Writing Applications

A curriculum vitae (CV), or résumé in North America, is a concise summary of your skills, experience, achievements, and education. This page provides guidance on different CV formats, including standard CVs, North American résumés, academic and narrative CVs, as well as CV checking and further resources.

A well-written cover letter helps explain your motivation, demonstrate your suitability for the role, and complement your CV. This page provides guidance on writing effective cover letters, including academic cover letters and statements, Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) applications, example cover letters, and further resources.

Many employers use application forms as part of their recruitment process. This page provides guidance on completing application forms, understanding the different sections, answering analytical and competency-based questions, and accessing further resources.

References are an important part of many applications and can help employers or admissions tutors confirm your skills, experience, and suitability. This page provides guidance on choosing referees, when to provide references, your rights, and further information.

Applying for academic positions and funding requires a different approach from most graduate recruitment. This page provides guidance on preparing academic CVs, teaching and research statements, fellowship and funding applications, supporting statements and cover letters, narrative CVs, and further resources.

A personal statement is your chance to explain your motivation for applying and why you are a great candidate for the course.

A creative CV is designed to showcase your creative skills, and is often used to demonstrate skills for a role which includes elements of design, art, technology, animation, VX/FX or production.

Try to avoid adapting or "translating" your qualifications as the employer may use a different metric to you and you don’t want it to appear as if you are “inflating” your grades.