As an international histopathologist, getting your CV right is crucial to securing a great role in the UK.  For any doctor, regardless of your specialty, qualifications, or previous experience, your CV is the first chance you get to make a good impression to a potential NHS employer. Here we take a look at the NHS CV format for pathologists that are new to the NHS, and are trying to secure their first opportunity in the UK. We will cover the following topics:  Keeping your CV up to date Structure and content A Histopathology CV template Responding to the job description Style and format Keeping your Histopathology CV up to date First things first, remember your CV is the story of your career, so you should regularly update and review your CV, allowing yourself the best opportunity of securing an interview. Have your most recent experience at the top, and descending in chronological order. Structure and content of your Histopathology CV CVs come in all shapes and sizes, and there is no agreed approach to how long they should be. However, we are finding that there is a trend towards shorter, more concise versions. So long as they are well structured, then the length doesn’t really matter. Being concise doesn’t mean that you can’t include everything you need, just present it in a more succinct way and remember that quality is better than quantity. Our advice is to keep your CV to around two - four pages of A4, though the British Medical Journal advise anything up to eight pages is ok.   Remember, your CV is generally the first point of contact you will have with a Histopathology Service Director or Consultant, so the structure of your CV should establish a favourable image of your professionalism and approach to your work in the histopathology. It is important to consider structuring your CV for GMC registration, not only does this mean that you don’t need to create several CV’s, but also means that you will be working to a recognised structure.  If you would like a GMC template for a CV just mention this to our team at info@imgconnect.co.uk or book your CV building call with Marcus Anderson, Histopathology Specialist, via this Calendly Link. A Histopathology CV template The GMC recommend the following template for a medical doctor CV:  Section Detail Personal details Your name on your CV must match your name on your proof of identity Registrations Give your GMC reference number (if applicable) AND any details of any Medical Councils or Regulatory Body you are registered with. Even if your registrations have expired, or not currently active, it is good to include them! Memberships List your memberships of professional bodies. This will show the consultants or directors reviewing your CV that your are active in the pathology network, and any affiliations with the UK's Royal College of Pathologists, American Board of Anatomical Pathology etc etc will be relevant.  Qualifications List all the qualifications including your Primary Medical Degree and ANY Anatomical Pathology qualifications from your home country are a great indication of your training and development in pathology. Whilst FRCPath is the golden qualification for any histopathologists looking to work in the UK, your MD, DNB, Board Certification, PgDiplomas in Pathology are all valued and make up the pathologist you are.  Make sure to include any english language qualifications too, including IELTS, OET, PLAB if you have taken them before. Employment history / work history – posts held Start with the with the most recent position at the top (chronological order). Please show:  post title (give the title you were employed under) dates you worked in the post, from and to, in the format DD/MM/YYYY if the post is part-time, what percentage of whole time equivalent institution name and location the name of your supervisor (especially required for training posts) number of pathologists and support staff in your team give a brief job description of your duties, including level of supervision. Be concise. Include all relevant details.  Your IMG Connect recruitment specialist can run through all of this information over a Histopathology CV Building Call. This process can take about 30 mins and will be led by Marcus Anderson our histopathology specialist.  Book your CV building call with Marcus Anderson, Histopathology Specialist, via this Calendly Link.  Reporting Duties This is the most important of details when representing your CV in the UK. What cases do you report? How many do you sign out per year? Giving your future employer an indication of the workload you get through in your current role is a great way to promote yourself and catch the eye of Clinical Directors and Lead Consultants in Histopathology.  Your IMG Connect recruitment specialist can run through all of this information over a Histopathology CV Building Call. This process can take about 30 mins and will be led by Marcus Anderson our histopathology specialist.  Book your CV building call with Marcus Anderson, Histopathology Specialist, via this Calendly Link.  Employment history – gaps in employment Start with the most recent gaps in employment and work backwards. List any gaps that span over 28 days and include a brief explanation. Awards List any awards you have received. Research experience Give a brief explanation of any research you have undertaken, or have participated in. This shows your development and interest in your specialty.  