Writing An Effective CV.

Your curriculum vitae is the most important tool when job hunting and will probably be your first contact with a prospective employer.

A busy employer may receive many CVs for the same vacancy and will compare them, making a quick decision as to who will be considered further, so it is important to make an immediate favorable impact. 

CVs can take many formats but we would recommend a simple, concise and easy to read format.

A good place to start is with your name, address and contact details. 

In the veterinary sector qualifications, training and achievements are very important and therefore tend to be presented secondly on a CV. It is most effective to present these by listing the most recent first.

Career history should follow, starting with your current position and working backwards.  Include job titles, a brief outline of your duties, responsibilities and achievements, highlight things you did well in your past jobs which could be relevant to the job you’re applying for.

It is very important that you are honest and accurate with the information on your CV. If there are any gaps in dates of employment, indicate these and the reasons why. There are many possible reasons e.g caring for children, studying, volunteering abroad etc and these can form a unique and interesting part of your CV. 

A short section about your interests can also support your application if your hobbies and leisure activities are relevant to the responsibilities and skills of the job you’re applying for. 

Finally, it’s good to have at least two people who can provide a work or personal reference. It should be someone who can comment on your qualities in relation to the job and you should ask the person to agree to this beforehand.

  At Medicus, we understand that confidentiality is important and will never forward your CV without gaining your permission first!

Find out more about our FREE services for veterinary jobseekers – Download our FREE Veterinary CV template here.