CV Writing Guide

Keep it to one page

Bursary panels read hundreds of CVs. One clean page, in a standard font at 11pt, with clear headings, beats three pages of dense text every time.

What to include

• Full name, city, phone number and a professional email address
• A two-line personal summary naming your field of study and goal
• Education: school or institution, year, and your best results
• Achievements: academic awards, top-of-class subjects, competitions
• Leadership: prefect, class representative, team captain, church or community roles
• Skills: languages, computer literacy, laboratory or technical skills
• References: two people who have agreed to be contacted

No work experience? No problem

Volunteering, tutoring younger learners, helping in a family business, running a sports team or organising a school event all demonstrate responsibility and initiative. Describe what you did and the result, not just the title.

Common mistakes

• Spelling errors — read it aloud and ask someone else to check
• An informal email address
• Listing every subject instead of your strongest results
• Photographs, coloured backgrounds or graphics that hide the content