CV\'s are called a variety of things (eg, curriculum vitae, resume). There is no universally accepted format. The most important attribute of a successful CV is that it clearly explains to the reader what it is that you can do for them. Your CV should be: • A well-presented, selling document • A source of interesting, relevant information • A script for talking about yourself

1. Learning Log - Preparing a CV
CV's are called a variety of things (eg, curriculum vitae, resume). There is no universally
accepted format. The most important attribute of a successful CV is that it clearly explains to the
reader what it is that you can do for them. Your CV should be:
• A well-presented, selling document
• A source of interesting, relevant information
• A script for talking about yourself
The purpose of your CV is not to get you the job. Its purpose is to get you an interview, and after
your meeting to remind the person you met with about you. Remember: you are not writing a CV
for yourself, you are writing it for the reader. So, as you write your CV, put yourself in the shoes
of the intended reader.
This section takes you through the content and detail of effective CVs:
• A standard two-page printed CV
• A one-page summary CV
• An online CV
Your CV or 'career resume' should provide an easy-to-follow breakdown of your career, skills,
experience and qualities to help prospective employers assess your suitability for a job. Drawing
up a CV from scratch and periodically updating it, is a useful self-development exercise, which
helps act as an additional check to guard against possible shortfalls in your skills portfolio.
A chronological CV is the most widely used format in which you set out your career history
working back from the present day through to your first post. The reason for presenting your
current position first is to help your prospective employer see your most recent achievements.
Evidence of recent accomplishments is usually more pertinent and meaningful than those of, say
15 or more years ago.
You may wish to tailor your CV and in particular the profile to emphasise the match between
those qualities that you have and what the employer is looking for. Generally however your
"standard" CV should be sufficient for most job applications with the covering letter focusing on
match of experience etc for the job being applied for.
Developing a CV
The purpose of the CV is to get you an interview. It is not a substitute for an interview.
Hopefully that will come later. The CV should not be an exhaustive list of everything you have
ever done, it must have impact and for that it should be concise. Your CV should reflect the facts

2. of your employment but it must sell your positive points and show what you have done /
achieved in the job. Your CV should present your capabilities and experience in up to three
pages (no more), to make the employer want to find out more about what you have to offer. A
CV can be tailored to meet a specific opportunity but this may not always be appropriate
particularly when making a speculative approach to an organisation.
First page of CV
Start with contact details i.e. name, address, telephone numbers and E-mail address if you have
one. The Profile is important and can be re-written and tailored for each specific application if
you wish. Key Skills should be bullet pointed with a maximum of 6-7 and can also be directly
related to the requirements expressed in the Job Specification/Advertisement. The advantage of
this approach is that when the employer looks at the profile and skills they will see immediately
that you meet the advertised requirements. To do this it is important not only to read the
specification closely but UNDERSTAND what is meant by what has been expressed and be able
to reflect this in your own words relative to your own unique achievements.
With regard to Career History each job which should be headed by a brief introducing sentence
outlining key responsibilities and then it is important to show what you have achieved. The
Bullet Point achievements should all open with past tense achievement verbs, "devised,
introduced, co-ordinated" etc. and should generally be quantifiable and verifiable such as "by
30%, being promoted by, .7M per annum" etc. this is much more impressive than merely saying
that 'a good job was done'. For impact, as well as for practical reasons, the list for recent jobs
should be limited to the most relevant half dozen or so achievements. For earlier jobs this should
be reduced to capture the essence of what was achieved.
Following pages of CV
If the first page is not done effectively then the risk is that the following pages will not be read.
Page one will have clear contact details, the tailored Profile and the Career History with
achievements from the most recent and relevant jobs. The following Pages provide meaningful
back up. The discipline of page one must be maintained throughout. Having got the potential
employer’s interest the following pages should confirm the initial impression that you are indeed
worth interviewing.
• With jobs further back in your career history you should keep the descriptions short. Not
only were these achievements some time ago but the Industry was different then and you
probably had less responsibility. However do ensure that a good clear record of
progression is demonstrated and that there are no unexplained gaps in your history.
Although these entries should be brief, don’t waste the opportunity to highlight important
achievements.
• List principal qualifications that are relevant. Focus on what matters now. Remember to
(briefly) indicate dates and awarding body. Be selective for now as you can always add in
more detail when you get to the interview. Do ensure, however, that you include those
that are both relevant and important.

3. • Date of Birth and possibly marital status if you feel this is relevant. A brief statement of
fact. No need to dwell on these or to give undue prominence.
• Interests need to be handled carefully. Most of us have a range of outside interests and
whilst potential employers might be impressed, they can just as easily be put off. This is
likely to be the case if they think that you might be running a business in your spare time,
or be prone to suffer from sports injuries or from the "morning after" your hectic social
life. Equally someone with no interests is scarcely credible. Sound advice is to select
from your wide range of interests those that are socially admired, safe and unlikely to
deter a prospective employer.
• You may want to add some brief details on any Professional Affiliations, Publications or
special honours that you have been awarded. At all times be aware of what the
prospective employer is likely to find relevant and positive for the particular job in
question.
Example CV style
Name
address
Tel.No.
Mobile No.
e-mail address
Profile:
About 30 words describing who and what you are and a brief outline of your experience eg:
( Senior Manager in Logistics with a substantial background in the Oil & Gas industry..)
Skills: eg.
• Excellent communicator ………
• Highly motivated ………………
• In depth experience, in ……………………………..
• Well qualified in both ……………………………….
• Expert skills in ………………………………………
• etc
Career History:
Name of Company Date from present�
Job Title
Brief description of the job and your responsibilities
• Achievment 1
• Achievement 2

