A lot of people prefer not to go to university and to join the work force right after school. Thankfully there are plenty of vacancies for school leavers at present. But at the same time the London job market is quite competitive especially given the fact that more and more expats are coming to work in the UK every year. You have to stand out in the crowd so that the employer can pick your CV from the pile and call you for an interview. The problem is that school leavers usually have very little work experience that can help them highlight their skills. Thus, you have to exploit every opportunity to present and prove your qualities.
It is best for you to use a standard template for your CV. You have to state your name, address and contact details first. Then you should put a section with your education. The next one should be for your work experience. The presentation in these two sections must be made not chronologically, but starting with your most recent education degree and employment. Do not miss to add the timeline so that the recruiter knows everything in detail.
The next section has to be for your skills. You should definitely have a section for achievements and awards. You should list your interests briefly as well. It is advisable that you have a short statement about your career goals right after your contact details. Still, if you are applying for different positions in more than one industry, you have to make sure that each presentation is tailored for the specific job.
There are some basic points to remember. When writing about your work experience you should include all relevant employments. You have probably not worked during your school years, but you can readily add any part time or seasonal employment. It is also possible to include details about any charity or tutoring work. It is essential for you to describe what you did on each position briefly. It is a good idea to add power words such as “responsible for”, “delivered results”, “managed” and “contributed to”. Keep in mind that you should omit the word “I” in your CV.
The skills and qualities section is the ones that all recruiters will focus on given the fact that you do not have a substantial work experience. It is best to tailor this part of the CV for the particular job you are applying for. Check out what is required from the position you want to be in. Look at the requirements in the industry as well. You should state all your skills and qualities in bullet points. You can readily put the skill first and then use a dash to give a brief explanation on how you developed it. For example, you can say something like: “management skills – organized the work of fellow students for class projects”.
You should definitely try to think of any awards and achievements that you have. These could be academic as well as athletic ones. The important thing is to show that you can perform well. It is definitely a good idea to state your three favourite hobbies and interest briefly. It is best if you put ones that can be related to the job you are applying for.