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Writing a CV can be a tough thing to get your head around. The trick is to remember that you are selling yourself. That means you want to include all of the great things that you have done or achieved. Try not to be too humble. Don't claim you have done something that you haven't, but make sure you include everything that you have.
So what is a CV?
So what is a CV?
CV is short for curriculum vitae. Sometimes they are also called a resume (particularly in the USA). Effectively it is a brief account of a person's education, qualifications, and previous occupations and will include skills that you have that are relevant to the job you are applying for.
The Basics
The Basics
Your CV should be:
1- 2 pages maximum
Appealing to look at and well laid out
Grammatically correct - even one spelling mistake will stick
Shamelessly self-promoting. Make yourself sound awesome!
Accurate. If you say you have done something, make sure you can back it up.
Must Have
Must Have
Your name and contact details
Technical and personal skills
Work, community, and volunteer experience
Qualifications and education
Referees
Could Have
Could Have
An objective and personal statement
Achievements
Interests
Shouldn't Have
Shouldn't Have
A photo or images
Coloured or fancy fonts or design
Your date of birth or age
Bad spelling
A funny or rude email address
Work experience or interests that are not relevant to the job
TBC Future Pathways Top Tip: Change your CV to suit the job you are applying to
TBC Future Pathways Top Tip: Change your CV to suit the job you are applying to
If it is construction or labouring highlight your physical strengths and sporting successes. If it is retail, focus on the 'soft skills,' your ability to talk to and interact with people. Different jobs need different things, so make sure your CV is right for the job.
CV Building Tools
CV Building Tools
There are heaps of them out there, but the links below are two of the best ones. Both are made for the New Zealand workforce and work well for people new to the workplace with skills and enthusiasm but not a lot of experience. However, we think they are helpful but not perfect, so use them alongside the CV tips mentioned above.
This tool is free to sign up for, has lots of hints, and will even spit out a complete CV for you at the end. Be aware that the formatting of the end product isn't always great, so you may want to use the hints and then format yourself.
This one costs, and it is sneaky. It lets you build the CV but then makes you sign up and pay to download it. However, it does automatically write some great job-specific briefs for you, so let it write them for you and then copy and paste them onto your own doc.
More advice on how to format a resume
More advice on how to format a resume
This video gives detailed tips on what should be in your CV.
TBC Future Pathways Top Tip: Save as a PDF and give it a sensible name. Eg. TCollin_CV_2021
TBC Future Pathways Top Tip: Save as a PDF and give it a sensible name. Eg. TCollin_CV_2021
Always Include Your Skills
Always Include Your Skills
The top five skills listed in job adverts
The top five skills listed in job adverts
Organised
Communicates well
Flexible
Motivated
Passionate
For more information on how to describe your skills on a CV click here.
Explain how you demonstrate those skills
Explain how you demonstrate those skills
Organised
I collected and managed money from my school’s 40-Hour Famine fundraiser.
Self-starter
Ran a coffee kiosk. Managed and counted the till takings, opened and closed kiosk.
Teamwork
Worked with the school trustees to make decisions about school issues. I played netball on a school team for four years and was a captain in Year 13.
TBC Future Pathways Top Tip: Check your voicemail and email address
TBC Future Pathways Top Tip: Check your voicemail and email address
We call students all the time and get some pretty dumb voice messages. If your mates think your voice message is funny, delete it and start again. Your name and a request to leave a message is all you need.
CV Templates
CV Templates
The templates below are examples of excellent CV's for high school students. Make a copy of the template and put your own details in, using suggestions from the CV builders and the completed examples as a guide.
School-leaver-CV-template.DOCXTemplate 1
Template 1
From Careers NZ
School-leaver-CV-example.pdfExample from Template 1
Example from Template 1
Use this one as a guide
Referees
Referees
Having two referees is essential. Your referees should be people who know you well and who think highly of you. Just not your mum. Seriously, they shouldn't be related to you. It is highly likely that they will be called, so make sure you ASK them if they are willing to be a referee for you. Some suggestions of people you could use include:
Your form teacher, tutor, or dean
A classroom teacher you get on with
A coach, youth pastor, youth leader
Your present or former boss
Some of the questions they are likely to be asked are below. Think about what your referee is likely to say about you when asked these questions, and consider whether they are a good person to ask.
Is __________ always on time?
Is ____________ a good communicator (do you let people know if you won't be present?)
Is _____________ well presented ( They want to know if you have a decent haircut, clean clothes, and most importantly, frequently shower!)
Is ______________ a good team member?
Is ______________ polite and respectful?
Does___________ take initiative? (Do you get on with things without needing to be told what to do next?)
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