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Thread ID: 62239 2005-10-01 06:12:00 Writing a CV... Fergie (6508) PC World Chat
Post ID Timestamp Content User
392517 2005-10-01 06:12:00 hey.
i'm applying for a few scholarships for Uni next year, and some of them need me to attach a CV.

I have had to start from scratch on mine (never had one b4) and only had my mums one to look at (which is really old, and not much to it!)
i've done a bit of browsing on the net, and spent a few hours putting together something, but i still need some advice.

first, i've been told to limit it to 3 pages... mines 4!

At the mo i have Pg 1 - About me/personal details etc, pg 2 education & Qualifications, pg3, Achievemnts (sports, academic etc) pg4 work experience & references (more on this below)

they're all pretty full pages, so i can't squeeze it together.
but i think the killer page is my Ed & Q, looking at some sample ones, and my mums, for education they have what skools they went to, and what years etc, and for Q they have 'Skool C maths 75%, Skool C English 82%' etc
first - do i need to put in what primary and intermediate i went to?
and as i done NCEA teh last 3 years, i've put everything in, so at the moment i have this:


Secondary:
2001- 2005 Hawera High School
• NCEA Level 1
o Mathematics (24 credits)
o English (21 credits)
o Science (24 credits)
o Accounting (24 credits)
o Economics (24 credits)
o Physical Education (18 credits)

• NCEA Level 2
o Mathematics (24 credits)
o Media Studies/English (26 credits)
o Physics (24 credits)
o Accounting (24 credits)
o Economics (24 credits)
o Biology (18 credits)

• NCEA Level 3 (credits gained as at 10/10/05)
o Accounting (5 credits)
o Physics (6 credits)
o Economics (5 credits)
o Mathematics with Calculus (24 credits)
o Mathematics with Statistics (9 credits)
o Computing (13 credits)

• University of Cambridge – Young Enterprise Examination


lol, is this to much???
At first i was thinking of even putting my marks in as well!!
Should i just put that i passed NCEA level 1 & 2 and doing 3? but if i do this i feel that its not enough... your thoughts...



and all teh sample CV's i've read have 'objectives' like i wanna get to top position in sales etc, for me, i just wanna go to uni... do i put this or leave it?

and achievements, i have a full page here, what do i list, only really good stuff like skool prefect, top results in 2003 exams etc, or do i put stuff liek i participated in a regioanl maths comp etc

For sports, the same applies, most of the scholarships i'm applying for are sporting or related to sports, and i'm pretty good a sports (play a ton) so i've listed all the sportsteams i'm in (only if they're A teams, like 1st XV rugby, Boys A hockey etc) and champs i've went to (triathlon etc - even tho i didn't do very well!) along with my main sport (indoor rowing - NZ record holder)
So do i leave it all in there, or just put in the main stuff, like all my rowinng stuff, and maybe one or 2 sports teams i'm in...

and lastly... for references, do i just put peoples names and contact details, do i need anything else (what they do, how they no me etc)
and if i already have the reference letter from the, do i attach that to the CV?

Cheers 		Fergie (6508)
392518 2005-10-01 06:56:00 Mention number of Merits/Excellences etc.

Also, your out-of-school achievements, commitments etc. Sports are good, and especially mention if you were Captain etc.

References: Make sure you ask the people you're going to nominate, before putting them down. Make sure they're happy to answer questions from the scholarship people. School principals, ex-employers, current employers are good. 		somebody (208)
392519 2005-10-01 07:38:00 first, i've been told to limit it to 3 pages . . . mines 4!

At the mo i have Pg 1 - About me/personal details etc, pg 2 education & Qualifications, pg3, Achievemnts (sports, academic etc) pg4 work experience & references (more on this below)



lol, is this to much???
At first i was thinking of even putting my marks in as well!!
Should i just put that i passed NCEA level 1 & 2 and doing 3? but if i do this i feel that its not enough . . . your thoughts . . .



and all teh sample CV's i've read have 'objectives' like i wanna get to top position in sales etc, for me, i just wanna go to uni . . . do i put this or leave it?

and achievements, i have a full page here, what do i list, only really good .

and lastly . . . for references, do i just put peoples names and contact details, do i need anything else (what they do, how they no me etc)
and if i already have the reference letter from the, do i attach that to the CV?

Cheers
Don't worry if its 4 pages . Not majorly huge .
Objective can just be a short couple of lines . Yeah you want to go to UNi - but obviously to study something with the aim of a creer in some field . Put that .
Your marks may be an idea if they are brilliant . Otherwise forget it .
Yes put the achievements you have mentioned . And the sports . Just don't go on about them
Don't attach reference letters - put contact ph numbers for refs . Take them with you to any interviews though - in case .
Yes list what relationship these people are to you .

And lastly SPELLCHECK and GRAMMAR CHECK . Most important . 		pctek (84)
392520 2005-10-01 08:07:00 I'd limit it to 2 pages myself. No one who reads through these things wants to read an essay.

Kind of a odd CV in this case as it is part of applying for a scholarship. I'd clarify with whoever you are sending them into what they expect.

Leave out primary and immediate for a start though.

None on does references these days, just have a list of referees (and make sure that they know you well enough and be careful that they won't report too many negative things - you may be surprised).

It is also a good idea to attempt to link in achievements, jobs etc to trait qualities e.g. something like "I gained valuable leadership skills while being captain of ..." So you end up with slightly more information than bare bullet points but don't end up with an essay.

Try not to "pad" too much. Get someone else to read it who is thinking as they go through "why do I care that you told me this".

You should consider changing elements of the CV if the scholarships are quite different in their criteria e.g. a scholarship with a local/community flavour versus a national one based solely on academic success.

Give plent of contact details (including email addresses and alternative phone numbers) for your referees, as trying to get hold of people is a real pain.

Oh and try to leave out oddball personal information (such as "my health is excellent" , where you were born) and in my opinion photographs fall into this category.

And finally, do not put in in some sort of fancy binder (just a simple white A4 with paperclips). 		gibler (49)
392521 2005-10-01 10:23:00 cool thanks guys.
yea i found it a bit weird that they (waikato uni) wanted a CV. Its for the Sir Ed Sporting scholarship, but there was another one (mayb 2) that wanted it as well.
I think i'll have to leave it at 4 pages, i've got 3 pages all 2/3 full, and it'd look dum splitting things up, but i'll see how it goes.. 		Fergie (6508)
392522 2005-10-01 10:37:00 Hi Fergie. Good luck. MS has a C.V. template, available in Word 2003 through Help and then download. The examples in it are heavy on academic achievements but the layout is simple, clean and easy to read. Scouse (83)
392523 2005-10-02 02:49:00 well i reread it this morning, and cut out alot, got it to 3 pages with room to spare.
if ncea wasn't so complicated i'd have it on 2 pages easy... 		Fergie (6508)
392524 2005-10-03 07:37:00 Tough one Fergie . You've had some great advice here . One thing - Curriculum Vitae are not one size fits all . You need to tailor your CV for each application so it is relevant . That can be quite simple - just cut and paste/delete .

Keep it short . Usually I can't be bothered reading past page 2 .

I feel sorry for anyone trying to make sense of the NCEA stuff . But Merit and Excellence should certainly be shown .

Good luck . Looks like you'll have a CV I :thumbs: 'd be envious of . 		Winston001 (3612)
392525 2005-10-03 09:24:00 Personally I would hand write "I am Fantastic" as many times as possible and using both sides of the page, A coloured pencil would really give it the edge. Metla (12)
392526 2005-10-03 20:33:00 Just out of curiosity, what scholarships are you applying for? somebody (208)
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