4. • Achievment 3
• Achievement 4
• Etc.
(previous jobs)
Name of Company Date from & to
Job Title
Brief description of Job etc
• A
• A
• A
• etc
Education and Training
University / College etc dates to and from
Qualifications
School
Qualifications
Other Training
PERSONAL DETAILS
Date of Birth
Any other relevant information you feel appropriate
Interests
list some interests
1.why did you select the particular company
2.in what way can you contribute to the company
3.whats your idea of satisfying work experience.
The most important thing you must do before going to an interview is to find out as much as you
can about the company in question. Look at their web site, ask your friends, obtain some
information from them in advance. By going to an interview prepared and able to demonstrate at

5. least a basic understanding of the company’s business shows that you are actively interested in it
rather than simply seeking any job anywhere.
Prepare some questions in advance about the specific job you have applied for and also about the
company in general. Again, this will demonstrate your knowledge and interest in both the
company and the job, don’t forget that you may not be quite right for one job but perfect for
another.
Dress according to the company’s dress code, if you are unsure as to what this is, err on the side
of caution and dress formally. Nothing would be more intimidating than sitting in an interview in
casual clothes being interviewed by somebody in a 3 piece suit!
Almost inevitably during the course of the interview you will be asked to respond to a number of
fairly standard questions. Again, it is advisable to have the basis of your response thought out in
advance. Identify your strengths and weaknesses, be honest and don’t try to make a positive
statement into a weakness. Try to make these as relevant to the job you have applied for as
possible.
Keep your answers as short and succinct as possible, using specific examples or scenarios to
demonstrate your experience, ability and knowledge. Consider your long term career goals and
your personal attributes. Again be honest, for example, don’t position yourself as a team player if
you are a loner, it may get you the job in the short term but in the long term you will be unhappy
and looking for another job!
Ask a friend to give you a mock interview in advance, think of potential questions and practice
your answers with them. Be aware of your body language, sitting slouched in a chair looking
around the room gives the impression that you are not really interested or enthusiastic, whereas
sitting slightly forward in your seat and engaging your interviewer’s eyes gives the impression
that you are interested and enthusiastic.
In many cases, interviewers will want to know what you expected from your last job when you
were hired, so, be prepared to answer the interview question "What were your expectations for
the job and to what extent were they met?"
There isn't a right or wrong answer to this question. The best way to respond is to discuss what
you expected when you took the job and give examples of how the position worked out for you.
If the job wasn't exactly what you expected, it's fine to mention that. However, you should focus
on the job itself, not the company, your boss, or your co-workers (if they were a problem). Do be
careful how you answer and don't focus too much on the negative. Instead, address the highlights
of the job.
When responding, be specific. Prepare some examples to share with the interviewer in advance.

6. least a basic understanding of the company’s business shows that you are actively interested in it
rather than simply seeking any job anywhere.
Prepare some questions in advance about the specific job you have applied for and also about the
company in general. Again, this will demonstrate your knowledge and interest in both the
company and the job, don’t forget that you may not be quite right for one job but perfect for
another.
Dress according to the company’s dress code, if you are unsure as to what this is, err on the side
of caution and dress formally. Nothing would be more intimidating than sitting in an interview in
casual clothes being interviewed by somebody in a 3 piece suit!
Almost inevitably during the course of the interview you will be asked to respond to a number of
fairly standard questions. Again, it is advisable to have the basis of your response thought out in
advance. Identify your strengths and weaknesses, be honest and don’t try to make a positive
statement into a weakness. Try to make these as relevant to the job you have applied for as
possible.
Keep your answers as short and succinct as possible, using specific examples or scenarios to
demonstrate your experience, ability and knowledge. Consider your long term career goals and
your personal attributes. Again be honest, for example, don’t position yourself as a team player if
you are a loner, it may get you the job in the short term but in the long term you will be unhappy
and looking for another job!
Ask a friend to give you a mock interview in advance, think of potential questions and practice
your answers with them. Be aware of your body language, sitting slouched in a chair looking
around the room gives the impression that you are not really interested or enthusiastic, whereas
sitting slightly forward in your seat and engaging your interviewer’s eyes gives the impression
that you are interested and enthusiastic.
In many cases, interviewers will want to know what you expected from your last job when you
were hired, so, be prepared to answer the interview question "What were your expectations for
the job and to what extent were they met?"
There isn't a right or wrong answer to this question. The best way to respond is to discuss what
you expected when you took the job and give examples of how the position worked out for you.
If the job wasn't exactly what you expected, it's fine to mention that. However, you should focus
on the job itself, not the company, your boss, or your co-workers (if they were a problem). Do be
careful how you answer and don't focus too much on the negative. Instead, address the highlights
of the job.
When responding, be specific. Prepare some examples to share with the interviewer in advance.