KCMB Mortgage Recruitment

CV Creation

Whether you are going for a position in the financial services, customer service or sales sectors, a professionally presented and prepared curriculum vitae is essential.

Your CV is your shop window – use the guidelines below to create a CV which will portray your talents and skills in the best light.

Keep it simple, keep it clear

Interviewers normally have to trawl through several CVs during the interview process, and are looking for any excuse to bin a CV. They'll be reluctant to give a 6 page CV their full attention, unless its very relevant and interesting. So, keep your CV to 2 or 3 pages if you can. (Include an appendix of different posts/projects at the back if you feel you need it.)

Use clear fonts (10-12 point size), highlight your name, and use headlines to separate the different sections. When deciding on the style, bear in mind that your CV may be faxed and photocopied a number of times.

Don't hesitate to blow your own trumpet

Some people are reluctant to say that they are good at certain things, but this is exactly what your interviewer wants to hear. You are competing with others for the one job, so you'll need to make your mark.

Get the details right

Your CV should answer questions rather than raise them. Make sure all the facts stated on your CV, employment history, qualifications, are detailed correctly. A mistake here would usually guarantee your not getting the job.

And don't leave any gaps in your personal history. If you spent 9 months on an around-the-world trip, let them know.

Also, be sure to send an up-to-date CV. CVs that are six months out of date will normally be binned straight away.

Structure your CV

When creating your CV, use the following headings as a guide.

Personal details:

Include and headline your name. Also include contact address, one phone number and one e-mail address. You can omit age, marital status, sex, and nationality as they are irrelevant and cannot be legally used as a basis for selection.

Profile:

Use this area to give a personal view of yourself and your ambitions. Describe yourself and your abilities clearly and concisely. Don't hesitate to stress your strengths – remember that you are in competition with others for the job, and you can use your CV to help sell your services.

Employment History:

List your relevant employment history, starting with the most recent. Indicate the dates your employment started and finished, the name of the company, and the position you held.

Give a 3-5 line narrative of the responsibilities of your position.

Bullet any major achievements, and quantify them where possible. e.g.

• Achieved a 24% increase in sales after one year;
• managed a team of 14 operators;
• dealt with the key customers Esso and Dell.

Qualifications:

Name of Secondary School and exams completed is only necessary if you have not attended 3rd level or if an employer requests this information.

Achievements:

List any business or educational awards, languages, papers published etc. Keep your wording to a minimum - enough to give your interviewer(s) the opportunity to ask you for further details.

Interests:

Mention things that might stimulate conversation during your interview, and possibly offer an insight into other talents.

References:

Only state your referees if requested - otherwise just state " References on request".

Do it again:

Once you've finished your CV, leave it alone for ten minutes, or preferably overnight, and take another look. Better still, get someone else to study your CV - someone who will give a fair and honest appraisal of it.

Download our sample CV

We've prepared a sample CV, which you can use as a starting point when preparing your own.

Click here to download a sample CV.