Writing a better CV

Further Information 1 Write a better CV 2 How many pages? 3 More than one version? 4 How do I structure it? 5 Mechanics 6 Ten things NOT to do 7 Download sample CV

Part 4

How to structure your CV

Imagine a business document. Perhaps a Project Definition Document. Think about the luxury of white space, simple bullet points - then detail when it's needed. This is what we are aiming for.

• Page 1 - Name, address, date of birth, address, phone, mobile, email address and personal summary or statement of your personal objectives regarding your career
• Page 2 - Software, tools, methods, qualifications, hardware, techniques - simple vertical lists
• Page 3 + Your CV in reverse chronological order.

• Dates: From X to Y
• Client Company / Employer
• Your role / title



• Software, tools utilised here


• Several paragraphs describing exactly what you did, how large a team you worked in, types of projects and technologies used. Problems and issues overcome etc


• If you worked on multiple projects over the years, perhaps describe each one using a different paragraph or sub section


• Utilise bold to highlight the major tools used. But don't over-do it. If you were writing ASP using IIS Version 6 then highlight it accordingly - particularly if you are applying for a job where ASP and the .NET framework was part of the role