Are you looking to return to the workforce after a recent redundancy?
There are many possible reasons for being made redundant, whether it’s that your role is being phased out, your company has to cut costs, or the place you work is closing down or relocating. These reasons will heavily inform the wording of your CV, so it’s important to remember that no template is intended to be taken word-for-word.
We’ve already covered how to explain a gap in your CV, but to help you increase your chances of success, here’s our free Redundancy CV template:
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Personal statement
Start with a personal statement tailored to the role in question.
In terms of structure, consciously try and answer the following questions: Who are you? What do you have to offer? What are you aiming for in your career?
You can reference the reason for your redundancy in this section, but don’t pay it any more attention than a single line or two. Leave any extra explanation for your cover letter and focus your personal statement on your key strengths, and to outline the potential value you could bring to the business.
How to write a personal statement
Personal statement: dos and don’ts
Skills
Instead of opening with your work experience (and potentially highlighting your redundancy), you could choose to follow up your personal statement with your skills and/or major achievements.
Just as with your personal statement, try giving examples that are applicable to the role in question. For example, IT skills (naming specific programs), problem solving, public speaking and interpersonal skills, not to mention a friendly and welcoming demeanour, are all desirable qualities to have.
Five CV skills employers look for in every jobseeker
Employment history
For most roles, successfully demonstrating your experience and achievements in previous positions is essential. Write in reverse-chronological order, with the most recent jobs coming at the top.
It isn’t necessary to include all of your experience in your CV – so if you’ve held a number of different positions which aren’t applicable to the role in question, it’s perfectly acceptable to omit some of them.
And if you have no recent employment history? Use this as an opportunity to be pro-active. To show employers that you’re not only invested in keeping your skills relevant, but are also ready to re-enter the workforce, try volunteering or working part-time in a similar position or profession.
Finally, rather than concentrating on daily duties, emphasise your accomplishments. Most employers in the retail industry know what a Retail Assistant’s job entails; what they want to know is what you achieved in this position.
Education
Education should be included from GCSE (or equivalent) level onwards, written in reverse-chronological order, with the most recent events coming at the top.
State the number qualifications achieved and general grades you received (Maths and English at the very least). If you’re awaiting results, you may state mock/expected results where possible (although this is not essential).
You should also nclude your degree classification, A level/IB (or equivalent) results and any other higher education diplomas if you have them. If they’re relevant to the role, referencing particular course modules is additionally a great way demonstrate your wider knowledge of the subject.
Which parts of my education should I include in my CV
Hobbies & Interests
A Hobbies and Interests section is optional. However, if you lack any notable work experience, this section can be a great way of getting your personality across.
Ask yourself: will they help you get the job, and would you be happy to expand on them at an interview? If not, they’re probably worth leaving out.
Hobbies and interests: Should I include them in my CV?
Six extracurricular activities to add to your CV
References
Unless asked directly in the job posting, making references available on request is fine.
However, always make sure you do have credible references. Close family friends, teachers, or career councillors are all good options, and most are usually happy to help.
For a redundancy, a former boss would be a great reference to have. Not only will this demonstrate that you’re competent and you left your previous position amicably, it will also be a testament to your character to show you’ve kept in touch.
Need more CV advice?
It takes an employer just seven seconds to save or reject a job applicant’s CV. This means creating a succinct CV is absolutely vital if you want to land that all-important interview.
To find out how to make your CV stand out from the crowd, buy James Reed’s new book: The 7 Second CV: How to Land the Interview.
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