This blog post will show my progress and my thoughts behind creating my CV and cover letter.
First Draft
The first CV I wrote was on a word document. It was very basic, but it included most of the things I needed such as, contact information, bio, skills, work, education, and additional achievements. However, there was a lot of work that needed to be done on this and after a feedback session, I knew how I could improve.
Here is a link to the first draft:
Changes made
The first thing I did was change the platform I created it on. As mentioned, I wrote my first CV in word. However, this didn’t allow me to add much design to my CV, so I used Figma instead. This enabled me to add my logo and layout my information better. I was able to add 2 columns, one for the title of each section and one for the information. This saves space, makes it easier to read, and everything lines up nicely. Overall, this looked a lot cleaner, and my logo made it more personal and unique.
Next, I added my references. This was very important as it allows employers to contact people that know me to validate what I have said on my CV. At first, it was a challenge to know who to put as my references as I haven’t had much previous work experience. I decided to put my A-level teacher as one as she knows how I work and the skills I have. As my other reference, I put down a close family friend as a more personal reference and from someone who has known me a long time.
I updated my work section as I had since gained some experience doing bar work. Therefore, I was able to add in my responsibilities with this job and some of the skills I gained. These skills are relevant to the jobs I am applying for which is valuable to talk about. For example, teamwork, communication, and the ability to work under pressure.
I think that the additional achievements were an important part of my CV. I talked about how I have qualifications in web accessibility. This is from an online course that I completed. This shows that I am passionate about what I do and that I am always willing to learn. Considering accessibility is also a valuable aspect that many employers may look for.
Some other things worth noting are that I stuck to 2 pages. This encouraged me to only include what is relevant. I also included the page number at the bottom of each page. This keeps them in order and if one goes missing, people will know.
Here is my final CV:
Cover Letter
First Draft:
To start off, I created a basic cover letter on word which wasn’t tailored to a specific company. This allowed me to get an idea of what I wanted to include and the layout. I left some parts blank so I could personalise it and change it, depending on what job I was applying for.
In the rest of my letter, I talked about some of my skills, what work I had done in university, why I applied, and overall, why I am suitable for the role.
I then brought it into Figma to add my logo and lay it out better. I made sure it was consistent with the style of my CV.
This is also where I duplicated the letter and tailored them to different companies. The cover letter below is an example of one I wrote to the company ESO. Here, I addressed the hiring manager by her name to make it more personal. I also talked about the company’s mission and why I liked the company. I think this showed my enthusiasm.
Updated Cover Letter:
Here are some other examples of cover letters I wrote for the jobs I applied for:
Overall, I am happy with how my CV and cover letters turned out. I found what we learned and doing research valuable.