Writing winning

CVs and
Applications
A warm welcome! We’ll be starting shortly

Dr Abby Evans
Head of Careers Team
Purpose of the CV and Cover Letter?

• The goal is to get you to the next stage of the process, not to land the job

• CV is a concise summary of your achievements, skills and interests (inside and

outside your academic work)

• It is written for an employer to show that you have the skills they are looking for
(as advertised in their job descriptions etc.)

• CV complements the Cover Letter

• Cover Letter shows your motivation and highlights key relevant themes
The CV displays relevant evidence
A specific, stylised communication tool to present evidence of your suitability
Mirror and match your skills to the requirements of the job/opportunity
Your CV
Their list of Section heading
criteria: Context
• Detail
• ------- ✓
Context
• -------- ✓ • Detail/Evidence
• -------- ✓ • Detail/Evidence
• -------- ✓
Section heading
• Evidence
• Extra skills
CVs: Winning Attributes

1 Appearance

2 Headlines

3 Content
5

You’re a
recruiter.
You have 10
seconds.
What do you
pick up?

10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
6

Let’s try
that again.
What do
you pick up
this time?

10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Great CVs are easy to read ...

… and use space well

Length
• One or two FULL sides
• Academic CVs (post-PhD) can be longer (but aim for 4 max)

2 page “main” CV
+
“appendix” detailing
publications,
conferences etc
CV Layout quick tips
BOLD SECTION HEADINGS

Organisation, Location, Role Date-Date

• Clear context line for each position – be consistent throughout
• Break content into specific bullet points
• Focus on a single skill for each bullet, with scale/scope

THINGS TO AVOID/OMIT

• No photo in the UK/USA. Check local expectations for other countries.

• No SUMMARY/goal statement if sending covering letter or similar
• Avoid using icons/logos, fancy fonts etc.
• Avoid too many font effects – simple use of bold, italics and underlining
• Think about the balance of text to white space
• Typos, spelling mistakes and formatting glitches: send as scannable PDF and results/impact
offering evidence
• Align key skills to left margin
• Dates clearly split out for speed reading

9
CVs: Winning Attributes

1 Appearance

2 Headlines

3 Content
Core Sections and Content
YOUR NAME
• [Current address]
• Email address. Telephone number. [LinkedIn … git site]

EDUCATION
University, City/country, Course Title Dates/Years attended
• Results
• Summary where relevant (relevant modules, dissertation/thesis)
• Scholarships and Academic Awards/Highlights – details (eg. selected as 4 out of 110 students)

School, City/country Dates/Years attended

• A Level (or equivalent) subjects and results
• Summary of results previous, e.g. GSCEs: 5As, 5Bs
• Scholarships and Academic Awards/Highlights
Common core Sections
EXPERIENCE / RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Context Org/role/dates Headings
o Bullet 1 Select and order
o Bullet 2
POSITIONS OF RESPONSIBILITY • Signal the most important
Context Org/role/dates content
• Showcase
o Bullet 1
relevant experience
o Bullet 2 • Change the order different
–

OTHER SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE experiences appear on the

IT Skills: page
Languages: • Improve readbility
Music/Theatre:
Sports:
Select headings to showcase most relevant experience
• Education • Relevant experience • Extra-curricular activities
• Research interests • Conference
• Awards
• Fieldwork experience presentations & posters
• Experience • Public engagement • Invited talks & posters
• Research experience activities • Referees (if requested)
• Administrative
• Teaching experience
experience
• Leadership • Employment
• Positions of Responsibility • Additional experience
• Volunteering
• Publications
• Additional skills
• Volunteering • Programming skills
• IT skills • Laboratory skills
• Languages • Technical skills
• Professional affiliations
• Interests & memberships
CVs: Winning Attributes

1 Appearance

2 Headlines

3 Content
Content – where to start?
List for yourself:
- experience, achievements, key dates Select your most relevant Ask friends (and
- skills and examples of supporting examples to demonstrate the Careers Advisers)
evidence for these skills required for the role for feedback!

YOUR SKILLS / EXPERIENCE THE OPPORTUNITY FIRST CV DRAFT REFINE CONTENT GET FEEDBACK

Identify the skills and competencies Check to ensure content is:

required for the role Relevant, Concise, True
(job description, website, etc.)

www.careers.ox.ac.uk/cvs
5
top tips
to build better bullets and present the
positive you
1 Remember the aim is to get an
interview or to the next stage of selection
• A CV is only to get you the next meeting, not close the deal
• Engage the reader so they want to meet you
• Allocate space in relation to relevance to the reader
• Tailor every time – develop different CVs for different roles
• Mirror the language of the job description
• eg: if the role requires you to conduct analysis use the words
“analysis”, “analysed”, etc to describe relevant experience
• Don’t include anything that might help someone reject you
2 What employers want to see
• People who take responsibility • People who achieve things
–Lead teams –Implement projects successfully
–Deliver projects on time –Gain funding, build collaborations,
–Run research publish research
–Make presentations –Set up events, meetings, seminars
–Represent the organisation

Your CV needs to be about YOU, not the organisations you worked with. If you
need to contextualise experience further, keep it brief and – where you can –
embed within your bullet points rather than adding a line describing the
company.
3 Show your skills and actions
Name the skill used:
• Initiated and planned research project …
• Led client feedback from focus group ...
• Negotiated new sponsorship …
• Mentored new researchers …
• Planned and delivered teaching for Y6 maths class ...
... and highlight impact & results as 'evidence' of effectiveness
Don’t overlook skills developed in your degree, eg. planning and managing
dissertation/research projects; methodology; techniques and technical skills

