CVs, Interviews and LinkedIn Profiles (PG Careers)

Academic CV workshop (for those wanting to apply for PhD positions) is in the autumn term (usually W8 - see your timetables) – class capture of previous sessions are available on the VLE 'Psychology Employability Tutorial' >Psychology resources.

The University’s Careers Services provide a VLE tutorial ‘CV guide’ that you are all enrolled on and they provide an applications, CVs and interviews webpage that provides students with useful information sheets, events programme etc. Furthermore, the Careers Gateway will allow you to book an appointment to have their CV or draft application reviewed.

Careers can provide a lot of help in preparing for interviews, including access to an interview simulator where you can record a mock interview and then reflect on your performance!

https://www.york.ac.uk/students/work-volunteering-careers/apply/interviews/

LinkedIn is a great resource to improve your employability. You can access a video guide to making an effective profile here: https://students.linkedin.com/uk.

Please also read the guide below and create a profile

Categories	Year 3 to 4
Photograph	Photograph creates a professional impression. Smart clothing, clear picture, no other people obviously cropped out, not overly dressed up or ‘selfie’ photos.
Headline	Headline customised to include core interest areas, key skills and/or currently seeking x role e.g. Final year Biological Science student seeking graduate R & D role
Connections	Aim for 50 connections including for example class mates, work colleagues, previous or prospective employers, alumni etc.
Summary	Between 150 and 350 words of keyword rich text targeted towards role of interest. A first person outline of your career goals and interests, key relevant experience and achievements.
Experience and/or Volunteering	Relevant paid and unpaid experiences including job title and employer/volunteer organisation. Descriptions given for each role with a focus on achievements and outcomes, using active verbs (demonstrated, created, delivered, initiated, etc.) and quantified where possible e.g. Taught English to 20 primary school students / Raised £500 for charity through charity walk. Experience can include part time work, summer internships, roles of responsibility in university e.g. class rep, student society treasurer
Skills	At least 8 skills listed. These could be experimental skills e.g. statistical and data handling skills, programming skills in to 'transferrable' skills e.g. Presentation skills, leadership, problem solving, team work: try and match skills presented to the skills you think future employers are looking for in your chosen career area
Groups	Aim to be a member of at least 5 groups relevant to your discipline or university e.g. alumni group, professional organisations or interest groups; some level of engagement in the group discourse.
Education	List course title, full name of college/university (verify automatic hyperlink to university's homepage on LinkedIn). Should list all modules, grades year on year.
Follow companies	You should ideally be following at least five companies of interest
Personalised url	Ensure you have personalised LinkedIn url with full name
Spelling and grammar	It is important to ensure your text is error-free throughout. Write in word ideally and then cut and paste in. Spell check it!
Rich Media	Where relevant, you can upload images or files to illustrate summary/experience/projects. This could be a useful way to get yourself noticed by potential employers.