What should your CV include?

Your CV is your opportunity to give an employer insight into your skills, experience and achievements. If you’re applying for an entry-level apprenticeship, you might not have previously produced one.

Taking your time to produce your CV is really important so that you stand out for the role you’re applying for. As a guide, ensure you include the below information:

• Contact details: your name, address, email address and contact number.
• Profile: a short summary of your key skills and achievements that would be transferrable to the role you’re applying for.
• Education, qualifications and training: include schools or colleges attended, qualifications studied, and the dates you achieved (or expect to achieve) these.
• Employment history: include job titles and dates with a brief summary of what your role consisted of. If this will be your first role, outline any work experience, or any charity or volunteering work, that you've completed.
• Interests: relevant interests can provide a more complete picture of who you are, as well as give you something to talk about at the interview.

Remember to proofread your CV before you send it for a job application – read through it yourself and consider asking a friend or family member to take a look, too.

Finally, you should tailor your CV to the role you’re applying for to help you stand out. Look at what’s on the advert/job description as the essential criteria and include this as part of your CV to improve your application.

Applying for your first job? Read this article from our in-house Talent team for more guidance to help you feel prepared.  

Read the article

Interview tips

Before an interview, you might not know what to expect – so we’ve pulled together the below tips that can help you to feel prepared, whether your interview is with us or another employer:

• Review the job description, considering the skills and experience you can bring to the role. Try to think of some examples where you’ve previously demonstrated the requirements you can mention during the interview.
• Visit the company website and social media pages so that you can describe what you know about the company and why you want to work there.
• Think of some questions to ask the interviewer – maybe you want to learn more about the culture or structure of the team you’ll be working in, or what the values and behaviours of the organisation are. Take this opportunity to highlight your interest in the company!
• Make sure you’re prompt and that you arrive early, whether for an interview in person or via video. Check your journey time or make sure that any links for remote interviews work in advance.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification on the interview format and what you can do to prepare ahead of time.

Have an interview with NCFE? You can download our full interview pack, which is designed to help you feel prepared.

Interview pack