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CV Construction

• After the basic stuff (name, address, contact details etc) many people add a few lines about themselves. My feeling about this part is that is useless and at best will be ignored. People always use the same set of words to describe themselves (e.g. enthusiastic, motivated, hard-working etc) but the real problem is that the description of you has been carried out by you; there is no independence. My advice is to omit this part and let the contents of the CV speak for you.

• Next include information about your education, subjects studying and grades. There is no value in including a list of modules followed; a list doesn’t mean that you are good at these subjects. It just means that you were there. Inclusion of the title of your project is a good idea. If you have published (or submitted) the results of your thesis for publication (for example to BioScience Horizons) say so; this says a lot about your drive and the quality of the work carried out. Add the link to your work.

• List your employment next. To have earned money again says something about your work ethic. If you haven’t had any employment or had substantial periods of time without employment it is a very good idea to have a reason why. Hopefully you haven’t been unwell (if so, not something for your CV) but it should be evident that you have been spending your time constructively, e.g. volunteering, building your species identification skills, travelling, etc.

• Have a section where you list your non-academic qualifications, e.g. driving licence, PADI, bird handling licence, first aid, etc

• Have a section listing your interests and hobbies. Not sure that socialising is a good one (even if you do spend a lot of time doing this). Hopefully you are sociable and engaging and you that don’t see this as something special. Do you do any sporting activities? But keep it relevant and don’t list what you did at school; stick to what is current unless, for example, when you were younger you engaged in competitive sport and you have maintained an active interest in the sport (with evidence).

• Evidence for what you claim is important, either in your CV or during interview. Your CV will be used to direct an interview process so it must be watertight but it should contain enough material and interest.

• Finally, two referees with contact details and preferably academic referees. If they are academic the potential employer can have more confidence that

                             1) They are not personal friends                   

                        2)  They will offer objective opinions.

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