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Dos and don'ts for developing a CV

Published on: 15 Jun 2016
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A Curriculum Vitae is a self-marketing tool and getting an interview can depend on how good your CV is. Your CV is your chance to show an employer you have the skills and experience needed, and that you are the right person for the job. However, the way you present your CV can have an overwhelming influence over whether your CV is even read, let alone get you that all important interview. You will need to consider what to include, how much detail is needed and how to make your CV stand out from all the others.

Do...

  • Construct your CV with your prospective employer in mind. Look at the job advert or specification and think about what the job involves, and what the employer needs. Find out about the main activities of the employer. Google examples of good dental and medical CVs. 
  • Tailor your CV to the job. Your CV shouldn't be your life story but should be tailored for the job you're applying for, focusing on the parts that are important for that particular dental practice or role. 
  • Make your CV clear, neat and tidy. Get somebody to check your spelling and grammar. No-one wants to read a CV that is squashed together and includes too much information. Your CV should be easy to read with space between each section and plenty of white space. Use left-justified text as it's easiest to read. Save a decent digital file in MS Word with a professional name, not "Joe's CV". 
  • View your experience in a positive light. Try to look objectively at your experiences (even the bad ones) and identify what you learned or what skills you developed in the process. This is the picture you should present to the employer.
  • Place the important information up-front. Put experience and education achievements in reverse chronological order.
  • Include experience and interests that might be of use to the employer: Voluntary work, foreign language competency, leisure interests that demonstrate team skills and organisation/leadership skills.
  • Use positive language. when describing your work achievements use power words such as ‘launched’, ‘managed’, ‘co-ordinated’, ‘motivated’, ‘supervised’, and ‘achieved’.

Don’t...

  • Hand-write or type your CV. This looks unprofessional and old fashioned.
  • Include unnecessary information which may be viewed negatively – failed exams, divorces, failed business ventures, reasons for leaving a job, points on your driving license. Don’t lie, but just don’t include this kind of information as it is not necessary. Don’t give the interviewer any reason to discard you at this stage.
  • Include anything about protected characteristics – such as date of birth, marital status, race, gender or disability.
  • Include salary information and expectations. Leave this for negotiations after your interview, unless it has been specifically requested.
  • Make your CV more than two pages long. You can free up space by leaving out or editing information that is less important. For example, you do not need to include referees – just state they are available on request. Don’t include all of the jobs you have had since school, just the relevant ones. Add details about your dental qualifications, which are more relevant, but summarise the rest.
  • Dilute your important messages. Don’t bother with a list of schools you attended with grades and addresses, don’t include a long list of hobbies, or a long work history. Concentrate on demonstrating that the skills they need, what you have achieved by applying the skills you have and what benefits your clients have gained from your work.
  • Use jargon, acronyms, technical terms - unless essential.
  • Lie - employers have ways of checking what you put is true, and may sack you if they take you on and find out you've lied to them.
  • Include a photo unless requested - unless applying for a job in a country which this is usual.