career pathway 10 top CV tips Reena Wadia lists some easy tips to make sure you have an outstanding and polished CV 1 2 Make sure your CV is in a clear and easy-toread format Divide up your CV into appropriate sections. These may include: personal details, personal statement, qualifications and awards, publications, presentations, audits, employment, work experience, positions of responsibility/voluntary work, recent courses, memberships, other interests and references Insert a professional photograph in the top corner Your personal statement should consist of a few sentences explaining the qualities that make you stand out and most suitable for the job Try to limit text to short concise statements, preferably in bullet format You may need more than one version of your CV. For example, your CV for a hospital post may be in a different style to that used to apply for associate positions – for the hospital post you may include all your prizes, 3 4 5 6 publications and research but for the associate CV the principal may be more interested in audits and past practice experience Double check spelling and grammar! 7 8 It’s a good idea to ask a few people you trust to read through your CV before you submit it for any job applications. Ask your friends, previous tutors, principals or anyone you think will give their honest opinion When you do send off your CV, don’t forget to attach a short covering letter. This should be specific to the practice so avoid generic statements and make it consistent with who you are and what you believe in You should keep your CV up-to-date, whether you’re looking for a job or not. Every time something significant occurs in your career, record it so you don’t later forget something that could be of importance. 9 Dr Reena Wadia BDS Hons (Lond) MJDF RCS (Eng) qualified from Barts and The London with the prestigious Gold Medal, as well as numerous other undergraduate dental awards. Following general practice, Reena worked as a senior house officer in both restorative dentistry and oral surgery. Currently, she is completing part-time specialty training in periodontology at Guy’s Hospital. She is also working in general practice at Harley Street Dental Group and Woodford Dental Care. Furthermore, Reena enjoys sharing what she learns and is now on the editorials boards for Dentistry, Dental Hygiene & Therapy and Young Dentist. 10 Comments to Young Dentist @YoungDentistMag YoungDentist 23