Chronological CV Skill-based CV
1. Your name in large letters 9. ___________ in large letters
2. ______________ details 10. ______________________
3. (_______________________) 11.___________/Career profile
4. _________/ Academic qualifications 12. Key ____________
5. ________________________ 13. ________________ details
6. Activities and ________________ 14.Professional qualifications/___
7. Additional ___________________ 15. _____________________
8. References 16. _____________________
Education and Qualifications, Work Experience
Exercise 20. Read the article about how to write about your education in your CV and answer the following questions.
1. Why should recent graduates put the education section near the top of their CV?
2. What term does the author use to mean just the main pieces of information, nothing more?
3. Under what two circumstances would you include your A-level results in a CV?
4. What qualifications should you mention first?
5. What should you do if you’re searching for employment in the IT field?
EDUCATION
Should your education be at the top of the CV or among the optional sections at the end? It all depends on who you are and what job you are trying to get. If you have just left school, college or university, your education experience is going to be more immediately relevant and should therefore be prominently displayed early on. Your potential employer may be keen to hire recent graduates and will wish to see exactly what your educational attainments are. This means you can give plenty of detail of curricula, theses and grades. However, if you have been in the world of work for 20 years, your education is of little interest to an employer and should go in skeletal form near the bottom of the CV. What you have achieved since leaving full-time education is more indicative of your value.
Another thing to bear in mind is that higher qualifications imply lower ones. If you have only got GCSEs, fine. If, however, you have a bachelor’s degree, it is unnecessary to mention your GCSEs, or even A-levels, unless they are spectacularly good. A recruiter will simply assume they were taken at the usual time and is unlikely to be interested in how many there were and what grades they were. The same applies to a Master’s degree or PhD. The higher qualification makes the mention of any lower ones redundant.
If you feel you need to mention more in the way of academic attainment, for example, as a recent graduate or as someone with professional qualifications or other postgraduate training, the section should be organized in reverse chronological order, like your work experience section. Finally, the educational section can be the place to mention the all-important computer skills that continue to dominate working life. Different jobs and professions will require you to have an understanding of different computer packages, and if you have good working knowledge of these it is worth mentioning that you know they exist, or have been trained to use them. If you are applying for a job more closely related to IT, your technical proficiencies should have a relevant section of their own (entitled ‘computer efficiency’ or ‘computer skills’ or ‘IT proficiency’) much higher up the priority list (from “Job-hunting”).
Exercise 21. A) What five types of qualification are mentioned in the text above? Put them in order from highest to lowest.
1._______ 2._______ 3. _______ 4._______ 5._______
B) Answer the following questions.
1. What are the equivalent qualifications from A in your country?
2. Would the advice in the text be relevant if you were applying for a job in your country?
3. At the moment in the UK most university students study for 3 years (4 years in Scotland) to gain a bachelor’s degree. Some students then decide to continue at university for one or two years to do postgraduate studies and gain a Master’s degree. How does the higher education system in your country compare to this system?
Exercise 22. Match the CV approaches (1-2) to the effect (a-b) they will have on the layout of the work experience section of a CV.
1. Chronological CV ____
2. Skill-based CV ____
a) With this approach your relevant achievements are listed separately under skills headings at the top of your CV. The names, dates and locations of your work experience are listed towards the bottom of your CV.
b) With this approach your work experience is listed in chronological order, starting with your most recent job. Your main achievements and skills are tied to a specified job, at a specified time, in a specific place.
Exercise 23. Look at an extract from the CV of a student. According to the advice in exercises above does the student need to make any changes to what he has written? Rewrite the CV correctly.
| CURRICULUM VITAE Janneke Marie van Dale PERSONAL3 Albert Street INFORMATION Birmingham, B42 2SU United Kingdom [email protected] +31 71 5126511 7 March 1990 EDUCATION 1998−2005 Stedelijk Lyceum Arnhem, Diploma Gymnasium-A (gives entry to university) in the subjects: Dutch, German, English, Physics, Biology, and Mathematics. 2005−2009 Leiden University, The Netherlands 2009−2010 Exchange student to Bristol University, UK MSc in Civil Engineering. Courses studies included: Construction Engineering, Material Engineering, CAD for Civil Engineers, Infrastructure Engineering, Concrete Structures, Project Planning 2010−2011 Final year research project: ‘Waste and Recycled Material in Concrete Technology’ 2011−Present University of Birmingham PhD candidate |
Listening “Demonstrating your Interests”
Exercise 24. (Track 6.2) Listen to two recruitment experts discussing personal interests and answer the following questions.
