January 14, 2015

New Year, New IT Job – How to write a CV

3 min read

After the festive celebrations and the inevitable hangover has been and gone, lots of professionals, young and old, will be heading back to the workplace.

Some will be content with their careers and some will not. If the latter sounds like you, you may be thinking “New year, New IT job”. The IT job experts at Absolute IT are here to help you kickstart your IT career.

If it’s been some time since you last updated your CV, take a look at our handy CV tips below to make sure you are presenting yourself as best as possible and place yourself in a position to nab your dream IT job. It can be a little strange selling yourself, but that’s exactly what a CV does – now is no time to be modest.

CV Template

Take a look at our IT Job CV Template if you are starting from scratch – everything down to formatting, font type and size is important. The layout of your CV says a lot about you. Our template is easy to follow and includes the following:

  • Contact details
  • Visa status
  • Availability
  • Short summary
  • Education
  • Key skills/technical skills
  • Detailed work history

Find out more information and tips for IT job hunting here.

Updating your CV

Your CV should be as up to date as possible, and any breaks in employment should be explained e.g time spent travelling etc. Make sure you are updating your CV with a potential job in mind. If have a job description in front of you for a role you are looking at applying for, base your CV off this. Make sure you are ticking all the boxes that the job description requires – without replicating the JD as a CV!

Cover Letter

Remember, you should always include a personalised cover letter for each individual IT job you apply for. You should outline what you can bring to the company and how your skills positively suit the vacant position. This demonstrates that you have spent some time researching about the advertised role and the company itself. If you can address your cover letter for someone specifically, even better!

The Importance of References

Nowadays it’s very rare that you will be offered a job without providing multiple references for your potential employer to cross check your CV and previous work history with. You don’t have to include these in your CV, you can note them as “available on request”. It’s worth however, starting to think about who you might use when you start your job hunt, as you might need them sooner than you anticipate. Think carefully before putting someone forward as a reference, you need to consider who will both back your personal and professional skills and will be considered a legitimate reference (i.e your mother doesn’t count!).

Get Personal

Don’t forget to add some personality(don’t fear, there’s no need for photo) to both your cover letter and CV – potential employers want to know more than just your professional ability and previous work history. Today, employers are looking for people that can assimilate into an existing work culture, and more often than not, they will make their decision based on personality first and skills second – The right person can be taught the necessary skills to do the job correctly, but character cannot be taught.

Upload your CV

Now that your CV is looking sharp, register with us and take a look at the latest IT jobs here.

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Absolute IT