Think of your CV as putting your best foot forward – before you even make it to the interview stage. All of your critical information should be laid out clearly and simply, drawing attention to your qualifications and experience, not your flair for design and huge fonts.

Download this template for a curriculum vitae, and start putting together a sharp resumé that will appeal to recruiters and employers everywhere. We’ve also compiled a list of handy tips for what to include in your CV. If you use the template and follow these tips, the only reason you shouldn’t get called into the interview is because there were more qualified candidates.

10 tips for a rock ‘n roll resumé

1. Start with your personal particulars – name, ID number, nationality, etc. If you don’t have a criminal record, say “None”. Driver’s license is a yes or no, and you can even include the code if you want to. Notice period means the time that you have to spend at your current job from the day that you give your notice i.e. you may quit today, but you can only start at the new company in one month’s time.
2. When considering your interests, be honest but brief i.e. provide a simple list. You could include things like reading, cooking, horse riding, watching movies, running, etc. Don’t include things that you think they want to hear – keep your CV as honest and authentic as possible.
3. Provide comprehensive contact details. A prospective employer should be able to reach you at a moment’s notice – don’t just give your email address (that you only check once a month) and home phone number (when you’re never there).
4. Provide your high school education so that an employer can see how you got from A to B. They want to know what subjects you did, if you were awarded any distinctions or other achievements. The only time you should leave out your high school education is when you’re in your later years and have 10 years of work experience under your belt.
5. 

   Include a breakdown for every tertiary institution you attended – including how long you were there, the main subjects that you studied, any achievements, and the qualification you earned at the end of it. Certificates and Diplomas count here too – mention them all.
6. When it comes to skills, strengths and other qualifications, you need to list the things that show off your best qualities in a work environment. What are your best characteristics? Are you a team player who gets on well with everyone and works well under pressure? Are you good on a computer? Which computer programmes are you familiar with? This is where you shamelessly promote yourself as the hardest worker with the most talent. If you don’t know what to say, ask your friends, family, or lecturers to suggest where your strengths lie.
7. Work experience is the section that employers are going to be most interested in. If you don’t have a lot, don’t try and flesh it out by rambling, rather focus on the core duties you performed. If you were in a position for a long time and performed multiple duties, list the ones that are most relevant to where you want to be going in your career. Washing dishes won’t be relevant to your future as the manager of a large hotel resort.
8. When listing a reason for leaving, remember that no prospective employer wants to see you slate a previous employer. Keep your reasons honest but simple, e.g. “I was looking for a position with more room to grow” or “This was a temporary position”, or “I was interested in a more challenging role”, etc.
9. Always list your references and their contact details. Making an employer contact you in order to request your references is just time-consuming and irritating. Give them everything on a silver platter, and impress them with your proficiency right off the bat.
10. While not included in the template, you should always write a covering letter when applying for a job. Keep it brief – less than one page – and state why you are interested in the position, why you think you are right for the job, and what skills you have that are uniquely suited to this particular role. Keep your covering letter separate from your CV unless specifically requested together. It’s usually the kind of thing that you would put into the body of the email when applying online.

Good luck!