1. What does the V on CV stand for? Why is this relevant to your interests?
2. What did Oliver think was wrong with mentioning ‘captain of the football team’?
3. Why is it a good idea to list a broad spectrum of interests?
4. What personal interests does Grace usually put in her CV?
5. What new achievements is Grace hoping to add?
Providing references
Exercise 25. Discuss the following questions.
1. Why are references important?
2. How many references do you need and who should you choose?
3. When is a referee no longer useful?
4. What happens if you don’t get on with the most obvious choices for your referees?
5. Is it OK to use someone you know well who works for the organisation where you are applying for a job?
6. Do you have to give your current employer?
7. How can you find out what a reference says about you?
8. If you are trying to get your CV on a single page and save space, you don’t need to provide the names or contact details of your referees. What phrase can you use to say you can provide references if they are needed?
Exercise 26. Match the questions (1─8) in exercise 25 to the following expert’s advice (a─h).
a) Usually two ─ an academic one and either an employer or personal / character referee. They should be of professional standing so that they can comment on your suitability for the job. Do not use a relative; a family friend is OK. Always ask permission before using someone as a referee. Provide them with copy of your CV and an indication of the jobs you are applying for. Thank them afterwards. ____
b) Yes, but they may feel uncomfortable, so be sensitive. They are putting their reputation on the line. ____
c) You can’t easily ─ that’s the point of a confidential reference. If you suspect a poor reference is causing you problems, try changing your referee.____
d) It is normal to ask for your current employer not to be contacted yet. Offer another referee. Ask to be alerted before your employer is contacted. _____
e) References provide confidential information about your character, skills and experience. A positive recommendation will greatly support your application. _____
f) You can simply put ‘References available on request’ and then provide them later on if you are asked to. _____
g) When they don’t remember who you are or become uncontactable._____
h) Choose another who will represent you in the best light. _____
Writing
Exercise 27. A) Study a CV sample which is typical for a recent graduate.
Adam Hall Personal information Date of birth: 20 February 1990 Address: 25 Victoria Road, Birmingham B19 2ZK Telephone: 0121 8953 9914 Email: [email protected] Profile I am a highly motivated and hard working young graduate with excellent academic qualifications and appropriate work experience in the field of civil engineering. I work very well in a team. I have excellent communication and organizational skills, and enjoy encouraging and motivating others. Education and Qualification 2010−2012 Leeds Metropolitan University Master of Engineering (Civil and Structural Engineering) 2006−2010 Leeds Metropolitan University Bachelor of Civil & Structural Engineering 1998−2006 King Edward’s School, Birmingham A levels: Art, Biology, Chemistry, Maths, Spanish, Geography, English, History Work experience
InterestsI take great pleasure in travelling to experience different cultures, meet new people and learn from new experience. I enjoy playing the piano and singing. ReferencesProf. N.T.Fadin Elzbieta Gordon Department of Environmental Manager of Pavement Studies Construction Group Leeds Metropolitan University 10 Victoria Road LS2 3RX, Leeds Birmingham |
B) Think of a specific job you would like to apply for and using the models presented in this unit, write your CV.
C) In pairs, evaluate each other’s CVs. Think about the following questions.
· Is English natural and accurate?
· Does everything make sense? Do you get a good idea of your partner’s life by reading their CV?
· Is the layout attractive and logical? If not, how can you improve it?
· Does your partner’s CV demonstrate a wide range of skills? If not, where could you add more proof?
· Does your partner’s CV demonstrate that your partner is suitable for the job they want? If not, why not?
· Is the CV too long / too short? If so, which words / sentences / sections would you delete, edit or add?