Writing a great CV can be quite a difficult task as one person’s perfect CV may be less perfect to somebody else. There are however a number of important things that you must take into account when writing your CV which will help ensure your CV is “great” to most people.

You’re CV is often the first thing a potential employer will see and it’s important that you make a positive impression. A negative impression at CV stage may stop you getting an interview but will mean you have more work to do during the interview. A number of skills are scarce in the Life Science sector in recruitment terms but don’t think because of that you can make less effort with your CV.

What will a future employer think if your CV is littered with spelling mistakes, formatted poorly, contains incorrect information and lacks crucial information such as skills and your contact details.

Here are my top tips on what should and shouldn’t be on your CV:

Do…..

• Keep it clear: use an easy to read font such as Arial or Times New Roman at size 10 or 12 and try to keep the same font throughout
• Keep it concise: 2 to 3 pages ideally
• Keep it simple and accurate: double check all grammar and spelling and even better get a friend, colleague or a consultant at Fuse to read it through
• Use headers to help each individual section stand out: use bold or underline
• Use bullet points rather than block text: it’s much neater and easier to read
• Include your name and contact details: you’d be surprised how many people forget to include their phone number
• Technical Skills: Make sure you include a list of technical skills your competent in.  So many CVs have these missing and if an employer is looking for a Research Scientist with experience in “Phage Display” and you haven’t listed that as a skill on your CV then you won’t get selected for an interview

Don’t….

• Call it “Curriculum Vitae” or CV: just use your name as the title
• Insert your photo – I understand in Europe this is usually an essential requirement but in the UK we advise not to include one
• Include any graphics
• Add borders (tables can be included if they appear suitable and tidy)
• Make the CV multicolored: Keep all type black
• Have endless pages: Try to keep it to 2 or 3 and if you have an extensive publication record for example put that in a separate document and included the most relevant publications for the job on the CV

A good CV should include the following parts in this order:

• Contact details
• Profile – Ideally tailored for each role
• Key Skills
• Key Achievements
• Career history – Starting with most recent role
• Education/Training – put this above career history if you’re a recent graduate and only include relevant training
• Other skills – e.g. IT, driving licence, languages etc
• Interests / References (optional)

Don’t rely on spell-checkers, they can ruin an otherwise well-prepared CV and if you don’t read through your finished CV before sending it off, you may be in for a surprise in your interview when your potential employer picks up on your mistakes. That’s if you get that far….