jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people
  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Career Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • Recruiters
  • Your Account

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

career-advice.jobs.ac.uk

Secondary Sidebar

jobs.ac.uk Career Advice

  • CV and Cover Letter Advice
    • CV Tips
    • Free CV Templates
    • Cover Letters
    • Personal Profiles
    • CV Resources
  • Jobseeking and Interview Tips
    • Jobseeking Tips
    • Academic Interviews
    • Professional Interviews
    • Jobseeking and Interview Resources
  • Career Development
    • Academic Careers
    • Research Careers
    • Professional Careers
    • Working in Industry
    • Career Development Resources
    • Global Careers
    • Working From Home
  • Women in Higher Education
  • Resources
    • Academic Case Studies
    • Professional Case Studies
    • Interview questions tool
    • Job Profiles
      • Health and Medical
      • Engineering and Technology
    • Blog
    • Vlogs
  • Webinars
  • Country Profiles
    • Africa
      • Egypt
      • Ghana
      • Kenya
      • Nigeria
      • South
    • Americas
      • Canada
      • United States of America
    • Asia
      • Bahrain
      • Brunei
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Japan
      • Kazakhstan
      • Malaysia
      • Qatar
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • Turkey
      • United Arab Emirates
    • Europe
      • Belgium
      • Denmark
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Russia
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • United Kingdom
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
  • Studentship Advice
    • PhD
    • Studentship Resources
    • Vlogs
  • Sections
    • CV and Cover Letter Advice
      • CV Tips
      • CV Templates
      • Cover Letters
      • Personal Profiles
      • CV Resources
    • Jobseeking and Interview Tips
      • Jobseeking Tips
      • Academic Interviews
      • Professional Interviews
      • Jobseeking and Interview Resources
    • Career Development
      • Academic Careers
      • Research Careers
      • Professional Careers
      • Working in Industry
      • Career Development Resources
      • Global Careers
    • Resources
      • Academic Case Studies
      • Professional Case Studies
      • Interview questions tool
      • Blog
      • Vlogs
    • Country Profiles
      • Africa
        • Egypt Country Profile
        • Ghana Country Profile
        • Kenya Country Profile
        • Nigeria Country Profile
        • South Africa Country Profile
      • Americas
        • Canada Country Profile
        • United States of America Country Profile
      • Asia
        • Bahrain Country Profile
        • Brunei Country Profile
        • China Country Profile
        • Hong Kong Country Profile
        • India Country Profile
        • Japan Country Profile
        • Kazakhstan Country Profile
        • Malaysia Country Profile
        • Qatar Country Profile
        • Saudi Arabia Country Profile
        • Singapore Country Profile
        • South Korea Country Profile
        • Turkey Country Profile
        • United Arab Emirates Country Profile
      • Europe
        • Belgium Country Profile
        • Denmark Country Profile
        • Finland Country Profile
        • France Country Profile
        • Germany Country Profile
        • Ireland Country Profile
        • Italy Country Profile
        • Netherlands Country Profile
        • Norway Country Profile
        • Russia Country Profile
        • Spain Country Profile
        • Sweden Country Profile
        • Switzerland Country Profile
        • United Kingdom Country Profile
      • Oceania
        • Australia Country profile
        • New Zealand Country Profile
    • Studentship Advice
      • PhD
      • Studentship Resources
      • Vlogs

Preparing to Change Jobs? Make sure your CV is ready too!

Preparing to Change Jobs Make sure your CV is ready too scaled

‘Be prepared’ is a good motto for life in general and is certainly relevant to our employment situation and prospects. One day you might feel settled in a job, seeing a good career trajectory ahead, whether employed or self-employed. Then the next day sudden change occurs, taking all that away and leaving you wondering if you could have been better prepared for your new situation.

Whilst it’s impossible to predict when circumstances beyond our control might occur, it’s good advice to always keep your CV updated.

We live in a time of rapidly changing employment patterns and roles with more people moving across sectors, different contracts and ways of working. This means you should regularly check how your CV looks and keep it updated.
Whether a change in your employment situation comes through personal choice or external factors foisted upon you, it’s best to have your CV good to go.

It’s useful to remind ourselves what exactly a CV is.

  • A succinct, accurate record of your key qualifications, educational and employment experience, skills, responsibilities and achievements
  • It should be no longer than two sides of A4

Here are some key points to consider:

When did you last update your CV?

