Securing an apprenticeship is an exciting yet pivotal moment in one's career path. In this competitive era, your CV serves as your holy grail to get the attention of employers. That's why we've curated a comprehensive guide and compiled some tips that will help make sure your apprenticeship CV stands out from the crowd so you can land your dream apprenticeship!
7 Ways to Elevate Your Apprenticeship CV
To guarantee that you craft a stand-out apprenticeship CV! Let's look into the strategies that will help you get your dream apprenticeship.
1. Use A Consistent Format
To ensure that your apprenticeship CV is easy to read, use a consistent format, and make sure your CV's font is clear and concise. Keep margins narrow, no more than 1 inch on all sides of the page, including the top and bottom margins; this will make your document appear less daunting and more inviting for potential employers to read through in full detail. Additionally, line spacing should be set at 1.5 line spaces between lines of text so that it doesn't look too crowded or dense when they're reading through it.
2. The First Section Should Cover Your Contact & Summary
The first section of your apprenticeship resume should include contact information and a summary of relevant experience. An ideal apprenticeship CV template has your name, email address, phone number and address. You may also want to include other relevant details, such as your LinkedIn profile or social media handles, if you have them.
Your summary should be no more than 2 short paragraphs (about 100 words). This is where you can make sure that the reader understands why they should hire you as an apprentice! It's important not to over-complicate this section - keep it simple by highlighting the most important points from each job description in bullet point format instead of writing out long paragraphs explaining everything in detail (unless requested).
3. Include All of Your Experience
It's important to include any relevant experience in your apprenticeship CV. If you've done something that has helped you develop key skills and expertise, then it should be included. Whether it was volunteering, part-time jobs or any previous internships, highlighting these experiences can enhance your CV's appeal to employers. You can also describe the specific skills that you gained in each experience, which can provide valuable insight for the apprenticeship position you are applying for.
4. Show Off Your Skills
The second section of your apprenticeship CV is where you can show off your skills. You need to include examples of things that you have done, but it is also important to give an overview of what those things mean in terms of your skill set. Include a Skills Summary at the top of this section (before any actual experience). This will help people understand what kinds of tasks or projects are within your area(s) of expertise.
Here’s an apprenticeship CV example: "I can manage my time really well, as I always handed in my homework and assignments on time at school, whilst I had a part-time job." Or: "I have strong communication skills because, at school, I regularly presented in front of a classroom.’’
5. Create A Good First Impression
Your apprenticeship CV is a summary of your skills and experience, so the most important thing when writing it is making sure that all aspects of your career are covered.
An apprenticeship CV should be no longer than two pages in length, but if you have more experience than this, then feel free to add another page or two at the end. The key here is that the apprenticeship resume employers want to see what they're getting for their money when hiring someone new - so make sure each section clearly highlights what you can bring to the table!
6. Balancing Background with Professional Experience
When you're writing your apprenticeship CV, it's important to include all of your education histories. You should include:
- The name of the school, how long you were there, and the qualifications gained
- Any courses that were relevant to your career goals (e.g., marketing, finance)
- If you did an internship while at school or during a break between terms, include that too!
7. Include References
You don’t have to include the name and the employer, but write ‘Available upon request’. Most employers will already know this, so if you are stuck on this section, you can always leave it out.
To summarise, there are several ways to write a great apprenticeship CV that will make it stand out from other applicants' CVs
- Make sure your apprenticeship CV is easy to read and understand. If the person reading your CV has difficulty understanding what you have written, they may not give it as much attention as they would if everything was clear from the start.
- Make sure your apprenticeship resume is concise. This means that every word has been carefully chosen for its purpose, so there are no unnecessary words or sentences in the document (unless they are necessary). A good way to check this is by reading through each sentence out loud; if it sounds unnatural when spoken aloud, then there's probably something wrong with how it's written on paper, too!
- Make sure that each section of information on your apprenticeship CV matches up with interview questions that job seekers ask. - e.g., qualifications/education first, followed by work experience, then voluntary activities, etc
We hope this article has given you some ideas about how to write a great apprenticeship CV when applying for apprenticeships. You can also check out Not Going To Uni, which promotes various alternative career paths, including apprenticeships, entry-level jobs, gap years, work experience, college courses, online learning, and internships.
Collaborating closely with educational institutions, career advisors, and a team of NGTU Ambassadors, it strives to raise awareness about diverse career opportunities while offering valuable tips and advice. So, as you craft your CV, consider the diverse opportunities out there and stay true to yourself!