Crafting Your Perfect CV: Tips and Tricks

Crafting Your Perfect CV: Tips and Tricks

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will produce a well-structured and legible CV which includes all relevant information about your experiences, qualities, and skills. You will also be able to modify your CV for a specific purpose.

Introduce the learning objective to the students and explain what they will be able to do by the end of the lesson.

What do you already know about creating a CV?

What is a CV?

A CV is a document that summarises your work experience, education, skills, and achievements. It is typically used when applying for jobs or internships.

Define what a CV is and explain its purpose.

CV Structure

A CV should include your personal information, education, work experience, skills, achievements, and references. It should be well-structured and easy to read.

Explain the basic structure of a CV and emphasise the importance of clarity and legibility.

Personal Information

Include your name, address, phone number, and email address at the top of your CV. You can also include a professional profile or summary statement.

Guide the students on how to present their personal information and highlight the importance of professionalism.

Education

List your educational qualifications in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent degree or qualification. Include the name of the institution, degree or qualification obtained, and dates of attendance.

Explain how to present education information, including what details to include and how to order them.

Work Experience

List your work experience in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent job. Include the job title, name of the company, dates of employment, and a brief description of your responsibilities.

Guide the students on how to present their work experience and emphasise the importance of relevance and concision.

Skills

List your skills in bullet points. Include both hard and soft skills, and make sure they are relevant to the job or industry you are applying for.

Explain the importance of highlighting relevant skills and guide the students on how to present them effectively.

Achievements

List any relevant achievements or awards you have received, such as academic or professional accolades.

Guide the students on how to present their achievements and emphasise the importance of relevance and brevity.

References

Include the names and contact information of at least two professional references. Make sure to ask for their permission first.

Guide the students on how to present their references and emphasise the importance of professionalism and etiquette.

Customising Your CV

When applying for a specific job, make sure to tailor your CV to the requirements of the role. Highlight relevant skills and experiences and adjust the structure and content of your CV accordingly.

Explain the importance of customising a CV for a specific job and guide the students on how to do so effectively.

Formatting Tips

Use a clear and legible font, such as Arial or Times New Roman, and keep the layout simple and consistent. Use bullet points and headings to organise your content.

Provide formatting tips and guide the students on how to make their CVs visually appealing and easy to read.

Proofreading

Proofread your CV carefully to ensure that there are no typos, errors, or inconsistencies. Ask a friend or family member to review it as well.

Emphasise the importance of proofreading and guide the students on how to do so effectively.

CV Checklist

Before submitting your CV, make sure to check that it includes all relevant information, is well-structured and legible, and is tailored to the requirements of the job. Proofread it carefully and ask for feedback if possible.

Provide a checklist for the students to use when reviewing and finalising their CVs.

Interactive Activity: CV Peer Review

Pair up with a classmate and exchange CVs. Review each other's CVs and provide constructive feedback on how to improve them.

Organise a peer review activity to help the students practice reviewing and providing feedback on CVs.

Interactive Activity: Customising Your CV

Choose a job posting and customise your CV for that specific role. Share your revised CV with the class and explain your reasoning for the changes you made.

Organise an activity where the students choose a job posting and customise their CVs accordingly. This will help them practice tailoring their CVs to specific job requirements.

Q&A Session

Encourage the students to ask any questions they may have about creating a CV or customising it for a specific job.

Allow time for a Q&A session at the end of the lesson to address any remaining questions or concerns the students may have.

Summary

In this lesson, you learned how to create a well-structured and legible CV that includes all relevant information about your experiences, qualities, and skills. You also learned how to customise your CV for a specific job.

Summarise the key takeaways of the lesson and emphasise the importance of effective CV writing.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.