Writing a Good CV

Taking time to prepare a good CV is the best way to make sure recruiters sit up and take notice of your application immediately.

We have put together some suggestions to have you impress employers on paper as much as you intend to at the interview stage.

We believe that most construction employers prefer the following order of CV content:

Your contact details
Profile/personal statement -optional
Professional qualifications
Education
Employment history
Most recent experience first – this is most relevant and deserves the most detail
Additional information
e.g. IT skills, hobbies
Reference details

Contact Details
Include your name, address, email, and preferred telephone number prominently on the top of your CV and summary details on every page in the header or footer.
Profile/Personal Statement – Optional
It is easy to do more harm than good in this first impression summary. Use the keywords and terms that are relevant to the job you are applying for. Check that you have only stated what you actually substantiate later in the CV. Avoid clichés at all costs; if you use words such as dynamic, ambitious, or career-minded, provide evidence to back up what you are saying. This section can be best when punchy bullet points of your 3-6 most impressive achievements are listed e.g.
- Experience of the analysis and valuation of rail maintenance work from pre-contract stage to final account settlement.
- Able to prepare complex and detailed final account variation claims of up to £5M in value
- Extensive experience in the preparation of monthly management figures, and also monthly reports for managing director on past, current, and future project status.
Qualifications
Give full and abbreviated titles. State if incomplete or ongoing e.g.

BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying, Reading University, 1993-1997
Diploma in Project Management, Portsmouth University (2004-Present) Distance Learning

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