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Don’t make it complicated

First things first; make your CV easy to read. No recruiter or employer wants to spend all of their time trying to understand what you've written. Making it simple and clear will give you more chance of being invited in for an interview.

A few tips to consider include:

  • using bullet points to list your information
  • keeping your CV to two pages
  • using short sentences
  • writing in a black, clear font and size, such as Arial or Calibri.

Remember: Always ask someone else to read through your CV once it's done. They will be able to tell you how easy it is to read and if they found any typos or grammatical errors.

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Show off your skills and achievements

The reason it’s so important to make your CV simple and clear is so recruiters and employers don’t miss any of your skills and experience. After all, this is why they read it in the first place. It’s a good idea to bullet point your skills near the beginning, so the employer knows what your main strengths are.

If you need a hand working out what these are, check out our article on that below:

Once you know what your main skills are, it’s time to show them off in your CV. To do that, make sure you:

  • understand the skills needed for the job
  • include examples of you using these skills
  • mention any other related skills you have.

If you’ve done any kind of work experience or community work, make sure you also include these. Employers want to know what kind of experience you have, so tell them!

This Careers.govt.nz video on what to include in your CV and how to write it is a good resource for some further information.

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Things to avoid

To really impress any employers or recruiters reading your CV, you should also know the kinds of mistakes you need to avoid making. Getting someone to check it over can help, though there are some common mistakes people make that you should be aware of.

Careers.govt.nz have put together a useful piece we’ve linked to below, a few key things to avoid are:

  • lots of errors and typos
  • a complicated design
  • too much information.

At this stage, it’s also worth double-checking your email address and answerphone message. Although they aren’t directly connected to your CV, employers won’t be impressed if you’ve got an inappropriate email address or message on your phone, so this is a good time to change them!

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Good CV templates

There are a lot of different CV templates out there that can help you write and design your own. It should always be written with the job you’re applying for in mind, though templates can be useful if you’re looking for some inspiration.

For an overview of different types of CVs, we’d recommend having a look at templates and advice by:

Key websites

  • Careers.govt.nz: Careers.govt.nz has information on everything from how to apply for scholarships to writing CVs, helping you decide what career is right for you.
  • Youth Employment Success: Focusing on Dunedin, Youth Employment Success is an organisation trying to tackle youth unemployment.

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