Write an Outstanding Graduate CV

7/27/2019 Write an Outstanding Graduate CV

1/10

Write an Outstanding

Graduate CV

FREEforstudents

How to
http://www.witlr.com/g/howto22?utm_source=howtopdf&utm_medium=howtoguide&utm_campaign=howto22


2/10

How to Write an Outstanding Graduate CV

Traditional Graduate CV

Before we get started

You don't need a CV to use Witlr just one detailed Witlr prole. However, you

might still be looking at applying for graduate jobs in the traditional way, with a

CV. Our only aim at Witlr is to help you get a great graduate job, placement orinternship; we don't really mind how. So here's our top tips guide to writing a

traditional graduate CV. There's loads of advice out there but we guarantee that if

you read this guide you'll pick up at least a couple of points that help your CV to

stand out to employers.

So, what are you waiting for? Get reading and put our top tips into practice to

transform your CV!

This guide will look at the traditional graduate CV. If you are using a dierent

format of CV, such as a skills or academic based CV, you will still nd elements of

this advice transferable and useful for your CV.

We will look at the information you should put in your CV and how to lay it out

eectively. We'll also go over some important tips on how to use language and

the content in your CV to sell yourself eectively to employers.

There are a few vital points you should bear in mind whilst you are crafting your

CV.

We'll try to help you with the second two points throughout this guide. If we

repeat ourselves a couple of times don't worry we're not losing the plot; they're

just really important! Be sure to read the section on writing and using marketing

techniques at the end of the guide to nd some invaluable pointers which will

help separate your CV from the competition.

Make sure you tailor your CV to the role you are applying for; employers

will just ignore a CV which has clearly been sent out in bulk.

Remember your CV is essentially a sales document, after each statement

you make ask yourself; is this really selling my skills to employers?

The aim of your CV is to get you an , not a job! You want to tryinterview

and make the reader curious to meet you and nd out more.

1

23
https://witlr.com/student-advice/interviewshttps://witlr.com/student-advice/interviewshttps://witlr.com/student-advice/interviews


3/10

Presentation

Sections to include in your CV

In terms of presentation, unless you're going for a creative or design role, forget

the fancy stu! Keep it simple. Most employers or recruiters know what they are

looking for; so make it easy for them to nd it. Keep your font, layout andformatting clear and simple and make sure your CV is no longer than 2 pages

long. There is nothing wrong with having a plain looking CV; it's the quality of the

content that will make it stand out.

Start with your name at the top of the page and follow this with your address andcontact details. You'd be surprised by how many people either put inaccurate

details on their CVs or fail to include any at all, honestly. It would be rubbish if an

employer wanted to oer you an interview only to nd they can't get in touch; so

be sure to use an active email address and telephone number on your CV.

Under your personal details include a personal statement. Keep it short and

sweet, use this statement to quickly tell employers in 2 to 3 lines how you willadd value to their business:

Who you are and what you're looking for

The degree you're studying/studied and the sector that you want to get into or

the specic job you are applying for.

Why you're the right person for the job

Ask yourself: if you were stood in front of the employer and could only make oneor two points on why you are the ideal candidate for this role, what would you

say? Try and write a sentence on these points. The sentence could be based on

your skills, what you can bring to the table or any unique or relevant experiences

you have that could help you stand out to the employer.

Goals

If you have any short term or long term goals for your career, let the employer

know about them quickly here.

Personal details

Personal statement/prole


4/10

Have a look at our tips on writing towards the end of this guide; it could help you

out when producing your personal statement. You can also take a look at our

guide ' ' for more advice.Perfect your personal statement

For each job include accurate start and end dates, job titles and company names.List your experiences in reverse chronological order, with the most recent rst.

Demonstrate your value and use active language

You should include important duties but don't just list tasks, instead you should

put an emphasis on the value that you added to the business. You can do this by

using active language such as increased, improved, initiated etc. Where possible

you should also back up statements with examples to show the positive impact

you had. Just using these two methods can have a radical eect, as seen in this

example:

When it comes to education, employers are most interested in your time at

university so why not make it easy for them and start o with this.

University

As a heading state the start and end dates of your course, the name of your

university, your course title and your grade or predicted grade. Underneath you

can then summarise your course including skills learnt, relevant modules to the

specic role you're applying for and any areas you particularly excelled in or

enjoyed.

School and College

After telling employers about your time at university it's time to delve back into

the past and your time at school and college. Once again include the start and

end dates and the name of the school(s) and colleges(s) you attended. You don't

need any sort of summary here, just list your A-levels and GCSE results. Don't

waste too much valuable space on your GCSEs by listing them down the page;just state the number you took and the grades you achieved:

Eg. 10 GCSEs: 2A*s, 4As, 2Bs, 2Cs. (If the job specication specically asks for

certain GCSEs, then make it clear you took the relevant subjects and achieved the

required grades).

Education

(Relevant) Work Experience

Get more advice
https://witlr.com/student-advice/perfect-your-personal-statementhttps://witlr.com/student-advice/perfect-your-personal-statement


5/10

Used online marketing to increase

website trac.

I initiated a new online marketing

campaign using pay per click

advertising on Google and social

media sites; this resulted in a 60%increase in trac to our website.

Use this section to show o your skills, qualications and accomplishments to

employers. This is quite a broad section and you may have oodles to say, however

try to keep it concise; only expand on the points that really add weight to your

application.

So what sort of bits should you include here?

Some examples of things you could tell employers about are: languages you canspeak, computer qualications, scholarships, awards, positions of responsibility

and voluntary work.

If you're a bit of an overachiever with too many accomplishments to t in you'll

just have to be selective! Think about the types of things that will attract the

employer you are targeting. What will make them intrigued to meet you?

