So you’ve found a job that interests you, now you have to show a future employer that you’re the best person for the job. How do you do this?

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Many employers will ask for an up-to-date CV. A CV is a page or two that contains your personal information - your address, your education and your employment history.

It can also include your voluntary experience (e.g. have you collected money for charity), hobbies, and anything else you’ve achieved which shows your suitability for a job. Your CV is a chance for you to promote yourself and your skills, and let employers know what you can offer them.

CVs can be a tricky business. The best way to start is to think about yourself and what makes you well suited to the job. Be prepared to write different versions of your CV as you might be going for different positions - e.g. sales assistant v customer service advisor in a call centre. Always keep the particular job in mind when you're writing each CV.

You should have two referees listed on your CV. It is usual for these people to have known you for a reasonable length of time, ideally one of them should have known you as an employee if you have had a job before. The second referee may know you in another capacity - e.g. as a student, member of a club, or member of the community (no family members or friends). Remember to ask before you put someone down as a referee.

Tips:

1) Don't write the words ‘Curriculum Vitae’ at the top of the page because employers can obviously see that it is your CV. This won’t gain you any marks.

2) Have your name at the top of your CV on both pages so that it is in the employer's face.

3) Always include your name, address, telephone number, email address and driving licence details (if you have one!).

4) The most common layout is: personal details, educational background (what school you went to, exams you sat), employment history, interests and achievements., however if you have been working for several years and you have been out of education for some time you may choose to place your job history before your education.

5) Write a personal statement at the start of the CV - one or two sentences outlining the main skills you have that are useful for the job you're applying for. This will make your CV specific to a job.

6) Check your spelling – there’s nothing worse than stating "I have great attention to detail", only to spoil it all by having spelling mistakes on your CV. Word spell check is always handy.

7) Keep your CV to no more than two A4 sheets in length. No one wants to read your life story. Pick out what you feel are your best qualities and achievements.

8) It’s worth buying good quality paper to print out your CV if possible. This way your CV will look even better.

9) Put your CV in an A4 envelope when posting, so that when an employer pulls it out it looks nice and crisp, without big fold marks.

10) Use a first class stamp if you can afford it. It may seem silly to worry about such a thing, but remember if you send your CV or application with a second class stamp it may arrive after the closing date.

11) Be prepared to make changes and to play around with the style of your CV. If you don’t feel that it’s working, i.e. getting you interviews, then have a go at changing the layout and content. Save your CV onto a PC, memory stick, CD etc to allow easy editing for different jobs.

12) Don’t make outlandish claims, e.g. you've climbed Mount Everest, when the most you've done is hillwalking or lie about qualifications. An interviewer will probably know if you're telling porkies and may check up.

13) Remember that as well as being a factual document, your CV is there to promote you as a suitable employee: how it looks is important. You can get even more help with writing a CV from Careers Scotland, or your careers adviser or guidance teacher if you're still in school. Check out CV tools on the Skills Development Scotland My World of Work website , where you can get help to create and save up to five different CVs at any one time.

14) Keep all certificates of award from school, college, university or other as you may need to show a future employer.

Application Forms

Often employers will ask you to fill out an application form – you can copy the factual details from your CV straight on to the form. Remember to check what you are being asked to say about yourself - the application form may ask for information in a different way. The best thing is to persevere and fill it out as fully as possible.

Remember, whoever you send it to will probably see dozens of forms and it’s important that yours stands out. Try to come across as enthusiastic and interested in the position even if you’re really fed up filling out applications. Bear in mind that this person has not heard of you before, so this is your chance to impress.

Top Tips:

Read the whole form through and write your answers on a separate piece of paper before copying them on to the form.
Wherever possible, link your qualifications and experience to what the job involves. Many employers know you won’t always have the exact skills required, so they look for ‘transferable skills’ – any experience which is relevant to the job. If there is a job description, use this as a guideline.
There is usually a section in the application form which asks you to explain why you think you are suited to the job. Try to give as full an answer as possible and not to leave any sections blank. Remember the more information you provide, the better the picture you create for the employer.
Keep a copy of all application forms. You can use the information again, and remind yourself what you said if you are called for an interview.
Check to see if the application needs a covering letter. Make sure the covering letter clearly states the job you are applying for because sometimes companies/organisations are advertising for more than one job.
Check if you can download the form from the company's website. This will allow you to type your details into the form, making it look neater and easier to use spell check! Some applications will require you to hand write them though.

Covering Letter

A covering letter will make your CV/application form personal and specific to the job you're going for. It's looks professional and will help you stand out from other candidates.

Here's a few tips:

Put your address on the right-hand side on the page, the employer's address on the left-hand side. Put today's date and sign the page at the bottom.
Don't just rewrite all that is on your CV/form - pick out a few points (skills or experiences) that would be useful for the job.
Mention if you have an interest/passion that relates to the job - e.g. 'I love reading books' for a job in a library.