How to write a

CV
for Biomedical Science students

1 Identify the skills and

experience that the employer is 4 Incorporate your examples
into the most relevant

Seven looking for. They are the criteria

against which your CV will be
assessed, and should be listed on
section(s) of your CV.
Make sure you have provided
evidence for every job
the job description, website or job requirement.

steps advert. If you cannot find them,

ask the recruiter.
5 Triple check ALL spelling
and grammar and ask

to a 2 Think of examples – from your

work, volunteering, study,
interests, travel or home life – that
someone else to check this too.
Many employers will regard even
one error as an
prove you have these job indication of poor motivation

great
requirements. Try to choose ex- for the job, and reject you on that
amples that show you using the basis.
skills in a way which is similar

6
to how they would be used in the Run through our checklist on

CV
role. page 4.

3 Decide which sections you need

in your CV, then decide on section
titles and order. Refer to pages 2,
7 Write a covering letter to
accompany your CV,
referring to guidelines in our
3 and 4 for guidelines on format. Covering Letter Helpsheet.

A CV isn’t a list of everything you

have ever done; it is a marketing
document.
It should focus on those skills and
experiences most relevant to your
target employer. Your mission is
to ensure that, after a 20 second
scan, the employer can pick out
evidence that you have exactly
the skills and experience they are
looking for.
Tips for wording your examples
Imagine you are a recruiter seeking a student strong at teamwork. Below is an excerpt from the CVs of
Candidate A and B. Who would you choose?

Candidate A: “Demonstrated strong teamworking skills during stock-taking at STL Retail.”

Candidate B: “Teamwork – supported team of four to achieve full stock-take of STL Retail in 16 hours
by: arriving early to receive briefing on behalf of team; taking on extra tasks for a colleague who had to
go home sick; and organising night out to keep us motivated.”

The second example is more persuasive. You can achieve this by:
• Placing the skill word at the start to make it easy for the employer to pick out after a quick scan;
• Allocating maximum space to how you applied this skill;
• Using Action Words (below) to convey achievement and impact;
• Adding quantifiables (e.g. numbers, timescales) to make your examples more concrete;
• Including a tangible outcome (in this case a completed stock-take) or testimony (e.g. grade,
increased responsibility or hours) to prove the impact of your contribution.

Language Action words describe dynamic activity. Using action words in your CV and
covering letter will help you to convey achievement, ability and impact.
Examples you could use are in the box below. Passive phrases like “I was
involved in” and “I was required to” have the opposite effect, so avoid these.

achieved • analysed • arranged • budgeted • co-ordinated • created • demonstrated • designed

developed •enhanced •evaluated • identified • improved • increased • initiated • led • liaised
managed • organised • negotiated •planned • prepared • prioritised • produced • researched

Guidelines on format Example job advert

Your CV is your document. In the UK, there are no
official rules on format. The example CV on the next Omni Lab - Medical laboratory assistant:
page is only one way of formatting a CV. Job Ref no: Bio051342
£10 p/h upwards depending on experience
Whatever the format, CVs must be specific to the
Job description: We currently have a vacancy for a
job you are applying for, like this one has been Medical Laboratory Assistant. This is for an immediate
tailored to the job advert on the right. Read the job start based in our cutting edge Laboratory. It is a
advert and the CV to give you some ideas about temporary position for three months during the summer.
how to write your CV to show you are are a suitable
Requirements:
candidate.
  •  We are looking for an enthusiastic and
If you are following an academic career path or motivated person to join our professional team.
applying for a job outside the UK, alternative CV   •  Laboratory experience preferred
  •  Excellent attention to detail
formats may be more appropriate. This may also be
  • Awareness of Health and Safety procedures
the case if you are changing your career.   •  Excellent oral communication skills in order
Call QM Careers on 0207 882 8533 to book a      to work effectively with colleagues from all
   parts of the organisation.
place on our CV Clinic, or book a CV feedback   •  Organisational Skills
appointment.   •  Eligible to work in the UK
    (either UK citizen or appropriate visa status)
 CV example targeted to job advert above
Starts with name. (There is no need
for “Curriculum Vitae” as recruiters
know what the document is).

Normally nationality is not

necessary, but the job description
specifically requests this information

CVs are graded by recruiters. They

mark them according to how much KEY SKILLS
evidence you provide for each of the
criteria in the job description. Having • Laboratory Experience: My biomedical course has provided me with experience
a key skills section can highlight in various laboratory techniques including PCR, clinical enzyme assays as well as
some of this evidence very clearly. electrophoretic techniques.
• Writing up lab reports and essays of up to 5000 words has developed my attention
Lindsey has chosen the right skills to detail.
here because they are the skills the
• Excellent communication skills developed in the Xing Business game through
recruiter will look for (based on the
job description) negotiating and collaborating with my team and then presenting to the panel of
Judges.
Specific evidence is really important • Balancing a range of extra curricular activities whilst gaining strong results during
so the employer can judge your skill my studies demonstrates my organisational skills.
level.

Using bold to highlight certain EDUCATION

words is useful so that the
employer can find the information 2009 – 2012 Queen Mary, University of London: Biomedical Science BSc (Hons)
they are looking for. predicted 2:1
Add your predicted grade if you
have one Relevant Modules include:
Tissue Biology, Techniques in Biomedical Sciences, Biomedical Physiology I and II, Chro-
mosomes and Gene Functions, Clinical Microbiology and Basic Immunology.
Only include the modules that the
employer will think are relevant for
the job you are applying for.
Laboratory Skills
Assays of hormones/growth factors/cytokines & receptors, methods in molecular
biology, PCR, Northerns, Southerns, microarrays, in situ hybridization, clinical enzyme
For this job, as lab experience is
assays, electrophoretic techniques, and details of biosensors.
so important it is good to have a
specific lab skills section.
I have received health and safety briefings for all laboratory sessions and diligently
follow the guidelines and procedures

2002 – 2009 Slough High School

A levels and GCSEs are not too im-
A Levels: Chemistry (B), Biology (B), Maths (C)
portant compared to your degree, so
write less about it. GCSEs: 8 grades A-C including English (B) and Maths (B)
WORK HISTORY

Instead of saying just what she did in 09/2007 – present Nightlife Bar
the job (i.e. I cleared away glasses)
she has instead shown why this ex- Key skills and achievements:
perience was relevant for the job she
• Developed excellent communication skills through dealing professionally with a
is applying for.
diverse range of customers and suppliers.
• Allocated the responsibility of cashing up and dealing with complicated
Again, she has chosen skills which are
asked for in the job description transactions, demonstrating my attention to detail.
• Excellent organisation skills shown through improving the stock control, which
This type of small detail is really increased the profits of the company by 2%.
useful to demonstrate evidence • Demonstrated ability to work under pressure during busy periods, particularly
for the skill. It is much better than Christmas and New Year.
saying “it went well”
05/2007-09/2007 BUNAC volunteer - Ghana

Key skills and achievements:

• Taught English to students which improved my communication skills with
children of various ages as well as my ability to work independently This skill is not mentioned in the Job
• Proved my initiative through instigating an income generating project for the Description, but will be useful in the
school. role, so worth including.

POSITIONS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Student and Staff Liaison representative

• Voted by my peers to represent their interests.
• Improved my communication skills when liaising with students and senior staff.

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

Languages
• French (Fluent)

IT
Competent user of IT including Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Access as Use your intersts section to sell your
well as statistical packages including Minitab and RGA. skills. It can also provide a useful way
of helping the employer remember
INTERESTS you!
I enjoy travel and have independently travelled to six countries, which has widened
my world view and shows my flexibility and adaptability.
If you have space, then put in
REFEREES two referees. They can either be
employers or academic staff from
Dr T Ester Ms J Sampson the University. Otherwise put
Senior Lecturer Nightlife Bar ‘References available upon request’.
Queen Mary University of London Mile End
Email: t.ester@qmul.ac.uk London
Email: j.sampson@nightlife.com

Finished?
Look at your CV as if you were the recruiter. After a quick scan, can you pick out evidence of
CV Checklist

each of the job requirements?

Is your CV two pages in length? (Some UK employers request a one-page CV, and academic
CVs can be longer, but most UK CVs are two pages in length.)

To ensure your CV is easy to read, is there about the same amount of text on both pages, and
have you avoided large chunks of text?

Have you used formatting tools (e.g. bold, italics, capitals and spacing) consistently?

Have you asked your Careers team for feedback on your CV and covering letter? (Please take
a list of job requirements with you.)

July 2012 © QM Careers

www.careers.qmul.ac.uk
020 7882 8533
See our ‘Competencies and skills’ and ‘Cover Room WG3, Queens Building, Mile End
letter’ leaflets for related information.