PUT YOUR CV TO WORK FOR YOU!
Effective CVs for Placement
CIT Careers Service
Effective CVs and Interviews Put you in the spotlight !
• Showcase and highlight your key skills, competencies, knowledge,
experience, qualities, strengths and attitude.
• Are customised, edited and targeted at each specific job and
Organization
• Provide Evidence the You are a close match with what an employer
wants and needs
You’re here!
You have 30 seconds to make an impression!
Create a Targeted CV
• Find out about the placement role
Your CV
influences what
you an talk about
at Interview
• Look at the role & the skills needed
• Develop a Personal Profile & a Skills Profile
• Tailor your CV…Structure, Layout & Content
RELEVANCE IS KEY!
Why send a Targeted CV?
Make the connection between you
and the placement role!
TARGETED CV =
Increased chance of INTERVIEW
CV - Core ingredients
• Personal Profile
• Education
• Projects
• Technical/ Analytical/ Laboratory Skills
• Skills Profile
• Work Experience
• Interests and Achievements
CV
Parts
employers
check first
• Format – 2 page & rules
• Academic – Work with your strengths, relevant subjects,
projects, results
• Course related skills – IT, software, lab, accounting, etc..
• Work – show skills not only tasks an duties of job
• What exactly did I do? Work sheet
• What skills did I use?
• New skills developed?
• What did I do that I was proud of? Any achievements big or small!
• Extra curricular
Personal Details
• Name (Font 16 & Bold)
• Address (Font 12)
• Mobile Number (Font 12)
• Set up your voicemail!
• E-mail Address (Font 12)
• NB: Business-like
• Linkedin
What is a Personal Profile?
• 2 to 3 purposeful sentences (the information has relevance to the employer
and/or the job for which you are applying.)
• Your profile demonstrates;
• Your current status
• 2 to 3 key skills and a proven achievement where possible
• CV objective – seeking a placement…
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Who you are?
- Target driven Software student
Functional Attributes
- Excellent knowledge of key programming languages
Desirable Personal Attributes
- Genuine desire to succeed/make a contribution
2 or 3 targeted skills
Education
• Provide information re: dates, course title, College
• Outline details of subjects studied, specific modules, projects
undertaken, technical or lab skills acquired if applicable
•.
• Provide information re: results achieved in specific
years/modules/projects.
Education
Use reverse
chronological orderStart with present
Start with your college
course!
• Dates
• Name of college
• Official course title
• Overall result to date
• Core modules (current year)
• Projects or Group Work
• IT Programmes/Labs
• Laboratory Work (Techniques &
instrumentation used)
• Awards / Competitions…..
Include Leaving
Certificate
◦ Dates
◦ Name of school
◦ Leaving Certificate (or
equivalent)
◦ Relevant honours
subjects
◦ Overall points or grade
Education…example
2013-Present
BSc Full Correct Title of Degree
Cork Institute of Technology
Remember
Include academic
awards /
achievements
Current 1st Year Average: 2H1
Subjects Include:
……………
……………
……………
……………
……………
……………
……………
……………
Projects: Title/Task ……………………………..
• What exactly did you do? (Objective)
• How exactly did you do it? (Responsibilities, Techniques & Software Used)
• What were the learnings/outcomes? (Report/Presentation/Key Findings)
Projects …………
• Provide information on relevant projects undertaken:
• Begin with the Title and a brief Description
• What research did you carry out?
• What Methods did you use?
• What was the analysis that you conducted?
• What were your findings?
• What result was achieved?
• Optional: Include web link to project
Projects
showcase your
skills and ability to
work in teams
Skills /Technical /Lab/Software
Very
Important !
• Outline the expertise you have developed in specific areas.
• Name the techniques/skills and level of competency developed
(Optional)
• Examples:
• HTML: Excellent knowledge of HTML, developed while undertaking
individual web design project. Example
• Spectrophotometric Analysis, Liquid Chromatography, Extraction and
Separation
• Laboratory Testing -applied HPLC, GC, general wet chemistry
•
•
•
•
techniques
Pharma-Bio Serv and during Internship with Fournier Laboratories
Ireland Ltd
Analytical Skills -compiling and analyzing testing results for project
examining spray drying technique
Reporting -writing reports on new product testing
IT Skills -using laboratory software including SAP, LIMS, Empower
.
Work Experience
All jobs can
demonstrate
“transferable”
Workplace Skills
• Work – show skills not only obvious activity
• What exactly did I do? Use a Work sheet
• What skills did I use?
-What new skills did I develop?
• What did I do that I was proud of? Any achievements big or small!
Tip You can Tailor you're experience to the sector you are applying to
Possible Headings
• Work Experience/ Professional Experience/ Relevant Experience/Engineering
Experience/Administrative Experience Accounting Experience ………………..
Interests & Achievements
Make sure to
mention anything that
links to your studies(
computers/ Young
Scientist/ Fixing
engines ……………
• Personal Interests
• Membership of Clubs/Societies/Activities
• State your level of involvement – Positions of
responsibility
• Individual and team based activities
• Travel
• Volunteer /Charity Work
• Achievements – Recent or in the last few years
(music grades/competitions/captained a team…)
don’ts for your CV…
• Don’t…
• Write Curriculum Vitae as a heading
• Don’t…
• Sign or date your CV
• Don’t
• Give incorrect information
• Don’t
• Have any spelling mistakes or typos
• Don’t
• No longer use I, My, We, etc…
Follow Up
• Regular CV Lunchtime CV Clinics
• 1-2 pm
• Venue: A block – Main Foyer between Blocks C & D, on
the way to the student canteen
• Check notice boards and “What's On”
• www.mycit.ie/careers
Thank You!