  • Have you had it checked by a colleague/peer? If not, ask someone to read it and offer feedback
  • Are you happy with it? If you’re not, probably potential employers won’t be either
  • Is it likely to grab the attention of those reading it? You have to make it stand out

It’s only for potential employers, and job applications, isn’t it?

No- it’s also for yourself- a reminder of where you are now and what you might do going forward. Even in times of economic stability and job security, you may consider where else you could go in terms of your career progression.

A CV is a useful reminder of your achievements and may inspire you to undertake something new. If sudden change forces you to consider where to go next, your updated CV will be a beneficial friend.

It’s meant to impress, isn’t it? And get me that job?

  • Your CV alone usually doesn’t get you a job but it’s the first step in the process. Without a good CV, you won’t get on those desired shortlists
  • Whilst you certainly want to gain the attention of recruiters, it should be accurate and well-presented- no vague, unsubstantiated claims

What should I include?

  • Your personal details
  • Short personal statement (one or two sentences) at the top
  • Educational qualifications and courses of study with dates
  • Professional/work experience and any professional qualifications
  • Key skills will show what you can do going forward, not just what you’ve done so far. These might include communication, administrative, numerical, IT, languages
  • Responsibilities and achievements- some specific results
    Include enough detail but be succinct

Your CV as your own Template

  • If you’ve had it checked and taken on board advice and if you feel it’s accurate, you can use this as your template to adapt when necessary
  • Don’t forget to update as you gain qualifications or work experience
  • Remember that volunteering is valid work experience: include that even if a relatively short stint

Can I submit the same version of my CV for each application?

This is not the best strategy. You’ll need to tailor your CV according to the job role you are applying for.
One size does not fit all!  This is not to say you must completely rewrite your CV each time but that you can make small amendments to highlight certain parts. When tailoring your CV for specific applications do ensure you read the job description and person spec very carefully as a guide to making changes. Include the work/professional experience/skills relevant for the post with some examples of achievements that will make you stand out as a suitable candidate.

Remember that your skills are transferable to other roles so make the most of these. Skills might be more important than qualifications in some situations.

A note on speculative CVs

  • You can submit a speculative CV to companies and organisations you are interested in working for even if they are not currently recruiting
  • You may have something specific to offer such as an area of research you are working on or voluntary work in the community experience
  • They may want to keep on file in case something suitable comes up. Like individuals, they need to be prepared for sudden changes in their own situation

Find your next job.

For more CV tips and advice see:

  • How To Write A Good CV
  • 10 things NOT to do on your CV
  • Classic CV Guidelines
  • The Questions Your CV Really Needs to Answer

Share this article

Dr. Ruth Cherrington

Ruth Cherrington has a long record as a higher education professional. She has been a lecturer, trainer and employability adviser both in the UK and abroad. Ruth has always been committed to maximizing the professional development of those she works with. Another strand to her career is as a writer, with a wide range of publications to her name. Ruth enjoys travelling to meet former students and colleagues across the world. LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthcherringtonnumber7/

Reader Interactions

You may also like:

How to include your PhD experience on a CV
What to include in a CV for a web developer role
How to structure a creative CV

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Follow us

Latest Jobs

  • Access and Participation Evaluation Manager

    Cambridge Admissions Office, University of Cambridge

    Location(s): Cambridge

    Salary: £32,348 - £42,155 p.a.


  • Faculty Manager

    Academic Division, University of Cambridge

    Location(s): Cambridge

    Salary: £38,592 - £51,805


  • Building Fabric Officer (105839-1222)

    Estates Office, University of Warwick

    Location(s): Coventry

    Salary: £32,348 - £42,155 per annum.


  • EDI Administrator and Coordinator

    Administrative , City, University of London

    Location(s): London

    Salary: £27,131 - £30,502 per annum


  • Programme Manager

    Cambridge Zero, University of Cambridge

    Location(s): Cambridge

    Salary: £43,414 - £54,949


  • Contracts Supervisor (Mechanical) (105949-1222)

    Estates Office - Electrical Services/Mechanical Services, University of Warwick

    Location(s): Coventry, Work from home

    Salary: £27,929 - £31,411 per annum.


Footer

jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people
  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Career Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility Statement

Copyright © jobs.ac.uk 1998 - 2022

  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Careers Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility
jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people

Copyright © jobs.ac.uk 1998 - 2022