Writing your first CV

Contact details

First things first, you'll need a contact section.

This is pretty straightforward — your name, address, telephone number. And you might want to change that jokey email you’ve had since you were 12 to something a bit more professional.

There’s no need to attach a photo.

Personal profile

This is a summary of you. Think about the qualities and attributes you’ll bring. Hard-working, committed, creative — what can you offer? And what are you looking for? This only needs to be a few sentences long.

Transferable skills

Now it's time to start thinking about all the hobbies, extracurricular activities and responsibilities you have. What skills do they give you? And which might be a good fit for the kinds of jobs you’ll be looking for?

Career history

It’s unlikely you’ll have much of this yet, but make sure to include:

• Part-time work (paper rounds, babysitting, anything you’ve done that demonstrates how responsible and trustworthy you are)
• Any work experience or volunteering you’ve done, either via school or in your own time

Education and training

You can list which qualifications you’re studying for, and when you expect to take an exam or receive your assessment. Make sure you include extra things such as additional training you’ve done, as well as other awards or exams (for example, musical instrument grades).

Additional information

This just gives the reader a little bit of your personality — so you can list the kinds of things you like to do for fun, or show what you’re passionate about.