Basic CV tips
- Keep your CV to two pages
- Make it functional – a CV is not a place to experiment with fancy paper, trendy fonts and all the colours of the rainbow
- Always include a brief synopsis (about three sentences) at the top introducing yourself and outlining your career objectives
- Unless you’re applying for an acting job, don’t add a picture
- Don’t just list your work experience. Make sure you include some bulletpoints about what you learned/ achieved through it
- Check spelling and grammar really carefully.
Covering letter
The purpose of a covering letter is to introduce yourself and communicate something of your personality. It can also be used to highlight the most important parts of your CV. A covering letter demonstrates that you can write in sentences and spell and use grammar – so make sure you look through it carefully (in fact get someone else to double-check it) before you send it off.
It is not necessary to handwrite a covering letter these days, despite what your parents might tell you. But do take time to lay it out well – and make sure you include a contact phone number and email address.
Check out our sample covering letter
Some other useful CV and letter writing advice sites:
