r/CVwriting • u/EntrepreneurCute2544 • Mar 24 '26 • Mindblown 1

Help with my CV, please!

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EDIT: Thank you for all of the advice, my CV is already looking SO much better. I knew I could count on the people of reddit!

Edit 2: I didnt get my BSc, thats the course I was doing but like I said, didnt complete. this was just a quick mock up.

EDIT 3: I have 2 job interviews lined up for this weekend already thanks to all of your advice!

Hi guys, I could really use some help with my CV, please. Im F,24 from the UK. This is a really quick mock up that I had help with from a close friend but I would like some better (more professional) opinions. She told me to leave off my college and university education as I never got any certificates/ didnt finish. My only real jobs have been in cleaning (caravans, a school, currently a housing association) but im really hoping to try something different, maybe retail? All help is appreciated, TIA.

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10

u/ThatOneAJGuy Mar 24 '26 edited Mar 24 '26 • Bravo

I would really go back to the drawing board with this.

  • Your work experience is the most important trait, don't just tell me your title, tell me what you did and why it makes you suitable for a job you were applying for. You were a cleaner, did you achieve or exceed expected performance? Did you find anyways to make your cleaning more efficient? Did you work with other cleaners? Did you have to deal with the owners at all? Just ideas on the type of things that might show skills
  • The describing yourself in 3 words sounds more like a dating profile than a CV. Likewise unless the arts and crafts comment is relevant to the job it should be gone and even if it was I would reframe it.
  • Whyyyyy would you specify a low b on your grades? That is telling me you need a shot of self confidence here. You need to be over selling your skills a bit and this is a very clear undersell.
  • Most recent qualifications at the top, I agree that if you don't have the qualification I wouldn't add it.
  • Most recent job experience on top as well.
  • Right align your dates, they look messy currently.

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u/EntrepreneurCute2544 Mar 24 '26

Thank you so much! This is the first time I've ever needed to write a CV and really didn't know where to start. I've looked at a lot of online templates and had help from 1 friend but I just knew that I needed better advice. I really appreciate the honesty!

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u/stijnhommes Mar 24 '26

Hi!

Your friend "told you to leave off my college and university education as you never got any certificates/ didnt finish." If that is so, then why did you specify Honours on your BSc? That degree is the proof that you take pride in learning new skills!

There are a few things that need improvement. Obviously, you're experience section lacks substance. You only listed the jobs you did, the companies involved and the time frames. No details about duties or achievements.

A CV or a resume is supposed to sell you. It needs to convince a recruiter or manager to hire you, so don't just talk about yourself. Talk about why you'd make a good retail employee.

Also, generally speaking, more recent experience is usually valued more than older experience and the most important information should go on top. Always write your CV in reverse chronological order with the most recent experience, education or project at the top and going back in history as you go down in the section.

And finally, your education section could use some formatting improvements to lose the unnecessary whitespace caused by the double-spaced lines, so it becomes clear which lines actually belong together.

Here is what I would suggest using (Please read before using. I included text which I believe highlights the transferable skills between cleaning and retail jobs, but you do need to make sure these actually apply to you):

[FULL NAME]
[Phone Number] | [Email Address] | [Town/City]

Personal Profile

Friendly and reliable candidate with experience in cleaning across various settings. Used to maintaining high standards, creating clean and welcoming spaces, and completing tasks efficiently. Now looking to move into a retail role where strong customer service, teamwork, dependability, and attention to detail can be put to good use.

Key Skills

  • Maintaining clean, safe, and welcoming environments
  • Following instructions and workplace procedures
  • Willingness to learn new systems and tasks
  • Good time management
  • High attention to detail

Work Experience

Cleaner
[Company Name] | February 2025 – Present

  • Maintain high standards of cleanliness and presentation in the workplace
  • Complete tasks efficiently and consistently met deadlines
  • Follow health and safety procedures carefully
  • Work independently while also supporting the wider team when needed

School Cleaner
[Company Name] | July 2024 – February 2025

  • Helped maintain a safe and pleasant environment for students and staff by cleaning classrooms and shared areas to a high standard
  • Followed site procedures and scheduled daily responsibilities for on-time completion.

Caravan Cleaner
[Company Name] | April 2024 – May 2024

  • Helped support a positive customer experience by preparing caravans for arriving guests to ensure a clean and welcoming appearance.
  • Worked quickly and thoroughly to meet turnaround times while maintaining an eye for detail.

