might want to see that you have experience working in teams but are also proactive working individually.
- State at the end that references available on request.
 
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I've had to filter through CVs and, tbh, that is by no means a tl;dr. I personally use bullet points for mine but just because there's a bit of prose doesn't mean you throw it down.
 
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