If you want to get a job rapidly, you should know that your CV remains one of the key documents of your application file. It can even be considered as the most important one because it is the first thing that recruiters will read. So, it is essential to catch their attention by submitting an original and attractive resume. If the position sought is in the UK, there are some rules you need to follows when writing your CV.
What Chronology to Use for a UK CV?
In the past, English recruiters tended to favor chronological order. Thus, candidates were advised to always start in the Training section with the oldest diploma and finish with the most recent one, and in the Professional Experience section, with the first job held. The advantage of this chronology is that it perfectly highlights professional climbs. However, in the 1980s, American trend swept across all the capitals of Europe. Since then, they have adopted retro-chronology which also called anti-chronology or reverse chronology. Because headhunters have less time to spend on every CV, they prefer to only focus on the most recent information. Now, if you download a UK CV on a specialized website, you are more likely to find CV templates that favor the anti-chronological order.
Which Section to Put First on a UK CV?
Many job seekers wonder if they should place their training before their professional experience or vice versa when making their English resume. As when you apply for a job in other countries, it depends on your own experience and career path. If you are a recent graduate, the most important part of your “sales pitch” lies in your studies. Your professional experience, including internships, fixed-term contract and summer jobs, is not significant enough to be highlighted. In this case, you should start your UK CV with the Training section.
On the other hand, if you are a senior executive, the chapter Professional Experience becomes your trump cards. Therefore, they are more important than the studies you pursued. In other words, you must reverse the order of the headings by beginning with the professional experience before listing the training. Most of the time, recruiters do not read the whole CV, they tend to stop at the middle of the document. So, you should make sure that they do not miss your most powerful seduction weapons. Bring them to the fore!
