A well written (CV) is your passport to a job interview. When applying for pharmacy positions your CV has got to be impressive to stand out from the crowd.

The aim is to write a CV that will highlight your skills, qualifications and experiences to their best advantage and so persuade an employer to offer you an interview.

So what does make an employer decide whether to interview you or not?

Here are a few CV writing tips to get you started

1. Presentation is important, use a simple easy to follow layout tailored to your specifications, written in blank ink and printed on good quality paper

Avoid overusing underlining, italics and capital letters this can make the employer uncomfortable.

2. A CV should not be too short. A typical CV should be around two pages long, anything longer can get boring.

3. Use short positive statements, too many long sentences are harder to follow and your employer will lose concentration and interest.

4. Avoid using humour, irrelevant information or being repetitive. Everything on your CV should be there for a purpose, remember the recruiter has probably got a pile of CVs to sift through so make it easier for them and save them time.

5. Don't undersell yourself or include negative information, but make sure you have given enough evidence that you have the skills to do the job.

6. Always be honest, nothing is worse than lying on your CV, it’s a total put off and you can get into trouble.

7. Don’t be pompous; let your statements speak for themselves and the employer should be the one judging your capabilities.

8. Make sure you check spelling and grammar! Errors can reflect lack of attention to detail and carelessness.

9. If you were out of work for a while, or travelling, don’t try and hide this in your employment history, your employer will want to know why you were out of work.

10. A CV should come with a well-written covering letter; this should include the job applied for and the reasons for making the application. As with your CV, the letter should be brief, relevant, easy to read, and carefully checked for spelling and grammar.

We hope you have found those tips useful, for further help or if in doubt get your CV checked by a Careers Consultant.