CV Writing Guide: Make a Lasting First Impression
Your CV is an important part of your application and is your first opportunity to demonstrate your qualities and achievements. It also enables us to consider you if another suitable role comes up in the future. - HSBC
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Why Your CV Might Be Holding You Back
In the world of apprenticeship applications, first impressions are everything. Your Curriculum Vitae (CV) is your first opportunity, your first chance to leave an imprint of yourself, and traverse through the application process. A well-crafted CV is not just a list of your experiences—it's a powerful story of who you are, what you've achieved, and where you're going.
Your CV is more than just a document; it's your personal brand, and in the competitive world of job hunting, it’s the first thing potential employers will see. So, how do you make yours stand out in a sea of applicants?
Think of it as the chance to strategically brand yourself: Highlight the skills, experiences, and achievements that speak directly to the role and its requirements. Whether it’s adjusting the emphasis on your education or tweaking the wording in your personal statement, building and customising a quality CV shows recruiters that you’ve put in the effort to align your experience with their needs.
Here's a template from an award-winning recruitment agency, from which many template examples throughout this guide are sourced from: Dartmouth CV
Creating Your "Master CV"
What is a Master CV?
A "Master CV" is a comprehensive document that contains all of your work experience, skills, education, and achievements. Think of it as your CV "toolbox." You'll then select and tailor specific pieces from this toolbox to create targeted CVs for each job application.
Why Create a Master CV?
- Saves Time: You don't have to start from scratch each time you apply for a job.
- Ensures Completeness: You won't forget any important details.
- Provides a Foundation: It's easier to tailor a CV than to create one from nothing.
Action Step: Create a new document titled "Master CV" and start listing everything you've ever done, both professionally and academically. We'll show you how to organise it in the following sections.
Free CV Templates:
- Reactive Resume - Open-Source
- Microsoft Resume Templates
- CV Template UK
- CV-Library CV Templates
- Canva CV Templates
Introduction
Consider adding a concise introduction below your contact information. This is your opportunity to quickly grab the recruiter's attention and highlight why you're a great fit for the role.
Tips for Writing a Compelling Introduction:
- Keep it brief: Aim for a couple of sentences max.
- Incorporate keywords from the job description: Carefully review the job description and identify key skills, qualifications, and requirements. Incorporate these keywords naturally into your introduction to show that you understand what the employer is looking for. For example: "Highly motivated data science graduate with experience in Python and machine learning."
- Show your passion and enthusiasm: Let your personality shine through and convey your genuine interest in the role and the company.
- Tailor it to each job: Don't use the same introduction for every application. Customise it to match the specific requirements of each job, having a Master CV will save you time.
Example Introduction (Data Scientist Role):
Highly motivated data science graduate with proven skills in Python and machine learning. Eager to apply my analytical abilities and contribute to innovative projects at Acme Corp. Passionate about leveraging data to solve complex business problems.
Work Experience
| Element | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Company Name | Name of the company where you worked. | Acme Corp |
| Location, Country | City and country where the company is located. | London, UK |
| Role/Event | Your job title or the name of the event. | Data Scientist Intern |
| Start - End Date | The period you worked there. Use "Present" if you still work there. | Feb 2023 - Present |
| Responsibilities & Achievements | Use bullet points to describe your key responsibilities and achievements. Focus on impact. |
|
Example Work Experience Entry
Acme Corp
London, UK
Data Scientist Intern
Feb 2023 - Present
- Collaborated with a team of data engineers to develop a Python script using Pandas and NumPy for cleaning and preprocessing a large dataset of legislative documents, reducing data inconsistencies by 30% and improving data quality for downstream analysis.
- Participated in code reviews and provided feedback to other team members, ensuring code quality and adherence to coding standards
Remember if you are applying for ‘Project Management’ for instance, you could focus more on how you handled constraints, or coordinated resources, and write “Project Manager Intern” or the relevant role instead.
If possible, each experience should cover a different part of the job description, or your skillset, instead of repeating similar points. Even if you completed similar tasks, you can break down subsections of an experience, to emphasise versatility and willingness to learn - key attributes for an apprentice.
Quick Tips for Your CV:
| Try to keep each point between 1 and 2 lines. | |
| What you did & how (skills/job description) → Measurable impact (quantified). | |
| Use keywords which emphasise the soft skills essential for the role, e.g. “Co-ordinated the team...”, “Analysed survey responses to identify trends…”. | |
| When adapting the master CV to an application, consider the culture of the company and the job description. | |
| Never lie! Authenticity is crucial. |
Considerations:
- Consistency is KEY!
- Always start from most to least recent
- Ensure no spelling or grammar errors.
- Some companies will have AI filtering. To prepare for this, try and use as many important keywords from the job description which naturally fit. Use our FREE CV Optimiser to help you
- When read by a recruiter, they will spend less than a minute reading, so focus on what you did, and why it mattered (impact) in the first line of each experience -Measurable impacts!
