Do your research and craft a CV tailored to the needs of the job. No longer is it sufficient to hand in the same tired old CV to all prospective employers. The Career Development Centre recommends the following approach to preparing a ‘winning’ CV.
To create a CV that gets results, you need to:
- Undertake background preparation
- Research the job
- Match your skills and experience to the job
- Create your CV (with the help of our CV writing tool)
- Review your first draft
- Proofread for errors and check the layout
Check out our CV FAQs if you still have any questions.
1. Undertake background preparation
Start at the beginning. The Careers Development Centre offers a number of excellent resources to help you orientate yourself for the task ahead. Check out our seminars and resources designed to prepare you for the task ahead.
We recommend:
- Attending our Seminar: How to write great CVs and cover letters (Login to OtagoCareerHub to book)
- Viewing the PowerPoint presentation on OtagoCareerHub entitled "Write a Winning CV and Cover Letter"
- Listing your achievements (academic and other), work experience and skills gained, personal qualities, qualifications and interests
2. Research the job
Do your research! The more information you can gather, the better you can tailor your CV – and prepare for the interview. Make sure you study about the company and get a job description from the employer website or advertisement.
Check out the CareersNZ job database to get an idea of the skills required by the role.
3. Match your skills and experience to the job
Are you worth interviewing? Harsh question, but this is the question an employer must answer when considering your CV. Demonstrate your value to a potential employer in your CV – and increase your chances of scoring that job interview.
Many students and recent graduates lack experience. Employers are looking for skills and abilities that you don’t have – or do you? The answer is to look at your study, work, and life experience, to identify roles and tasks that you have undertaken that demonstrate the same qualities the job requires.
Find out more about how to match your skills and abilities to the job.
4. Write your CV (with the help of our CV writing tool)
Now you have completed your preparation, you are ready to write your CV. This can be a daunting task, so we have provided a CV writing tool to lead you through all the steps of writing a great CV.
Remember, it is important that you write your own CV, but we do provide valuable resources to help (see step 1 above) and are available by appointment or during drop-in hours if you get stuck.
Let’s go! I am ready to start writing my CV.
5. Review your first draft
Take a step back and scrutinise your work. Have you demonstrated your ability to meet all the skills and abilities required?
Read on to find out how to complete a final check of your new CV.
6. Proofread for errors and check the layout
It’s very difficult – nigh impossible – for any of us to check our own work. Just like when writing an essay, you can become too ‘close’ to your CV.
We recommend you:
- Get someone else to check your CV, spelling and layout
- Bring your CV in for a CV Check in the Careers Development Centre – see details on events section in OtagoCareerHub
