CV Template

By Monster Contributor

Your CV should be as individual as you are: but the format and layout will be more effective if they meet certain expectations. Many would-be employers have lots of CVs to look at so yours needs be easy to read and approachable. Our CV template can help while still allowing enough freedom for you to express yourself.

Why You Should Use a Template to Make a CV

By uploading your CV, you are in a much better position to have employers find you rather than the other way around. Although employers post jobs with Monster all the time, this is not all they do. As well as advertising jobs, they search our CV database of uploaded CVs. This means that they might find the right person for the job before anyone even gets the chance to apply! Build a CV using a professional template to free up more time to focus on the content of your CV. The person reviewing your CV probably has to read many at once. They'll appreciate the time they save by getting the key information from yours as fast as possible.

Tips for How to Write a CV with the Monster Template

Our free template is self-explanatory and simple to use. Download it then follow the instructions for each section. There are some fundamental tips that will help you to come up with a winning CV.

  1. Fill in all of the CV template. This helps employers easily assess your suitability based on your skills, experience, and other factors. Both Monster, and employers systems, score CVs as relevant to search terms. Add everything that is applicable so that you rank highly in searches.
  2. Be accurate with dates. Ensure that dates of your former and current jobs are lined up with the relevant job title in your employment history.
  3. Add skills information. Describe your skills within the experience sections for each job you mention. Remember to add skills gained as well as those used.
  4. Link Achievements. Don't just say what you did, say what that achieved, with specific numbers if possible. So " Ran a two-day exhibition stand" becomes "Ran a two-day exhibition stand that generated 430 leads and £17,000 in attributed sales."
  5. Transferable Skills. Describe your skills and achievements in ways that can apply across different roles. Highlight how they will be useful for the job you are applying for.
  6. Soft Skills. The four 'soft skills' that are most in-demand by employers are:

    - Dependability

    - Collaboration

    - Problem Solving

    - Flexibility

    Show examples of these in your CV that you can expand on with a good anecdote in interview.

  7. Two jobs, one employer. For people who have changed roles within an organisation, it is better to list these as two or more individual job roles. Add each job title with its corresponding start and end date. Note if it was a promotion.
  8. File naming. Don't just call it 'NameCV.doc' which means nothing to a potential employer. Instead, save the file with a job title as ' "John Smith Office Administrator CV" or "Joanne Smith Electrical Engineer CV" and so on.

Make a CV with Monster

Now you have access to our CV template and our CV writing tips listed above, you should have all you need to write an impressive CV. Plus we also have various job specific CV examples available across many leading industries. Take advantage of these free resources and create your winning CV today.

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