Beware being "responsible for …" or "assisted with …". Name the skill and say what you did.
Action Verbs
Accomplished • Achieved • Administered • Advised • Advocated • Analysed • Assembled • Authorised •
Awarded • Budgeted • Captained • Chaired • Coached • Completed • Conducted • Co-ordinated •
Counselled • Created • Decided • Delivered • Demonstrated • Designed • Determined • Developed • Devised
• Directed • Discovered • Earned • Edited • Employed • Enabled • Encouraged • Engineered • Enjoyed •
Ensured • Established • Evaluated • Examined • Expanded • Explained • Facilitated • Founded • Gained •
Generated • Handled • Identified • Implemented • Improved • Increased • Initiated • Instituted • Instructed
• Interviewed • Invented • Launched • Led • Managed • Marketed • Maximised • Mediated • Negotiated •
Obtained • Operated • Organised • Oversaw • Performed • Planned • Prepared • Presented • Prioritised •
Produced • Promoted • Raised • Ran • Recognised • Recommended • Reconciled • Recruited • Represented
• Responsible • Saved • Set up • Simplified • Solved • Supervised • Targeted • Transformed

www.careers.ox.ac.uk/demonstrate-you-fit-the-job-criteria#/
4 Be specific
Numbers add clarity and real power to a CV
• Led marketing for RAG comedy festival, selling out 250 tickets within 1 hour
• Researched and wrote two 2,000 work essays each week
Accurate, specific descriptions show your skills
• Part of a team – How big was the team? What did you do: make the tea?
• Enjoy tennis – do you play?!
Size, scale, scope – sets a credible scene
• Mapped an area of 12km2 with four other students during fieldtrip
• Gathered 42 survey responses, anlaysed results and presented
recommendations, securing JCR approval to improve student welfare support
• Arranged attendance of three senior academics, coordinating complex
and changing diaries
5 Polish to perfection!
• SPELLCHECKER ON and PROOFREAD
• Appropriate email address: one you use regularly (Use professional
out of office settings)
• Check file formatting (save and send as scannable PDF)
• Use free style guides for spelling / grammar
• Check for institution-specific jargon (e.g. ‘prelims’) – make things clear
• Consistent style throughout, including any referencing
• Double check your web footprint/social media feeds
• Proof read again: Get someone else to read it
To summarise…

• Focus on the recipient and what they want to know

• Allocate space according to importance
• Think about appearance/layout
• One or two full pages
• Send with cover letter
• Check everything for typos/consistent grammar/tenses
Your address
Your email address
Their address
Date
CV Dear _____

Sets out the evidence that you Introduction

have what they are looking for Why this role/sector?

Why them?

Cover letter Why you?

Explains why you are applying
and why they should hire you
Conclusion

Yours faithfully (if you started Dear Sir or Madam)

Yours sincerely (if you addressed the letter to a specific person)

Signature
Why this role/sector? Why them?
• Avoid generic statements
I am keen to pursue a career in the consultancy sector, as I
• Draw on your research to believe it will give me exposure to, and involvement with, a
demonstrate understanding variety of different organisations. From my discussions with
those in the industry, I know that you value breadth of
that goes beyond the experience and encourage your analysts’ involvement with
corporate website. all stages of a project. The opportunity to see a project from
conception to conclusion appeals enormously to me. I would
• Be specific about the like to work in an environment where the pressures and
reasons for your application rewards are immediate, and I am applying to Gregory
Consultants because it is an expanding firm with a good
– backed up with evidence reputation for both training and rewarding its employees. I
and links to your broader feel confident that I can meet the challenges presented by
such a fast-moving business.
career aspirations.
Why should they hire you?
• Help the reader
I am effective in team situations and enjoy working with
understand how you others towards a common goal. I have sought out
meet the essential opportunities to work on worthwhile projects throughout my
time at university and planned and managed publicity for the
requirements of the role. college ball and the voluntary organisation Jacari. My three-
month placement as a business analyst involved work in a
range of areas, including research and modelling, and I was
• Highlight themes you able to use the analytical skills honed during my degree to
good effect, as well as developing my written and oral
want read from your CV communication skills liaising with visiting sixth-form
to summarise the most students.
relevant evidence you
are job ready.
Introduction & Conclusion
I am applying for the post of Fundraising Officer advertised
• State what you are applying for on the Oxford University Careers Service website. I am in my
and where you found out about it final year at Oxford University studying Mathematics. I have
a long-standing interest in charity work and believe that I
• Briefly introduce yourself have the qualities and experience required to be a successful
fundraiser for OxiAid.

• Keep it simple
• Thank the employer for their
I look forward to hearing from you and would welcome the
interest in your application and chance to discuss my application with you at interview.
look forward to the next steps
Top tips for cover letters
• Keep it short – a concise letter demonstrates focus and strong
communication skills
• Project confidence – write with the assumption that they will interview
you
• Keep the tone and content professional – attempts at humour are best
avoided
• Include specific relevant details that show your research and how you
consider they differ from their competitors – do not cut and paste content
• As for CVs, double check for errors and typos, using a spell checker is not
enough
• Ask for feedback from a Careers Adviser
International CVs
• Formats can vary by country
(but less so for academic
CVs)

• Qualifications: explain and

provide context, eg:
BA Politics and Economics
Michigan State University
Grade Point Average (GPA) 3.78 (max. 4.00)
730 GMAT (top 1%)
www.careers.ox.ac.uk
More to explore online
www.careers.ox.ac.uk
One-to-one support
From Oxford University Careers Advisers
• Book appointments when you need them
• Get feedback on your CV and cover letter, explore career paths, discuss further study options, and more
• Health- and disability-related careers support
• See our specialisms and how to book at www.careers.ox.ac.uk/see-careers-adviser
Any questions?

www.careers.ox.ac.uk