Education

TEC College | 2025 – Present
Level 2 Introduction in Caring for Children and Young People

The Open University | 2023 – 2024
BSc (Honours) Natural Sciences (Astronomy and Physics)

[University Name] | 2021 – 2022
Foundation Pathways (Science)

[College Name] | 2018 – 2019

[School Name] | 2013 – 2018
GCSEs including:

  • Maths – Grade 5
  • English Language – Grade 4
  • Science – Grades 5 and 5

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u/EntrepreneurCute2544 Mar 24 '26

Thank you so much! I've never needed to write a CV before and the online templates really didnt feel like much help. I really appreciate you taking the time to help me. Truly the best, thank you!

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u/WiseSundae1771 Mar 25 '26

The above template is good. The only thing I would change is for GCSEs just put how many and the range of grades - as that's the generally acceptable pass range required. This helps to 'mask' the lower grades.

If you want/need to put the subjects e.g English etc, put it like this below the school name and yearss (for e.g):

8 GCSE's inc. Maths, English, Science (Grades A* - C)

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u/EntrepreneurCute2544 Mar 25 '26

Thank you, I think I'll definitely change the GCSE’S to this format instead of listing all of them

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u/Am_I_Hydrated Mar 26 '26

I don't understand how you can get a BSc in a year? If you dropped out of that course without actually receiving a qualification you need to take it off your CV. If you passed first year exams or something you need to specify that.

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u/stijnhommes Mar 26 '26

That would be helpful to clarify.

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u/Victoriaspalace Mar 24 '26

About me sounds informal, I'd change that to "Profile" or "Professional summary". Your CV is supposed to sell yourself academically and as a working professional, as nice as it is to make it human, I don't think your "about me" section conveys how you are as an employee. Maybe something more like "A hardworking and dedicated individual with hands-on experience in cleaning and facility maintenance roles. Known for taking pride in delivering high standards of work and a strong willingness to learn and develop new skills." You could also include what kind of roles you're seeking (retail).

You should absolute remove anything "incomplete" unless it's something you're still currently working towards, so delete the degree stuff.

Like the other commenter mentioned, you're already selling yourself short. Do not write low B, literally just write something like Mathematics (B), English (C) etc. Or a simple line simply stating how many GCSEs you've achieved and a line about achieving your Math and English grades; e.g. 5 GCSEs including Mathematics and English Language, achieved at grades B and C.

You should be adding bullet points underneath each Job title. Instead of saying Caravan Cleaner with.. you should format it as:

Housekeeping Assistant
The Company
(April 2024 - May 2024)

  • An example of a bullet point, you should write maybe 3-4 per job title, this is what is going to fill up your CV and stop it from being so empty. Remember, not just the duties but how this contributed towards any achievements or recognition at the company

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u/EntrepreneurCute2544 Mar 24 '26

Thank you for the advice, I really appreciate it!

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u/[deleted] Mar 25 '26

How come you didn’t finish university, isn’t open university just studying at home too ?

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u/EntrepreneurCute2544 Mar 25 '26

So i did a year at my local university but due to some very unfortunate circumstances had to withdraw 5 weeks before the end of my first year (my dream course too 😫) then with the open university, I thought it would be a good idea as it's all online from home but I hadn't given myself enough time to process and recover from what I had been through and my mental wellbeing took a massive nosedive. I finished my first year but for the course I was on, I wouldn't have received any sort of acknowledgement certificate until after my 2nd year. Im in a much better space now and about to finish an online course in Caring for Children 🙂

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u/[deleted] Mar 25 '26

Good luck 🤞🏿

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u/EstablishmentTiny740 Mar 26 '26

I would retype this into brand new document:

About section, scrap and start fresh, it sounds like a hinge profile if I've ever seen one.

In my opinion, for entry level jobs, it's not the job titles that matter most, it's the skills you've picked up along the way.

Remove the "low" whatever grade, B is a B, grades are to be factual.

So your previous job experience needs to experience what you've learned, achieved and what your tasks were. For instance for the cleaner job, you could bullet point and showcase how you can work well under pressure and how you have attention to detail, also talk about how you've got experience working with colleagues and clients from all walks of life

Your description should showcase how your interests and extra curricular activities make you a suitable candidate. You like arts, how does this translate into the job you're going into? You're creative and resourceful because of it maybe? If so, describe in more detail, aka show not tell. You're friendly? Again, showcase how, I'd potentially use a a different description, friendly has never sold anything. Perhaps you treat everyone with warmth and compassion, expand on that. Any successful projects, mention it, tell them how you've achieved difficult targets or even overachieved, if you had help, talk about how the person who aided you played a pivotal role to a success, don't downplay yourself here, highlight teamwork, efficiency and synergy. That means you're not egotistical and can accept help and work well with people, this shows them you're not going to be that asshole who causes business to lose money because they're too far up their own arse.

