7 Tips To Create An Impressive Cv

Last year was my first experience being a part of panel to select, interview and employ new staff members. We had over seventy-five candidates apply, which we had to cut down to less than ten interviews. The process of reading through a vast number of applications provided me with insight about what makes an excellent CV. This post includes seven tips for creating an impressive CV as well as a template you can use.

1. Short and Sweet: Your CV should be no longer than four pages and your cover letter should be one to two pages. Including every detail of your experience makes your application hard to read. Use subheadings, bullet points and direct phrasing throughout. If you have been teaching for a few years then you don’t need to include experience from school or university.
2. Summary Cover Page: The first page of your CV should include a summary of all the key information that the interview panel need to reference. First list your contact, accreditation and WWCC details. Then include an employment summary listing the school, role and date period. Thirdly list your education including the date, qualification, institution and average (only necessary if of a high standard). Finally include the contact details of your referees.
3. Job Criteria: Your CV and cover letter must address the job criteria. This may mean including headings or bold text to highlight how your experience and training make you an excellent candidate for the role. In some independent schools the HR department make initial decisions on selecting candidates. Therefore it needs to be obvious from your cover letter and CV that you fit the job criteria.
4. Referees: You need to include two to four referees on your CV. It is highly advisable to include your Head of Primary or Head of School. Even if you feel your grade partner or stage co-ordinator would provide a better reference, it looks like you have something to hide if you don’t include your boss. Each referee must have their full name, job title, school, email address and phone number. Make sure you contact the colleagues you have chosen as your referees so they are prepared.
5. Employment History: Once you have provided an overview on the cover page, you should outline your employment history. It can help to categorise your responsibilities at each school using subheadings such as Achievements, Leadership, Curriculum, Gifted Education, ICT, Pastoral Care, Wellbeing, Co-Curricular. In your Achievements section add description that demonstrate excellence, for example ‘Outstanding one to one iPad program in Year 3 that heightened student outcomes and engagement’.
6. Dead Line: Submit your application a couple of days before the dead line. If you submit a week before you are further down the pile. But you don’t want to miss the dead line as you immediately come across as disorganised and unprepared.
7. PDF: Save your cover letter and CV as one document and then export as a PDF. It looks really unprofessional to send through an application as a Word or Pages document. In addition the formatting is consistent when saved as a PDF.

CV Template PDF

CV Template Word

This template is a great place to start. If you are a new graduate or only have a few years of experience, then it is a good idea to include your practicum experiences. As a new graduate you will need to substitute your practicum experiences for the sections related to employment. If you have worked at more than one school then it is not necessary to include your practicum experiences.

Question for you: What tips to you have for creating an impressive CV?

Related Post: 13 Tips To Prepare For Interviews