SEO London CV Guide It can take as little as 3 seconds to glance through a CV to review your application. Given there are thousands of CVs for any application, it is important that your CV is done well to attract the reader’s attention and pique their interest in wanting to follow up with your application. CV Structure There is not one perfect CV format; however, all strong CVs have the same basic content and clear structure. YOUR CV IDEALLY SHOULD BE ONE PAGE AS AN SEO CANDIDATE (Elon Musk can fit his in 1 page so there is no reason why yours should be more). 1. Full Name at the top of the page, in larger font size than the rest of the CV 2. Email and phone number underneath your name - You do not need to include your home address Make sure your email is professional if it is not already. The best approach is firstname.lastname@xmail.com and it is your personal one rather than a university email. If you want to include your LinkedIn profile, customize it so that it is succinct instead of a string of numbers 3. Education and Qualifications (starting with the most recent – put in reverse chronological order) - Include a list of relevant courses done as part of your university degree and overall achieved or expected grade; List of A-levels (or equivalent) subjects and grade; GCSEs (or equivalent): state number achieved and grade, e.g. 8 A*s including Mathematics (A) and English (A*) 4. Work Experience (starting with the most recent – put in reverse chronological order) - State the name of the organisation, your title and dates of employment on one line Use bullet points to structure the content of each description (a maximum of two-three points) o Try to use powerful and persuasive words such as enhanced/developed/strengthened/improved/ increased when referring to a skill or ability you demonstrated in your role o Quantify your contribution, e.g. “Accomplishment [X] as measured by [Y] by doing [Z]” o Metrics of Success are very important, i.e. say what you did and outline the impact you had. Think about the difference for a candidate who worked as a Sales consultant at Hugo Boss and how it is showcased: ▪ Normal: “Consistently amongst top sales people in the UK” vs ▪ Outstanding: “Honed sales skills from consistently exceeding daily sales target of £10k by 20% and awarded Top 20 sales people award for the UK in 2017” 5. Extracurricular Activities / Notable Achievements - Include other projects you have been involved with, including charity or voluntary work Include any notable awards, achievements or positions of responsibility, e.g. if you were a member of society, state what you did in this role 6. Skills and Interests - Computer Skills: Include your fluency in any programming languages or applications Language Skills: Use native/fluent/intermediate/basic to reflect language abilities Interests: Indicate to the reader something about yourself. Be more specific to give more colour, e.g. don’t put generic details like “Interests: Reading and Gym”. Put “Enjoy reading and have put my favourite author Marie Kondo’s advice on decluttering into practice. Also a frequent practitioner of Zumba at my local gym” ➔ DO NOT include a Personal Profile at the top or “References Available upon Request” at the bottom. ➔ Double check your CV – there shouldn’t be silly mistakes. Sample CV Template – the best candidates introduce their own style and design Faye-K Nayi +44 (0) 098 654 3210 | nayim.faye-k@gmail.com EDUCATION University of Oxford, St Catherine’s College MA Politics, Philosophy & Economics First year results: First (88%) Predicted overall result: First Knights Sixth Form College A-Levels: Further Mathematics (A*), Mathematics (A*), Physics (A*), Economics (A*) Awarded Knights A-Level Scholarship for 2 years; Mathematics Olympiad (Gold) Forest Secondary School GCSE Grades – 10 A*s including Maths [A*], English Language [A*] ‘Best Overall Student’ in Economics Year 10 WORK EXPERIENCE Goldman Sachs, Oxford, UK Sept 2016 - Present London, UK Sep 2014 – Jun 2016 London, UK Sep 2010 – Jun 2014 London, UK Jun 2018 – Aug 2018 10 week Global Markets Summer Programme split across FX Sales and Commodities Structuring Incoming Global Markets Summer Analyst • Camp Lakota New York, USA Jul 2017 – Aug 2017 In charge of the computer program teaching programming and app building skills to 300 camp participants Enhanced ability to work with all ages as resident Bunk Counselor for the youngest group of 10 boys aged 5-8 years old Camp Counselor • • Mother Theresa Orphanage Volunteer • • • Abuja, Nigeria Jun 2017 - Jul 2017 Provided academic assistance to 180 children aged 5-16 at the orphanage Rendered spiritual guidance as well as moral support to the children. Took daily care of up to 80 disabled people by providing them with baths and cooked meals Morgan Stanley London, UK Step In, Step Up Programme • • Apr 2017 Selected to attend an insight programme as one of 50 students, from more than 600 applicants in London Led a group pitch of a £1m investment idea, thereby developing my leadership and communication skills Bank of England London, UK Intern, Monetary Analysis UK Team • • Jun 2015 - Jul 2015 Analysed statistical data on consumer confidence by producing graphs on past economic activity and reported the effects of this on UK economic growth to team Filtered high volume of historical data to present a succinct 3-page report assessing the impact of Forward Guidance EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Oxford Finance Society, President Oxford Badminton Society, Treasurer SEO London Investment Banking First Year Fast Track Successfully completed the 3 Peaks Challenge (ascended 3 highest peaks in UK within 24 hours) Crisis at Christmas Volunteer every Christmas with the homeless over the festive period Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Jun 2017 - Present Jun 2017 - Present Sept 2016 - Oct 2016 Aug 2016 Dec 2014-Dec 2017 Jun 2013 - Jul 2015 SKILLS Languages : Arabic (native), English (fluent), French (intermediate) IT : MATLAB, C++, VBA, Python – Participant in Oxford Hackathon 2017 Interests : Grade 8 Piano – love transposing pop mashups; Aspiring Travelhacker (have managed to visit Guatemala and Egypt on miles); Regular practitioner of Dharma Yoga
