So, it’s time for you to construct your Curriculum Vitae (CV). They’re called many different things around the world, in North America it’s also known as a resume. Your CV is a sales pitch that outlines your qualifications, skills and experience to an employer showing them why you are suited for the position you are applying for (or in other cases, why they should consider you for the company, if you sent it blindly).

Jot down your accomplishments. If you’re on the inexperienced side, consider a skills-based CV that will highlight what you can contribute to the company. This is the time to really think! Remember the case study you got an “A” on with that group in Sociology? Or if you’re great at computer applications, or if you’ve made the Dean’s List, Volunteer work, part-time jobs, you name it! Before you put your CV together think about things you’ve done that were merit or “social” based that are worth mentioning.

Choose your headings. Your name and all methods of contact are imperative at the top. Then create a professional profile stating who you are and what you are looking for. But try to keep it within three sentences max and completely relevant to the company and position. What you are about and what you are looking for.

State your experience. Dates are very important. Remember these three things when applying for a job. Rather than listing off bullet points of what you’ve done on a “job”, think about: the task given, what you did and the outcome of the task.

Believe it or not, being a quick learner is a skill! Being able to multi-task and work well under pressure is an extreme skill, being a leader (naturally though) is a skill that many do not have. Of course there are the mandatory skills such as having an excellent telephone manner and written as well as speaking skills. But think of technical skills as well.

Mentioning interests can be tricky. If you’re going for a fast-paced news desk for a newspaper, or applying for a position at an investment company, interests may not be necessary simply because you have to look at this in the other employers’ shoes. They want to see who, what and importantly, why.

Once you have tweaked and perfected your CV, you can submit it on recruitment sites like reed.co.uk, who advertise jobs and allow employees to track you down for suitable roles. The most important thing to understand is time. People just don’t have the time to go through a mile long CV. Try your best, even though it may be hard, to create a CV that is to the point. You should be able to describe your life in two pages max. Anything longer than that – then you must go back and see where you’re going wrong. You may realise that you’re repeating job roles, or going into very redundant information. Always remember to stay active and hunt on sites like reed.co.uk for jobs; it’ll put you ahead of the game and get you results.