Publications List your publications. This shows great insight and a developed mind in Pathology. Presentations Give details of any presentations you have given. You may find it helpful to divide them up into international, national, regional and departmental to show their importance. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) List your CPD activity in the last five years. Conferences attended Give details of any conferences you have attended. You may find it helpful to divide them up into international, national, regional and departmental to show their importance. Any Royal College of Pathology events will be particularly useful to evidence.  Courses attended Give details of any courses you have attended. You may find it helpful to divide them up into international, national, regional and departmental to show their importance. Governance & Audit List and give a brief description of your audit activities, if you have some experience in this. If you are unsure how your overseas experience ties into this, then don't worry so much. Feel free to discuss this with our histopathology specialist during a CV Building call with Marcus Anderson - Histopathology Specialist.  Book your CV building call with Marcus Anderson, Histopathology Specialist, via this Calendly Link.  Teaching and training experience List and give a brief description of your teaching and training activities. Management experience  List and give a brief description of your management activities. Any extra professional activities  List any relevant extra activities. Style and format Keeping your CV professional, clear, concise and well-structured is essential for securing you an interview. We recommend using the following simple steps to help: use a consistent professional font (i.e. 12-point Arial, Calibri or Times) use bullet points use professional short and simple sentences, be concise use active wording when referring to skills, and focus on positive aspects (i.e. gained, confident, responsible for…) subdivide experience  avoid personal statements, & don’t exaggerate… just present facts be consistent with organisation and appearance under all categories of your CV do not repeat present chronologically number each page show your surname and initials at the top of each page get your CV proofread by an IMG Consultant Check out more helpful articles on CV writing and securing the right job in the NHS in our resource library.  IMG Histopathology Jobs  Have a look through our live histopathology vacancies here. We are currently working with 80 trusts to recruit histopathologists, and with not all vacancies being posted live on our website at all times - the best thing to do is to reach out to our histopathology specialist, Marcus, here. We'd also like to invite you to join the IMG Histopathologists online community - as well as support on Royal College exams, our Facebook group of international pathologists and dedicated pathology recruiters offers guidance on other aspects of working in the UK, including finding NHS posts and CESR.  Follow us on social media through the links below for regular news and updates on the Royal Colleges, relocating to the UK and working in the NHS:             

Regardless of where you are in your medical career, your CV is the first chance you get to make a good impression to a potential NHS employer.  So, it is vital that your CV is professional, clear and concise, so that it tells the story of your medical career. Crucial to this is the style and format, so we have put together the best tips for nailing this element of your medical CV. The decision maker reviewing your CV will likely only have a few minutes to review your CV in the first instance, so it is an important to get it right!  1. Keep all information concise, using professional, short and simple sentences You can have all you career information on your CV, but if your prospective employers can’t see the relevant information clearly then your CV will prove ineffective at securing you an interview. 2. Be consistent with organisation and appearance Under all categories of your CV and subdivided experience, keep a consistent, organised structure and appearance, this will ensure information is easily found and makes an impression.   3. Use clear headings As above, your information needs to be easily locatable. Use the headings provided in our CV guide for overseas doctors.  4. Use a consistent professional font One small decision, such as choosing the wrong font, could make the difference. The font has to be easy on the eyes and professional i.e. 12-point Arial, Calibri or Times 5. Use bullet points These should mainly be used when presenting lists, achievements, duties & responsibilities and qualifications. Using bullet points makes scanning through your CV effortless, so include them throughout to improve the structure and format of your CV.  6. Use active wording when referring to skills, and focus on positive aspects When you write with an active voice, it adds impact e.g. gained, confident, responsible for... 7. Use action words Faulty word choices can undermine the strength of your CV, so make a point of choosing powerful action verbs. Action words are specific, clarify your contributions, and bring a confident tone to your CV and list of accomplishments. Try achieved, championed, supervised, expanded, increased, improved, collaborated… 8. Combine your selection of action verbs with quantifiable results This shows both what you did and the impact it had, for example, “Expanded use of patient feedback, resulting in 20% increase in patient satisfaction.” 