Have you already completed short courses in Auckland and are ready to dive into the workforce? Before you hit the job market, you’re going to need to make sure that your CV is up to scratch – it’s competitive out there! Take a look at the ultimate checklist for CV’s we’ve compiled below, and make sure yours ticks all the boxes.
Work-Focused vs Skills-Focused CV
There are two main types of curriculum vitae that people can use to portray their skills and experience to employers – a work-focused CV or a skills-focused CV. While many people use a work-focused CV to showcase their experience and progress their career further, if you’re a graduate fresh out of school, or if you’re just starting down a new career path, then chances are you don’t have years of work experience to show prospective employers. If this is the case, then using a skills-focused template is the best type of CV to use.
An empty work history doesn’t have to be a disadvantage! If you create a skills-focussed CV, you can highlight your best skills and qualities to prospective employers, showing your potential to grow and learn.
What to include in your CV
A professional and well-presented CV will make all the difference between a positive and a negative response. To present yourself professionally in your job applications, make sure your CV includes the following.
1. Your name and contact details
Both your first and last name, in large, bold text. Your contact details should include a phone number and email address for employers to get in contact with you.
2. A personal statement
A personal statement gives a brief overview of who you are, and what strengths, and experience you have. It is only about three to four sentences in length and sits below your contact details. It is optional to include this, but a personal statement is very useful because it helps employers get a concise, clear perspective of you and your career objectives.
3. Personal skills
These should be skills relevant and useful to the job you’re applying for. When you’re applying for specific jobs, take note of the skills listed in the job advertisement, and include them in your application. Make sure to give examples of how you have used them so employers can fully appreciate your experience.
For example, good attributes to emphasise are strong communication skills, your commitment to detail, or your ability to work well under pressure. Use examples of when you used these skills in school, in work experience programmes, or your previous employment. Even if your previous job or experience isn’t related to the job you’re applying for now, as long as you show employers how the skills you gained are relevant to the role at hand, you can include it in your resume. Learn more about how to include your skills in your CV!
4. Technical skills
There is a wide range of technical skills you could include in your CVs, such as your driver’s licence or your language skills if you’re fluent in two or more languages. Practical skills are a great way to show employers what other capabilities you bring to the table. A driver’s licence can be advantageous and sometimes necessary if the job requires a lot of travel to and from locations. In comparison, knowing multiple languages can be useful for multicultural workplaces.
5. Work history and volunteering experience
Include your most recent job and volunteering experiences if you have any. What you need to include for this section is the name of the employer, the job title, the location of the job, and the start and end date of your work or volunteer experience. Follow this with a short list of tasks you needed to perform for this role, and any achievements you gained while working in it.
6. Qualifications and education
For the qualifications part of your CV, you can include the following: school qualifications, school subjects, grades, certificates, diplomas, or degrees. Any micro-credentials or short work-related courses you accomplished can also be included here. Have your qualifications listed in chronological order from most recent to oldest.
7. Achievements
If there are any important achievements you didn’t list in your qualifications, list them in this section. Achievements can be anything from any awards or commendations you received, to any contributions you made to the community or any successful projects you completed. If you have previous work experience, you can also include examples of how you helped former employers reach their sales targets.
8. Personal interests
This is an optional section, but you can include a list of personal interests to showcase any non-work-rlated skills you may have that make you a great candidate for the job (e.g. hobbies that show you are proactive, are a team player, and so on).
9. Referees
A referee is typically someone who knows you professionally such as your current or previous manager, but they can also include people such as your team leader, teacher, or work experience supervisor. Include at least two referees in your resume and provide their professional details, including the referee’s first and last name, job title, the organisation they work in, phone number, and email address.
Make your CV easy to read
Employers take between 15-20 seconds to initially scan through CVs. If your CV is easy to read and well-presented, then it is more likely to make a good first impression and stand out. Our key tips for making your CV look professional and presentable include:
Do Include:
- Strong headings
- Black, easy to read font
- Keep a formal tone
- Use clear, short sentences, and break up blocks of text
- Use bullet points to list information
- Keep your CV between 1-2 pages maximum
Don’t Include:
- Abbreviations, unrelated jargon, or slang
- Images or photos
- Too much text or bad spelling
- An unprofessional sounding email address
- Unrelated work experience
- Lies about your experience or skills
- Your date of birth/age
- Your marital status
- Your religion
- Your bank account details
Pro tip! Include action verbs in your CV to describe your skills and work history. Words like managed, demonstrated, developed, and organised are powerful because they give a strong impression that will maximise the effectiveness of your accomplishments.
Another best practice is to save your CV as a word document under your name, the job title, and the application date. This makes it easy for you and the employer!
Useful Supportive Documents to include
Besides your CV, there is a variety of other documents you can choose to include to support your job application. Supportive documentation types include:
- Cover letter – the most important supportive documentation. Tells your potential employer why you are the ideal candidate for the role.
- Letters of recommendation such as a professional reference or a personal character reference letter.
- Education transcripts
- Certificates
- Other documents relevant to the job
In need of practical work experience? Study short courses in Auckland with Crown
Looking to study in New Zealand and eventually enter the work force? Here at Crown, we provide a wide range of business, travel and tourism, and hospitality courses for you to choose from. Study with Crown to gain industry knowledge, practical skills, and work experience that will keep you two steps ahead of the crowd when applying for your dream job. For more information, explore our website or get in touch with us today to register your interest!
