CV for a youngster - advice needed

brightonman123

1 page needed, as most -
- highlight qualifications (if any), subjects being studied,
- any sports / music interests, or awards?
- technical or manual skills? pc, metalwork, cookery etc?

RexBanner

Like anything else its important to bear in mind your audience, so try as far as possible to include things relevant or useful to the (any!) workplace and address employer concerns about young people:
- Reliability (coursework, group projects, family responsibilities, even pets - anything that shows they're dependable.

- Hard Work (demonstrate they enjoy working hard at a task and are satisfied when they complete successfully - school, DIY, gardening)

- Social Skills (show they're bright and outgoing, and able to deal with an adult environment - clubs, sports, etc)

- Quick Learner (egs of anything they've picked of quickly to show they won't need to be babysat in the job).

A few lines at the start which really sell her are more important at this age - the rest of us can rely on experience and qualifications.

Also, make sure you accentuate all the good stuff as far as possible - if she helped you paint the spareroom let her take full credit for the job, if she occasionally cuts the grass put her down as regularly doing it over a couple of years. It's a tough time for youngsters to be making their way and its important to give her the best chance possible (and if slightly stretching the truth to get a summer job is likely to lead your 16 old daughter into a life of crime then you've got bigger problems to worry about!)

Good luck.

DreamerQ

wazza wrote: »

Have a 16 year old daughter who wants me to write her a CV. She is still in full time education. She wishes to work over holidays etc.

Has anyone done one for a child?

I know the layout from my old CV. Have heard that you don't have to list your date of birth, sex, marital status etc anymore.

Can anyone advice?

You're absolutely right, these details are all option (and sometimes even damaging) for a CV. I'll be soon uploading new articles dealing with each of these topics seperately on my new career website cvplaza.com.

If you need some specific help please ask : )

paulwf

It can actually be an advantage to list date of birth or age - like many employers I only recruit 16+ but get lots of applications from younger people, knowing you are over 16 can help.

Try not to use too many cliched phrases, I can only assume every school near me gives their students a generic template full of stock phrases as so many Cvs are almost identical. Anything you can put in to set the person apart will really help.

Get a couple of people to proof read it thoroughly. About 90% of CVs I see have spelling, punctuation or grammar mistakes. If you can get the basics right you're already in the top 10% of candidates!

ellieellieellie

Does she not have a careers adviser at school / college? Or try Connexions if not. You definitely shouldn't be writing it for her. It's something she needs to learn for herself, and it seems a bit dishonest, though not illegal, for her to ask somebody else to do it for her.

Otherwise, name address, telephone number and email address at the top (no D.O.B, gender or marital status - employers cannot require you to disclose these), then the following headings:

Key Skills
Qualifications (include dates and awarding bodies)
Qualifications Working Towards (include the date it's expected to be awarded)
Previous Employment / Work Experience
Activities / Interests (put any extra-curricular activities here, and keep it all relevant to the job, not "shopping, socialising and watching TV"!)
References (it's perfectly acceptable not to put them on the CV, most employers don't check them out until after interview anyway, but make sure she fills the gap with "Reference available on request")

I know it's been said, but make sure all spelling punctuation and grammar is correct, and be sure to check for those things that spellcheck doesn't pick up, and pick a plain font.

As an additional jobseeking tip, make sure there is voicemail / an answerphone on the number she gives in case she doesn't pick up when employers call, and make sure she checks it every day. I know it seems obvious, but so many people don't do it!

Good luck to your daughter in finding work!

suki1001

RexBanner wrote: »

Also, make sure you accentuate all the good stuff as far as possible - if she helped you paint the spareroom let her take full credit for the job, if she occasionally cuts the grass put her down as regularly doing it over a couple of years. It's a tough time for youngsters to be making their way and its important to give her the best chance possible (and if slightly stretching the truth to get a summer job is likely to lead your 16 old daughter into a life of crime then you've got bigger problems to worry about!)

Good luck.

Um afraid I think I disagree with this suggestion. The problem with these little porkies you've suggested here, is not that a 16 year old might turn into a master criminal, but that a potential employer might see through them. you have to be careful if you're stretching the truth. I have employed students. I realise this was an example however if I saw that a 16 year old had painted the spare room on their own my bs radar would come on to alert, especially if the cv were full of this. I don't know many who would do that. I personally would prefer this version, which would be more truthful, yet demonstrates not only have they used several skills that might be useful in emploment, but also shows they can communicate well in what they have acheived: "in the summer holidays, I helped my dad/mum decorate our spare room, we worked really well as a team and I learnt some new skills, which I picked up quickly".

You are far better associating skills through experience that might be needed in a specific job, than stretching the truth. Working with people, cash handling, punctuality, good time keeping, communication. i.e. I'ts not neccesary for them to lie. I can already think of true examples for my 10 year old daughter, without having to exaggerate anything.

katerinasol

What's so weird about painting the spare room? It's not exactly a big deal. Maybe her parents offered to pay her for it?

suki1001

katerinasol wrote: »

What's so weird about painting the spare room? It's not exactly a big deal. Maybe her parents offered to pay her for it?

I tell you why, there's no way i'd let a 16 year old paint my spare room.

"if she helped you paint the spareroom let her take full credit for the job"


"in the summer holidays, I helped my dad/mum decorate our spare room, we worked really well as a team and I learnt some new skills, which I picked up quickly".

---

Maybe they did, except they didn't. Why not learn how to extract skills from existing tasks, rather than stretching the truth and risk being found out? A 16 year old does not need to do this. They have packed full lives full of activities and clubs that will demonstrate any number of skills useful to employers. A nervous 16 year old is at risk of slipping up if they're questioned about things they haven't fully told the truth about.

It would be a far more useful exercise if they could learn to put into words the skills that they have learned.

BobQ

RexBanner wrote: »

Like anything else its important to bear in mind your audience, so try as far as possible to include things relevant or useful to the (any!) workplace and address employer concerns about young people:
- Reliability (coursework, group projects, family responsibilities, even pets - anything that shows they're dependable.

- Hard Work (demonstrate they enjoy working hard at a task and are satisfied when they complete successfully - school, DIY, gardening)

- Social Skills (show they're bright and outgoing, and able to deal with an adult environment - clubs, sports, etc)

- Quick Learner (egs of anything they've picked of quickly to show they won't need to be babysat in the job).

A few lines at the start which really sell her are more important at this age - the rest of us can rely on experience and qualifications.

Also, make sure you accentuate all the good stuff as far as possible - if she helped you paint the spareroom let her take full credit for the job, if she occasionally cuts the grass put her down as regularly doing it over a couple of years. It's a tough time for youngsters to be making their way and its important to give her the best chance possible (and if slightly stretching the truth to get a summer job is likely to lead your 16 old daughter into a life of crime then you've got bigger problems to worry about!)

Good luck.

I think this is particularly good advice. The problem is to show why your daughter can add value. Even spare time hobbies give an indication of likely value to a business particularly if they involve originality, imagination, good communications skills, responsible behaviour and finishing a job.