Keep it relevant

We've included the (relevant) in the title because it is important to try and show

you have relevant experience for the job you are applying for. Your paper round

as a 13 year old may reveal you have a good work ethic, but it doesn't necessarily

show why you're suitable for a graduate job in a company. So, if you have lots of

work experience cherry pick the experiences which you think show the employer

you'll be great for their job.

On the other hand, if you feel like your CV is lacking relevant work experience

then emphasise the transferable skills you have picked up in other roles. If you

believe you're lacking work experience altogether then you will have to try and

show other areas where you have picked up the necessary skills. This could be

through your university course, playing sport or being part of a society; just make

sure that wherever possible you emphasise that you have the qualities the

company is looking for.

Skills, Qualications & Accomplishments

Rubbish: Brilliant:


6/10

Your writing will probably be the rst impression you have on your prospective

employer. If it isn't up to scratch then it's more than likely your CV will end up on

the dreaded rejection pile! To avoid this fate follow these simple steps to make

sure your writing doesn't let the rest of your application down.

Keep your writing as clear and concise as possible; avoid the use of long,

complicated or overly formal language. Try and write the way you would

talk to someone, this will create a rapport with your reader and keep them

positively xated on the content of your CV!

Passive words won't cut it in your CV. Use active words to create a positive

impression and create momentum on your CV. If your CV is lled withactive, positive language it's much more likely to be remembered by an

employer.

Finally, don't undo all your hard work by making silly spelling and

grammatical errors. If you know these areas aren't your strong suit then

get a grammatical guru to check your CV over for you.

This section is optional and you should only really include it if you think the

content enhances your application. You can include extra-curricular activities

such as sport, music and societies. If you have reached a high level in any of these

activities let employers know about it. Whether you were captain of a sportsteam, part of a choir or the head of a society; these sorts of experiences will make

you stand out from other candidates.

References can take up a lot of valuable space on your CV. Unless they are

specically requested by an employer just say that they are available on request.

References

Interests & Activities

Some nal pointers

Exciting Writing

3 Tips for Perfect Penmanship!

1

2

3


7/10

Copywriters use testimonials to back up their claims, providing evidence to put

their customer's minds at ease. You can do this too. Back up your claims with real

examples, using statistics, sales or feedback, to give credibility to your

statements. Your examples don't have to be out of this world: 'I completed a

charity fun run raising over 300 for cancer research' sounds better than 'took

part in run for charity. Just like a marketer's testimonial, using examples adds

authority to your statements and shows employers you're not just all mouth andno trousers.

Marketing copywriters are the kings of using words to sell and as we've noted, a

CV is essentially a document selling your skills to employers. So why not try and

use a couple of copywriter's favourite techniques to sell yourself and get ahead ofthe competition?

We've mentioned how important it is to show how you can add value to your

prospective employer. So what's a good way to do this? When selling a product

copywriters are taught the importance of selling BENEFITS not just FEATURES.

You can use this method on your CV:

Firstly you need to think from your audience's point of view, in this case your

prospective employer; put yourself in their shoes and think carefully what it is

that they want. When you've worked this out try and relateyour skills to the

needs of the employer. Think of yourself as a product. Don't just list your features

(your skills or the things that you have done), tell employers why your skills will

be benecial to them. By doing this you show prospective employers how you

can t in at their business and go a long way to showing them you can become

an indispensable member of their team.

Add Value

Use Marketing Techniques to Sell Yourself

Testimonials


8/10

With CVs content is always king so keep the design and layout simple to

make it easy for employers to nd the information they are looking for.

If you only remember (or read!) one part of this guide then this is the section

to store away in the memory bank.

Recap: Key points!

That's it from us

Tailor the content of your CV to the role your applying for; relate your

skills to employer's needs.

Use short, sharp and active language.

Always try to show ways in which you will add value to an organisation.

Back up your claims with examples to add weight to your application.

Thanks for reading; we hope you picked up some ideas to help you to stand out

from the competition and get the graduate job, internship or placement you

really want. If you have any feedback, questions or just fancy a chat please don't

hesitate to get in touch with us at or via [email protected] facebook

twitter.

If you thought reading our tips was worthwhile please go ahead and share them

on facebook, twitter, email and rest of the webbut please don't alter the guide's

contents when you do. Thanks!

You can check out heaps more of top advice on .Witlr.com
mailto:%[email protected]://facebook.com/witlrhttp://twitter.com/witlrhttp://twitter.com/witlrhttps://witlr.com/https://witlr.com/http://twitter.com/witlrhttp://facebook.com/witlrmailto:%[email protected]


9/10

Want more advice? Check out our other guides:

For more tips, articles and a bit of fun you can also have a look at our blog
http://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_7/blog.witlr.comhttps://witlr.com/student-advice/internships-and-placements-the-lowdownhttps://witlr.com/student-advice/perfect-your-personal-statementhttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_7/blog.witlr.comhttps://witlr.com/student-advice/interviewshttps://witlr.com/student-advice/finding-your-perfect-graduate-job-internship-or-placement


10/10

Looking for a graduate job,

internship or placement?

4 9 6 3 8 9 9 5 2 3 4 4 8

4.99

Create a prole today

at

and let the employers

nd you

www.witlr.com
http://www.witlr.com/g/howto22?utm_source=howtopdf&utm_medium=howtoguide&utm_campaign=howto22http://www.witlr.com/g/howto22?utm_source=howtopdf&utm_medium=howtoguide&utm_campaign=howto22http://www.witlr.com/g/howto22?utm_source=howtopdf&utm_medium=howtoguide&utm_campaign=howto22

Documents

Write an Outstanding Graduate CV