Preparing your own Curriculum Vitae can seem a daunting task, apart from what to put in and what to leave out, describing your own strengths and abilities isn't easy. In the current climate, schools are always looking to consistently improve on classroom productivity therefore wanting to see a match from CV of prospective Teacher, Teaching Assistant or Nursery Nurse to the vacancy that they have. What we have tried to do with the following guidelines is to make the process much easier and ensure that you end up with a professional document which shows you how to pitch your skills and stand out from the crowd, but without going over the top.
Handy Tips for writing a good CV.
- Never lie on a CV about your relevant experience and qualifications. You will only be found out and waste everyone's time. The most you can ever do is to bring to prominence any experience you have which is specifically requested in the job specification, but again, only do this if you have actually had the experience.
- Read the job specification/advert meticulously and highlight what they specifically want. Make a list of these in order of importance. Tailor your experience and experience to match these requirements as much as you honestly can.
- If however there are gaps in what they want and what you can offer, do not be afraid to state this, but put it in the context of how interested you are in continuing your professional development by going on courses etc to fill in any skills you might lack but that they are looking for. Remember nobody is a perfect match for every job, but what employers want is someone who is flexible enough and hungry enough to keep wanting to update and upgrade their skills base.
- Do a lot of research about the school. Have a brochure sent to you, check out their website, find out where they feature in the league table, find out the strengths they are known for,- eg art, music, IT, pastoral work, SEN etc. Find out what their most recent play, concert, or exhibition was. You can work some of this information into your CV to show you have done your homework.
- Find out who will be interviewing you,- the Head, Deputy Head, or Head of Department. Remember their surnames. Address your CV to the Head teacher and ensure you get his/her title right, BSc. Hons, MA(Cantab) etc. All this information will be in the school brochure.
- Use a format which is constant throughout your CV. Use the same font for headings, the same font for subheadings, and underline appropriately. Do not just rely on spell check but ask a colleague to proof read your last draft to look for grammatical errors and inconsistencies. People are often anxious when writing a CV and this is demonstrated by the number of frequent basic errors they make in writing them.
- Avoid repetition. Ensure the information you give is in the relevant section of your CV, don’t just put the same information in twice. Employers discard waffle on CV's very quickly, particularly if the job is likely to attract a lot of candidates.
- List your most current job experience first and work backwards. Look at the suggested CV format, but tailor it to make it individual.
- If there are any large gaps in your CV explain briefly why, - travelling/retraining etc. Make the experience you gained in these periods relevant to the job you are applying for if possible.
- If you are asked for information on your leisure time activities emphasise those which might be of benefit to the school,- a sport you might be prepared to teach in a school club, an interest in drama which means you would be useful on a school trip. Emphasise intellectual interests which indicate you spend your time usefully eg not shopping or clubbing.
Your CV should be no more than two A4 pages and as every employer is different remember to customise your CV to every school you send it to. Remember – This is your opportunity to sell yourself! You will never get a second chance to make a first impression Good luck!
Essential know-how from Kelly Services