Sometimes in my line of work I am required to write a professional-looking CV, and here is what I do…
I get a template. Cheating? No. Helping yourself to make life easy?Absolutely!
Put in your personal info, and include a picture if you like. I like the ‘summary paragraph’ at the beginning of a CV so you can see what a person thinks of themselves, what they do, and who they are without reading the rest. It can either draw them in, or push the reader way so it is important that you come across as confident but not arrogant.
Put in your qualifications, most recent first, and sort multiple (i.e. A levels,GCSEs) by the highest grade first.
When talking about hobbies and interests, mention all of them, but if you enjoy spending time with your children, refer to them as ‘family’ to rule out bias.
If you wish to name references, do so, but if not, say ‘available on request’. In the case you have no references, put a teacher, family friend, or someone who knows you in a professional capacity down.
If in doubt, enrol the help of a professional like myself. They will be able to best guide you through the process.
Try and keep it on one a4 page if possible. Good luck Job Hunters!