How to write the perfect CV

Are you a red hot pharmacist? Does your dog have a groovy name? Or is your boss useless? If so, your future employer doesn’t want to know about it.

Writing a CV might sound simple enough, but pharmacy employers have seen all of the above arrive in their inboxes and they don’t necessarily show candidates in their most professional light. So just how do you go about producing the document that could have more impact on your life than any other?

Whatever job you are applying for, there are general rules that you will need to take heed of. Siobhan Griffin, UK resourcing officer at Lloydspharmacy, says the most important thing is to ensure your spelling and grammar are in order. Ms Griffin warns: “The whole purpose of pharmacy is to have attention to detail, so if it’s not displayed in a CV, it doesn’t say good things about you.”

For length and layout there are some general points that will apply to almost all CVs, regardless of the industry, says Peter Panayotou, a senior consultant at The Write Stuff, an independent consultancy specialising in producing CVs. For example, most CVs are two sides long, possibly stretching to three if it is particularly technical.

One common question is whether to tailor CVs to different roles. While some tweaking can be useful if you want to give certain skills more emphasis than others on different applications, Mr Panayotou says: “I advise people not to do that too much, simply because I think that if you have got a good CV and it sells you, then really you should be able to use it for anything you want without fiddling about with it.” Instead you can use a cover letter to highlight specifically how you fit the business. As Ms Griffin says: “Generic cover letters are a big turn off.”

Another possible pitfall, which Mr Panayotou says is particularly common in more scientific or technical CVs, is the use of jargon. He warns: “You have to be careful about that – CVs may not be looked at by people working at the coalface.” And Ms Griffin advises: “If your business uses acronyms, they are often only relevant to your business and may mean nothing to other people.”

Going into too much detail on specific projects can also be a problem on some technical CVs, Mr Panayotou says. He warns: “The CV is about you, it’s not about a project. You’re not trying to sell your jobs, you’re trying to sell you.”

Ms Griffin also warns that you should be careful about giving away personal information on CVs. For example, email addresses should be professional, and she adds: “You don’t need to put lots and lots of personal information down, I don’t need to know that you go socialising. [Sometimes] we get details about peoples’ children, or the dog’s name. It’s a bit too much.” You also don’t need to give reasons for leaving previous jobs, she says, and making derogatory comments about your previous employer “doesn’t look good”.

For pharmacy CVs there is certain information you can’t afford to leave out. Any experience offering additional services should be outlined. And Jane Lumb, training manager at Numark, advises: “Ensure you mention any post-graduate programmes you have completed, for example Skills for the Future accreditation, as these are more often than not a condition of employment.” Your RPSGB membership number should be included, along with details of any relevant organisations you have joined, or pharmacy committees you sit on.

It’s clear there is a lot to think about, but perhaps the most important thing of all is to stay positive. Ms Lumb says pharmacists shouldn’t be embarrassed to shout about awards, accolades or even meeting MUR targets. As she concludes: “A CV should tell a prospective employer more than just your work history, it should give them a feel for your enthusiasm and therefore your potential.”

What should my CV look like?

Peter Panayotou, of The Write Stuff, advises laying your CV out in a small number of clear sections.

Professional profile
This is the introductory section, which says who you are, what you are trying to achieve and what you will offer the employer. It should highlight any particular strengths, mentioning significant awards won or any areas you have become a specialist in.

Skills
This section gives an opportunity to detail what strengths you will bring to the company. It’s important to include a variety of areas, such as interpersonal skills (to help deal with patients) to demonstrate that you can cope with all aspects of the industry. You could include descriptions of how the skills were acquired, such as through a previous job, but this should be brief – it’s not an autobiography.

Past experience
This should include information about your previous jobs, and relevant qualifications. Additional training areas are a must, such as MUR accreditation and other services you are trained to provide. Mr Panayotou says that when writing about previous roles you should list actual tasks you had to do, so someone could read it and picture you doing the job. You should also account for any gaps in your employment history.

Additional information
This should include any other relevant information, such as membership of professional groups, any awards or special achievements not covered in the skills section, responsibilities held, and things such as IT skills. This could be split into one or two sections if any area is particularly strong, for example if you sit on lots of pharmacy or PCT boards, or have won several significant awards.