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Calling all final years – make sure you update your CV

As a Career Development Adviser my worry factor increases when I hear final year students saying,  ‘Oh its OK, I have a CV from when I applied for a placement’.

STOP RIGHT THERE!

Writing a CV for a placement is great but you wrote that in the second year of your course and if you didn’t do a placement  that was probably a year ago. If you did a year long placement that was  two years ago!!!

And think of all that’s happened since then.

So tips for updating …

• Change – See the CV as  document that needs to be keep changing and evolving. It shouldn’t be the same from one year to the next.  ( or even sometimes one month to the next).
• Make it relevant to now- Ensure  the profile outlines what you are doing now and doesn’t talk about ‘wanting to do a placement’.
• Review – What have you been doing on the course recently? Any new modules or group projects. As  a rule of thumb the most recent year on your course should be the most prominent unless there is something very special you did in the first or second year that’s really relevant to the opportunity you are now applying for.  There is no need to write down every module from all years. It would take up too much room anyway.
• USPs – Think what can make you stand out. One idea is to mention your final year project or dissertation on your CV as this will reveal your own personal interests and is a piece of work that is  unique.
• Placement experience – If you did one what did you do there ? What key skills did you get from that that can now be included and evidence provided?
• Other experiences– If you didn’t do a placement have you done any work experience of volunteering in the meantime that needs to be documented?

 

So blow the dust off the CV and update it so its relevant to now, today and then you have the basis of a good CV that can be tailored and used in an application.

And keep updating it.

There lots more advice on CV writing on our careers website.

https://www.brighton.ac.uk/careers/looking-for-a-job/cvs-applications-and-interviews/how-to-write-a-cv/index.aspx

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