What’s In A Killer HGV Drivers CV?

CV’s. The bane of many people’s lives. It seems difficult to get them right, especially when you’re breaking into a new industry with little to no experience. So if you’ve just got your HGV license and you’re ready to start your driving career, where do you start? Don’t worry, we’re here to help. Today, we’re going to bring you a few tips on what needs to be in your CV, and what doesn’t, so that you can go after that dream job.

Contact Information

This is arguably the most important part of the CV, because without it your CV is useless. You need to give your basic information at the top of the page, in a simple list form, with no frills or embellishments. The most important information has to be your name, your contact information (email, phone numbers etc) and your address. That’s it, that’s all you need. Don’t be tempted to include anything else, like your age, gender or a photo of yourself (it does happen), since these things can actually put off hiring managers and cause them to bin your CV.

A Personal Summary

This is where you can talk a little bit more about you, what drives you and what will make you a great candidate. It’s your chance to sell yourself and your skills, and why you are perfect for their business. You can keep this generic, but a great tip is to customise it for each application you fill out. This means you can really hit what that employer is looking for, and stand a better chance of getting noticed by prospective employers.

Work Experience

This is where you can showcase any previous experience you’ve had. You will need to list your last few jobs in reverse chronological order – which means you should start with your most recent position and work backwards. You might worry if you’ve never had any experience driving HGV’s before, but it’s ok! Use the description part of each role to highlight the skills you learnt during that job that will help you in your career as an HGV driver – for example, the ability to hit deadlines on time, operate machinery or lift safely. This way, even if you haven’t got the experience yet, you can still prove that you’ve got the raw skills to be a great HGV driver.

Qualifications

A good employer will want to know that you’re qualified to do the job they’re hiring you for. So now, you need to show them that. This section is best done as a list, in reverse chronological order, of all the qualifications you have. You will want to start with your HGV license, and go back to your leaving school grades, and everything in between.

A Few Things To Remember…

That’s all the information you need to include in your CV. But there are a few things we recommend you do before you send it out into the world. For one, make sure you double, triple and quadruple check the spelling, punctuation, grammar and formatting of your CV, as these little details can make a big difference. You also want to make sure you don’t go on too long – 2 pages of A4 is the longest your CV should be, shorter if you can. And finally, don’t overshare. This is the first impression, a chance for prospective employers to decide if they want to meet you. They don’t need your life story just yet, so keep it simple!

At the  Surrey And Hampshire HGV Training Centre, we love seeing new, aspiring HGV drivers setting off on their journey into the driving world. We don’t just help train you in how to drive your HGV, but we offer all manner of careers advice, guidance and support throughout the training process. We’ll even help you write your CV and get it ready to send off! If you’d like to find out more, just get in touch with the team today.