Regardless of what stage you are at in your medical career, as a doctor your CV if 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 doctors.  The decision maker reviewing your CV will likely only have a few minutes to review your CV in the first instance, so it is important to get it right! This helpful article on doctor CV writing is aimed at helping overseas doctors present relevant information to a prospective employer by covering the following topics:  Keeping your doctor CV up to date Structure and content of your CV A Doctor CV template  Responding to the job description Cover letters Style and format Keeping your doctor 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.  Structure and content of your CV: CV’s 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 Trust Director, so the structure of your CV should establish a favourable image of your professionalism.  Getting the structure and content right, will also make it easy for you to tailor towards each job, hospital & Trust that you are applying for, every application can be different. 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.  A doctor 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) or details of your Medical Council or Regulatory Body you are registered with. Memberships List your memberships of professional bodies. Qualifications List your qualifications, include IELTS, OET, PLAB, Royal College Postgraduate Qualification, Primary Medical Qualification 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) give a brief job description of your duties, including level of supervision. Be concise. Include all relevant details.  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. Publications List your publications 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. 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. Audit List and give a brief description of your audit activities. 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. Procedures List the procedures you have performed. Any extra professional activities  List any relevant extra activities. For CV’s not being sent to the GMC, you can include the following extra sections:  Personal interests – show what you relate to and what your ethos for life is!  Referees – list at least two referees from your current and previous employer, include full name, position or grade, telephone number and email address.  We've created a sample CV template for overseas doctors to adopt. Request your CV template from IMG Connect here. Responding to the job description: In short, a job description will tell you what your employer will expect from you, as well as what you can expect from your employer. So, the first thing to consider is that your CV is a response to the job that you are applying for, it should be clear why you are the best person for this job. It is important to note that a job description does not purport to cover all of the aspects involved in the job but will give you a good platform for CV (and interview) preparation. Key points to look out for are:  Trust profile Accountability Duties & responsibilities Reporting structure Working relationships Organisational expectations and values Person specification  Please note that each trust or hospital will use different terms for the above categories.  Match to the job description:  Take some time to review and analyse the content of your current CV, matching it to the specifications of the job that you want and the Trust you want to work for.  Some of the information included in your CV may not be the most relevant to the job you want to apply for.  Your CV functions as a way of recording all your achievements, skills, and experiences and keeping them up to date helps you to identify areas which are particularly relevant for the role you are applying to.  Change the layout to match the job description: The actual order of the sections should match the priorities of the job description and specialty that you are applying for, see below for GMC suggested sections.  Try to highlight sections that match the job description and prioritise these sections in the CV by moving them further to the top, and less relevant sections to the bottom. If it isn’t relevant at all, don’t be afraid to remove it altogether.  This really means that you are selling yourself to the job specifically, for example put more relevant clinical audits or professional training to the top of the relevant section, and perhaps you could move this section further to the top of your CV so that it will be noticed. For example, if you are applying for a post which has a strong teaching component then the teaching experience section should be placed before the management experience section.  Similarly, if the post has a strong academic component then the research, publications and presentations should move up straight after the audits section.  With IMG Connect we can offer you vacancies that are not advertised online, as such your IMG Consultant will provide the most recent job description and all relevant and up to date information purporting to the post. We will help you to tailor your CV accordingly, providing the hospital with a detailed overview of your skills and talents. 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! What if there is no job description?  In some circumstances a job description may not be available. You may be applying for a service job with IMG connect that is not advertised online, this means that your IMG consultant will discuss your CV directly with the Directors of the hospital or lead clinicians.  In this case, your IMG Consultant will offer guidance and support to tailor your CV accordingly. They will be able to secure as much information as required, providing you with the most relevant and up to date information covering all aspects of the role.  We can help you structure your CV accordingly. Send your CV to info@imgconnect.co.uk Cover letters: With IMG Connect we can offer you vacancies that are not advertised online, as such your IMG Consultant will provide the most recent job description and all relevant and up to date information purporting to the post.  They will help you to tailor your CV accordingly and provide the hospital with a detailed overview of your skills and talents, so you don’t need to worry about cover letters.  If you want to write a cover letter, they can be a good idea to accompany your CV. However, these are not always necessary, overall they will make little difference, it is your CV that really matters. An IMG Consultant can help establish if you need a cover letter at all.  In some circumstances your IMG Consultant will ask you to prepare a short cover letter if further explanation is required of suitability for a vacancy.  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 Some final summarising thoughts… Remember to keep your CV clear, concise and well-structured as this is essential for securing you an interview. Once you have created your draft CV, get it proofread.  Use our template! Send us your CV using the links below and we can talk you through it. Check out more helpful articles on CV writing and securing the right job in the NHS in our resource library.  IMG Jobs  Search and find live doctor jobs in the NHS here.  IMG Resources For more useful blogs & articles on career structure, pay scales and a doctor’s salary in the UK - take a look at our IMG Library Get in Touch Don’t hesitate to get in touch using the buttons above (and below) to discuss UK job options in the NHS, including discussions regarding a typical doctor salary in the UK and the most suitable hospital locations for you. 

Regardless of what stage you are at in your medical career, your doctor CV if the first chance you get to make a good impression to a potential NHS employer.  So, it is vital that your doctor CV is professional, clear and concise so that it tells the story of your medical career. Crucial to this is the style & format, so we have put together the best tips for nailing the Style & format of your medical CV, enjoy!  To get you started, request a CV template for UK applications. 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!  Keep all information concise, using professional short and simple sentences. You can have all the information about your career 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. Be consistent with organisation and appearance.  Under all categories of your CV and subdivided experience, keep the same consistent organizational structure and appearance, this will ensure information is easily found and makes an impression.   Use clear headings.  As above your information needs to be found easily. Use the headings provided on our CV guide for overseas doctors.  Use a consistent professional font (i.e. 12-point Arial, Calibri or Times). One tiny decision, such as choosing the wrong font, could make the difference to secure you an interview. The font has to be appealing and easy on the eyes.  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. Using bullet points throughout improves the structure, style and format of your CV.  Use active wording when referring to skills, and focus on positive aspects (i.e. gained, confident, responsible for, responsible for…) When you write with the active voice, it adds impact.  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… 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.” Avoid personal opinions, & 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.  Do not repeat. Your CV should be informative but concise.  Present chronologically. A good CV will be logically ordered and easy to read from start to finish. By careful and clearly ordering content, this will ensure your CV receives more attention.   For more information on what to include in your CV, take a look at our article on CV writing for overseas doctors.  Get your CV proofread by an IMG Consultant, it is always good to check, check and check again!  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.

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.