Learning Skills Centre
Tips for CVs and Covering Letters
Grammar
Tenses are very important
If you have finished doing something, use the simple past tense:
2009-2010 - Worked in a café. This involved making coffee and serving customers.
If you are still doing it, use the present tense:
Jan 2012 – Tramping Club Secretary. I organize meetings and take minutes.
Ensure that all items in a list such as this are grammatically parallel constructions:
Every item might be a short sentence:
Answered the telephone
Filed reports
Covered reception
You may, however, list nouns or noun-phrases such as these:
Experienced university tutor
Skilled negotiator
Song-writer
Punctuation for lists
It is conventional to introduce any list of bullet points with a colon and end with a full stop:
My degree has equipped me with skills in the following areas:
• Data collection and analysis
• Formal report writing
• Oral presentations.
If you write a list as part of a covering letter, it is probably better to write it as a sentence rather than bullet
points. If the items in the list are short, divide them with commas. If you introduce your list with a complete
sentence, introduce the list with a colon, but if the list completes the sentence, there is no need for a colon:
I have skills in research, data analysis, report writing and oral presentation. 
If the items in the list are long, and include a comma or the words and or or, divide them with semicolons:
I can identify a problem for research; design a research method to address the problem; collect and
analyse data; and explain my findings in a formal report or an oral presentation. 
Check your spellings in a dictionary. Spell-checkers do not underline correctly spelt words used in the
wrong context:
I spent the summer working in an office were I answered the telephone. [Should be where]
I sort employment in the USA. [Should be sought]
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Prepositions for expressions used in CVs and cover letters
It is important to use the correct preposition to convey the right meaning. If you are not sure which
preposition to use, check the word in a good dictionary for examples of how the word is used in a sentence
(such as the OED Online - http://www.oed.com.ezproxy.canterbury.ac.nz/).
Prepositions of place or position:
live in [country/city]
work at/for [name of company]
study at [name of school/college/university]
play an active role in [a department/club/society]
study for [a degree/qualification]
apply for [a job]
serve on [a committee]
contribute to [a project/group/department]
assist in a [project etc.]
work as [position title]
work in [an area or type of work]
be employed as [position title]
collaborate with [a person]
Prepositions of time:
During [a period of time]
live in [a country/city] for [so many weeks/months/years]
start/finish work etc. in [month/year]
Prepositions of movement:
travel to [a location]
work towards [a degree]
move into [a position/area]
Some different uses of of
hold the position of [job title]
have experience of [taking minutes/tutoring undergraduates/organising residential weekends etc.]
be a member of [name of club/society/group]
Other useful word-preposition combinations:
Different from
Similar to
Based on
Related to
Concerned with
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Style
Shortened sentences
When writing a CV, you may omit the personal pronoun “I” from your sentences:
Teamwork skills:
• Collaborated with other students to clear silt after the Christchurch earthquakes
• Organized a trip to Central Otago with other members of the University Tramping Club
• Supported my colleagues by working extra time when there were staff shortages.
However, it is important to write complete sentences in cover letters.
Phrasal Verbs
Try to find a verb that is a single word, rather than using phrasal verbs (with two words). Look at the list of
suggested verbs in the Guide to Job-Hunting. For example:
Deal with/deal to a problem → address a problem
Come up with ideas → generate ideas
Take part in → participate in/contribute to
Tone
Although it is good to write in a confident tone, it is not good to sound arrogant or self-opinionated:
I would be the very best person for this job! This sounds as though you have an inflated opinion of
yourself. X
You must consider my application! Employers would think this rather impolite. Never give orders. X
Please do not worry that I am over-qualified for this job. This sounds very pompous. X
You should never need to use an exclamation mark (!) on a CV or in a cover letter.
Instead of trying to manipulate the reader’s reactions by telling them how to think, good CV writers support
their statements with relevant facts:
I have the necessary skills and qualifications for this job. This would be followed by an explanation
of the skills and qualifications. 
I can fulfil the requirements of this position because…followed by the reasons 
Avoid flowery writing that focuses on emotions:
To me, the greatest and the most wonderful reward of this position would be seeing customers
gaining pleasure and deep fulfilment… X
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Focus on how you can benefit the employer:
I will be so happy in this job. This is all about me X
I have the necessary skills to… [perform a requirement of the position description]. This shows that
you will be able to do the job. 
Plain English
It is conventional to write in simple clear English when writing CVs and cover letters. Your writing should be
concise and businesslike:
Most Dear and Honoured Sir [sounds too flowery and obsequious] X
Dear Mr Jones [Try to use the name of the person to whom you are writing] 
Avoid meaningless phrases, such as:
At the end of the day
Going forward
As such
Only use constructions such as “on the one hand…on the other hand” or “not only… but also” if they are
necessary to convey your meaning. You are unlikely to need these constructions in a CV or cover letter.
Ways of avoiding starting every sentence with I in cover letters:
In this position/role, I…
During my time at [place], I…
The skills that I acquired in this position were…
My experience as a [name of job/function] equipped me to…
In addition to…, I also acquired/learned/gained…
Other useful sentences:
I am writing to apply for the position of [position title and reference number] advertised on/in
[name of website/publication]
Thank you for considering my application.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Use the right words:
I am compatible with the position → I have the necessary skills and qualifications for this position.
I have a lot of experience in…→ I have considerable experience in…
With having these skills, I will be able to…→ Because I have these skills, I will be able to…