9. Avoid personal opinions and don’t exaggerate… just present facts Your CV should be accurate in content; you will have plenty time to provide details on each accomplishment and skill during your interview, so keep it to the point.  10. Do not repeat Your CV should be informative but concise.  11. Present details chronologically A good CV will be logically ordered and easy to read from start to finish, so keep your writing clear and logically ordered. Getting started For more information on what to include in your CV, take a look at our article on CV writing for overseas doctors.  To get you started, request a CV template for UK applications. IMG Jobs  Search and find live NHS doctor jobs in the UK IMG Resources Read more useful articles on finding an NHS trust doctor job, pay scales & doctor’s salary in the UK, relocation and much more!   Get in Touch Don’t hesitate to get in touch using the buttons above (and below) to discuss doctor job options in the NHS, including discussions regarding a typical doctor salary in the UK and the most suitable hospital locations for you. For regular news and updates, follow IMG Connect on social media using the links below:              

Regardless of what stage you are at in your medical career, a doctor's CV is the first opportunity you have to make the first impression you want to an NHS employer and secure your preferred job in the NHS.  When you consider that the average CV gets 10-15 seconds of attention it is clear how important it is to get your CV right and make it stand out. Follow our Top 14 Tips and be sure to give yourself the best opportunity of landing the interviews you want to. Your CV tells the story of you and your career and at a glance and it should be clear why you are the best person for the role you are applying for. Request our helpful CV template for GMC applications here.  14 general tips for writing a doctor CV:  1. Review and update.  By taking the time to regularly review and update your CV, it allows you to create a standard format that you can adapt for each position that you apply for, giving you the best chance at landing the interview you really want. 2. Keep up to date.  Modern medical CVs are reflective of the changing face of the profession. Keep up to date.  3. Keep it traditional.  If it works, don’t fix it. Using our template, follow the GMC guidelines on the layout and content of your CV.  If you are applying for a training programme, check the GMC requirements for example, applications for Specialist registration require a particular format. 4. Don’t write war and peace.  There is no prescribed length of a medical CV, but if you follow standard layouts, order by relevance and write succinctly, a standard CV could be between 2 – 8 pages long. Remember though, it can be as long as it needs to be!  5. Presentation is vital. Use a clear font and size (we recommend 12-point Arial, Calibri or Times), a clear layout, avoid large chunks of text and use bullet points.  6. Keep it concise.  Adopt a style of writing that is professional, using short and simple sentences - use active words when referring to skills and focus on positive aspects. 7. Match to the job description.  Prioritise the section of your CV that matches the job at the top, so it's seen first.  Reprioritise the least relevant content to appear further down each section.  Highlight elements that match the specific job description and person specification. 8. Do not exaggerate.  There is no need to exaggerate any information on your CV. And remember you don’t need to include everything you have done in your career, if it is not relevant to the application, consider if you need to include it at all. There will be plenty of opportunity at interviews to get this information across. 9. Align with the trust or hospital values.  Your CV and interview should demonstrate that your personal values and behaviours align with the NHS values outlined in the NHS Constitution. In a nutshell these are your motivation and commitment to the NHS and the role, your ability to work in multi-professional teams, the central importance of the patient's experience. 10. No need to waste paper. Don’t include a cover sheet or index. You want the reader to see the main page straight away, which shows who you are, what qualifications you have and that you are suitable for the vacancy. 11. Use a spell checker!  To ensure no spelling mistakes, use a spell checker. One of the main reasons a CV will be rejected is incorrect spelling.  12. Proofread.  Competition means that you need to prepare an error free CV. Proofreading is crucial, and spelling checks on your computer will not suffice. Take time to conduct a thorough examination looking for possible errors or flaws in format, sentence structure, content or layout.  13. Get someone else to proofread.  Ask a peer or senior colleague to proofread and get their feedback. Don’t forget to act upon their feedback and make any necessary changes, before asking them to check again, just in case.  14. Get us to proofread!  CLICK HERE & SEND YOUR CV TO US FOR A FREE AND QUICK CV REVIEW IMG Jobs  Search and find live NHS doctor jobs in the UK IMG Resources Read more useful articles on finding an NHS trust doctor job, pay scales & doctor’s salary in the UK, relocation and much more!   Get in Touch Don’t hesitate to get in touch using the buttons above (and below) to discuss doctor job options in the NHS, including discussions regarding a typical doctor salary in the UK and the most suitable hospital locations for you. Follow us on social media for news and updates on GMC registration, the Royal College and NHS through the links below: