If you need help writing a CV for a job as dental nurse, a practise manager or any other type of work in the dental industry, this page is aimed at you.  You may already have a CV, but it worth updating it, and even tailoring it towards the particular job you are applying for.  The following, is a guide to get you started.

Writing a good curriculum vitae (CV) is often the first step towards getting that job you have always wanted.  First impressions are very important, particularly as Dentists can be very picky people: one spelling mistake or typo, and they are likely to file your CV in the bin.  You may already have a good CV, but there is always going to be competition for the top jobs, so if you can improve your CV and show your skills in the best possible light, you stand more of a chance of getting the best positions in dentistry.

Accuracy:

Get someone to take a look through your CV, as they might be able to point out spelling mistakes and grammatical errors that you may have missed.   Keep your employment and education details concise, rather than long detailed descriptions which can't be read at speed.

Style:

Think about how your CV looks on paper, is it well organised and neatly spaced out, or does it look confusing and cluttered?   It is important that the look of the CV consistent, make sure you use the same typeface throughout, that spaces between sections and paragraphs are consistent, and that you use any underlining bold and italics sparingly, to create a professional looking document. 

CV Format:

Information that employers are interested in should be written out in the following order:

Personal Statement:

A personal statement is a great chance to tell the employer who you are, what kind of role you are interested in, and why you are suited for the role, in a short paragraph at the top of your CV.  Listing your best personal attributes in the statement is also a good idea (ie: organized, team player, attention to detail ect.), and how these might help you in the role.   Think of this as an opportunity to really 'sell' yourself.

Contact Information:

Full name, telephone number, email address

Personal Information -this is really up you how much information you want to provide.

-Your address, or at least the name of the city in which you are based;  Your visa status, if that is an issue;  date of birth; nationality and languages spoken are also helpful.

Employment History:

Start with your current job and work back, that way the job in which you a more likely to have the most skills and experience for will be read first.

If you have had lots of different kinds of jobs, it might be helpful to group the jobs together, like 'Dental Experience', and 'Other Work Experience' as headings, with the appropriate jobs listed underneath.

Education:

There is no need to list every single GCSE grade you got at school, just list the most recent qualifications, again put the best and most useful qualifications closest to the top of the list.

Professional Qualifications and skills:

Dentist will want to know if you have used Software of Excellence or a similar software package, if you have been on a GDC dental nursing course, whether been on a cross infection course, or a health and saftey course.  It is extremely important to list every dental related course you have been on, as this will really sell you as a candidate and get you the higher paying jobs.

Additional Qualifications:

It may be helpful to list anything in a bullet-format that might give your CV more weight such as typing speed, any software you might be familar with (ie: Word, Outlook, Excel etc.), and customer service skills.

Hobbies/Interests:

Lastly, to give the employer some insight who you are as a person and what you enjoy outside of work is always a good idea and gives your CV personality.