- If it’s hard to quantify your work, use “Action” & “Result” from the STARR framework, and estimate the impact of what you did
Education: Structure and Clarity
Sixth Form/College/Seconday School
Location, Country
Start - End Date
- Qualification: Subject, Grade
- Notable Achievements: (if applicable)
Sixth Form Example:
Ada, the National College of Digital Skills
London, UK
2023-2025
- BTEC National Diploma in Computer Science: D*D*
- Business A-Level: A*
- Mathematical Studies (Core Maths): A
- Certificates in Formal Writing & Presenting: Achieved
You can include relevant projects, coursework, or certifications under the Education section. However, it is recommended to have a separate section for them.
Leadership & Extracurriculars: Beyond the Classroom
Showcase your personality and well-roundedness. (Use the same format as Work Experience).
| Activities | Description |
|---|---|
| Basketball Coaching | Designed training drills and managed game strategies for a youth basketball team. |
| Personal Project | Built a responsive e-commerce site using React, complete with user authentication. |
| Music Production | Composed, recorded, and mixed original tracks using Logic Pro X. |
Skills & Interests: Highlight Your Strengths
Certifications & Skills: Include programming skills/languages/excel/word/ppt/anything relevant to the job. Try to focus more on hard skills which you have enough confidence in.
Activities & Interests: Mixed Martial Arts, Piano, Cooking, Breathing, anything interesting about yourself! Be prepared to talk about these too, as they make you stand out in the memory of a hiring manager after meeting multiple people for a role.
Example:
Technical Skills
Python JavaScript HTML CSS SQL Java
Interests
Mixed Martial Arts, Technology, Business, Music. Currently Reading: Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
Activities
- UK Bebras Challenge, NCSC challenge, Newcastle Bitesize programme
- UK Maths Challenge, Hoja.ai Marketing cohort, PwC Virtual Insight Programme
Final Tips
- The most important thing about a CV is making a strong first impression.
- Consistency is key! This includes formatting, fonts, and no mistakes.
- Keep it under 2 pages at most. In investment banking, a one-page CV is standard.
- Do not add LinkedIn & Github if your profile is ‘bare bones’ - empty.
- Always tailor a CV to the job description and company culture, whilst avoiding sounding verbose and inauthentic. Be as clear and concise as possible.
- Avoid broad skills or clichés, but replace it with how it may have related to the task or action. e.g. “Teamworker” → “Collaborated on a project..”
- Include appropriate sections
- Save as a PDF: "First Last [Company] CV.pdf"
Compare & Improve: CV Examples
Overview: CV Tips & Best Practices
1. How to Tailor Your CV for Each Application
- Customise CVs to match job descriptions.
- Example: Highlighting specific skills based on company culture and role requirements.
- AI-powered CV optimisation.
2. Common CV Mistakes to Avoid
- Overloading with unnecessary details.
- Using clichés like "hardworking" without proving it.
- Spelling and grammar mistakes (Our CV Optimiser can proofread your CV. However, LanguageTool, Grammarly, and Quillbot are great tools as well)
3. CV Formatting & Readability
- Recommended fonts: Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman (size 10-12).
- Use bullet points and clear section headings.
- Keep margins at 0.5” to 1” for professional formatting.
- Make sure your CV is between 1-2 pages.
4. How to Write Impactful Bullet Points
- Situation: Describe the context.
- Task: What was your responsibility?
- Action: What did you do?
- Result: What was the outcome?
- Reflection: What did you learn from this experience?
Example:
- ❌ Researched companies and helped analysts with investments.
- ✅ "Conducted market research on FTSE 100 companies, supporting senior analysts in investment recommendations that contributed to a 15% increase in portfolio performance."
5. Online Presence & Portfolio
- Make LinkedIn stand out by adding bio, experience, and projects.
Example LinkedIn - GitHub & personal website for tech roles – Showcase projects and open-source contributions.
Example GitHub - Link your online portfolio, especially if you are a designer, developer, or marketer.
Example Portfolio
6. The Power of Keywords (Beating ATS Systems)
- Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) scan CVs for relevant keywords.
- Find keywords in the job description and incorporate them naturally.
- Example: "Software Engineering Intern" should have terms like "Python", "Agile", "Data Structures", etc.
Paste the job description along with your master CV in our FREE CV optimiser so you don't have to manually identify keywords!
Additional Resources
- Write an Incredible Resume: 5 Golden Rules!
- How to write a CV | Newcastle University
- How to write a CV | The Telegraph (Sign-Up Required)
Always remember: your CV is a form of your personal brand — a first chance to show recruiters why you're the one to fill the vacancy. You should always tweak it, even if only a little, based on the job description and values of where you're applying.
Good luck with your applications & let us know if we helped you land an Apprenticeship! [email protected]