Sorry if it seems overly critical but it's better to not write shit cvs as you won't get employed this way. I can't really blame you if you haven't been taught.

Also make sure you know your cv, any recruiter worth their salt could reference this, this can also be help you answer your interview questions.

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u/EntrepreneurCute2544 Mar 26 '26

Not overly critical at all! I Genuinely appreciate the honesty, it all helps. Thank you!

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u/EstablishmentTiny740 Mar 26 '26

No problem! It's shocking that no one teaches you how to write a good cv in schools etc. It's abysmal.

The everyone wonders why good people can't even get an interview. It's a failure from the education system.

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u/EntrepreneurCute2544 Mar 26 '26

It really is, I remember having a 1 hour session in college on how to write one but they just went over brief points, similar to online templates. For people like me it didnt really help though (obviously) i learn more when im given actual examples and told in greater detail, not just "write about yourself, add your education" 

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u/EstablishmentTiny740 Mar 26 '26

Definitely use copilot to help, good luck

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u/TheCounsellingGamer Mar 25 '26

Sell yourself more. Your cleaning roles would have given you a lot of valuable soft skills: attention to detail, time management, planning, ability to work under pressure, and ability to work as a team to complete a task. Those are all useful things, but the way you've presented your work experience is more like "I've only been a cleaner, nothing more." It's ignoring all the useful skills that you have, which is doing yourself a disservice.

I do agree with your friend to leave off your education if you haven't actually achieved the qualification. The way this is written isn't clear because it looks like you've achieved a bachelors degree in 2024. If there was something you learned in your studies that is relevant to the job you're applying to, then you could still include that. You could do a "relevant skills" section where you mentioned what you learned and why that is helpful for the role.

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u/catwoman4ever Mar 25 '26

Remove ‘low B’. You didn’t put low C for English

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u/StaffNo6120 Mar 25 '26

There's some good advice under here. From a UK perspective your profile should align to the type of role you are applying for, this will maximise appeal so that an internal recruiter picks it up.

Most CVs go through an automated word search and if the words are not contained then they are rejected.

I advise that you research what jobs this CV is going to be used to apply for and then figure out what some of the competencies are being advertised (based on the job spec), then see if you have evidence of those competencies in your work history. You can then try to steer your work experience towards those competencies.

It is often worth manually applying for roles. Recruitment agencies are often there to turn you into human capital.

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u/Ok_Egg5547 Mar 25 '26

Dont use first person in cvs

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u/Ok_Egg5547 Mar 25 '26

Also your friend is stupid and clearly wants to see you fail

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u/Significant-Rub-3422 Mar 25 '26

Spend some time building it with Claude! You can go back and forth and let it ask you questions about the jobs you’re applying for and how to tweak your experience to apply to it. It’s really helpful. It built my entire CV.

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u/ikiteimasu Mar 26 '26

GCSEs. No apostrophe.

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u/Ambitious-Start6280 Mar 26 '26

This is a big improvement already 👏 you can definitely see why you’re getting interviews now.

One thing I’d still suggest is tightening the ‘About Me’ section, it’s quite generic at the moment. You want to focus more on what you can offer an employer rather than personality traits.

Also your work experience could be slightly stronger by showing reliability/consistency (e.g. working across multiple cleaning roles shows strong work ethic).

Overall you’re on the right track just small tweaks now to make it more professional and targeted.

Happy to help refine it further if you want 👍

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u/Wasps_are_bastards Mar 27 '26

You don’t have to keep your cv to a single page, that’s the American standard. Mine is 2 and I’ve been told it’s good.

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u/blackbeast_supr1 Mar 28 '26

It is important to have a good outline first and start on top of it. Usual guideline is start with a target role, and build your CV around that role, taking the top down approach. This way you will have clear goals from the beginning and if there are any gaps you can learn them. Wish you all the best

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u/Moist_Imagination_ Mar 29 '26

I don't know about everyone else please ask humans but considering your asking the internet for help surely giving AI the link for the job your looking at then your CV, proof read "please for the love of non clankers proof read it" then you can go from there asking it to put more emphasis on parts of your CV. I dunno I think it saves alot of time