Top CV Tips for Tertiary Students and Graduates

Crafting a standout CV is essential for tertiary students and recent graduates entering New Zealand’s competitive job market.

Employers prioritise concise, tailored documents that highlight academic achievements and transferable skills from education, volunteering, and part-time roles.

Aim for 1-2 pages using a clean, simple single-column design with an easy to read font such as Calibri or Arial, bullet points, bold headings, and ample white space to ensure scannability on phones and desktops.​

Tailor and Target Your CV

Customise every CV to the job advertisement by incorporating keywords from the description, along with your relevant skills and experiences which will help your CV get through applicant tracking systems (ATS).

Review the role’s required skills and qualifications, then emphasise matching experiences such as NCEA achievements, micro-credentials, leadership roles, work experience or group projects.

Avoid generic versions and tailor your summary profile to showcase strengths that are relevant to the role: E.g. “Motivated engineering graduate with AUT Edge Award, proficient in Python and teamwork from capstone projects“.​

Craft a Compelling Profile Summary

Start with a 3-5 bullet point summary at the top, outlining your education, key skills, and career goals in active language. For students lacking experience, highlight reliability, eagerness to learn, and volunteer impacts. Example: “Recent University of Canterbury commerce grad skilled in data analysis; achieved top marks in relevant coursework and led student society events”.​

Showcase Experience and Achievements

List experiences in reverse chronological order, most recent first, including job titles, employers, dates, and 3-5 bullet points of duties and achievements using action verbs like “developed,” “managed,” or “achieved.”

Quantify your wins, e.g., “Organised events for 50+ attendees, boosting engagement by 30%.” Include internships, volunteering, and extracurriculars under work experience if you haven’t had paid roles.​ Highlight Education and Skills Detail your degree, institution, and graduation year first, followed by select high-grade papers. Perhaps include projects and your GPA if that is good.

Add a skills section splitting hard (e.g., Microsoft Suite, Adobe) and soft (e.g., communication, leadership) abilities, proven via examples.

Use online tools for feedback such as University of Wellington’s CV360 tool or AUT’s Elab samples for feedback.​

Align Your LinkedIn Profile and Online Presence

Ensure your LinkedIn profile mirrors your CV’s content, using the same key achievements, skills, and profile summary for consistency. Recruiters cross-check profiles, so add a professional photo, custom URL, and a nice background banner (you can create one easily on Canva). Maintain a clean online presence by reviewing public social media for alignment with your professional brand.​

Polish and Proofread

Omit photos, age, or marital status unless requested. End with “Referees available on request.” Proofread meticulously, get a peer review, and explore free templates from MS Word, MoneyHub, Google Docs or Tahatu. Te Heke Mai https://tehekemai.co.nz/ is a free AI driven platform that can help you with drafting your CV and Cover Letters.

Cautions and Next Steps

Be cautious on AI overuse. While AI tools can generate draft CVs, over-reliance risks generic content that fails ATS scans and can lack authenticity. Recruiters spot AI-written CVs and relying heavily on it doesn’t make you stand out. Always personalise with your own voice and unique attributes.​

In New Zealand’s tough graduate job market, investing in professional help will help you to stand out. Book a consultation with us today to get your edge.