Writing a CV for the UK job market
Your CV is your personal PR, and is what will ultimately determine whether you receive a job offer in the UK. Some visas cannot be issued to workers without a job offer, and for these workers, the CV is doubly important. Their access to the UK will depend upon it.
CV's must contain a lot of information, but this information should be presented succinctly and clearly, and worded in a way that represents your best interests. Contact information should be the first thing the reviewer sees. Make sure you have included your full legal name, current physical address, email address, plus any telephone numbers (landline, cell, and fax) that can help a prospective employer find you.
Present your educational and professional achievements in the very best light. Describe your duties with facts and numbers. Vague statistics will bore your reviewer, while announcing that you supervised ten other employees on X-project and headed three committees on Y-purpose will showcase your talents and achievements. Never lie about what you have done. Embellish honestly.
Try to be unique without being tediously obvious about it. Use action verbs rather than passive ones. Bullets are useful, since lists are easier to spot and comprehend than paragraphs of prose. Consider using buzzwords that are appropriate for the job. This will indicate that you are skilled and knowledgeable.
Investigate the company to which you are applying and get a bead on what they are looking for. Showcase your talents in this light so that they will perceive that you are perfect for the job. If you have work experience that will give you an edge, be sure to emphasize this even if it is work you did in the past. Most work experiences are listed in reverse chronology with most recent first, but if you have experience in the past that will qualify you better for the present, be sure to place this information where it will be easily seen.
In creating your resume use a good quality resume paper and restrict yourself to the more standard fonts of Arial and Times New Roman. See that your headings are consistent in size and placement, as well as the body. Overall appearance should be pleasing to the eye. If you are unsure as to form, search online for helpful templates and examples.
If your CV appears professional, you will appear professional. Be sure to include a cover letter that pitches you in the best way. This cover letter should explain why you are sending the CV and will give an overview of your relevant background. It is this letter that will get the reviewer's first attention. It should make your resume one that the reviewer will want to read. Keep your cover letter to one page in length. Your CV will tell the rest of your story.
