How to create a great CV

Our recruitment professionals have put together their top tips to help you create a CV that ensures you shine as bright as the students in your next class.

Start with the essentials

Always include your personal and contact details at the top of your CV. This may seem obvious, but missing out a telephone number or email address could mean missing out on an interview. Ensure you include your full name, contact number, email address and home address.

Add a personal profile

The personal profile, or personal statement, is your chance to bring some personality to your CV. It should give a brief insight into who you are, what you’re looking for and the skills you have to offer. Always write in a way that enhances your skills but remains honest. Use language that is professional yet natural, that delivers in your personal tone of voice. It should sound and feel like you.

It’s important not to add meaningless words; if you claim you’re passionate about a subject, back it up with evidence.

Employment history

Your employment history should always start with your most recent, or current, role and then continue in reverse chronological order. Detail your job title, company name, employment start and finish dates and key role responsibilities. Use bullet points for responsibilities and achievements to keep your CV looking smart and professional.

Education and professional development

The education section of your CV should follow a similar layout to the employment history section and should be easy to navigate and in reverse chronological order. Include the qualification name, level, grade (if relevant), date achieved and institution or professional body.

Achievements

If you have other achievements not listed in your employment history, you can include these in a separate section. They should be relevant to the skills required for the job you’re applying for as well as being something that highlights individual strengths. For example: career moments you’re most proud of, implementing a new initiative or outstanding student success.

Hobbies

This is not an essential section and should only be included if the activities are relevant to your personal development and enhance your strengths and personality as a member of teaching staff. Keep it brief and elaborate in the interview.

Layout, spelling and grammar

Ensure your CV follows a clear layout and is easy to navigate. Use a nice clean font such as arial, 11-12pt, with 1.2-1.5 line spacing. Keep margins wide on all sides for a professional finish. Always proofread your CV multiple times before sending and if in doubt, ask someone else to read through it for you. If spelling and grammar aren’t your strong point then having someone else proofread and suggest edits is essential.

We’ll help you out

Ready to create your CV? Download our basic CV template to get started.

If you register with us for a teaching or assessing role, our consultants will help you to enhance your CV before matching you with your ideal job role.