We’re all Breast Cancer Now

Guidance on how to apply for a role

• What’s a CV?

  A CV is a short, written summary of your skills, achievements and experience. It’s your chance to promote yourself. 

• What’s an anonymous CV?

  It means we ask you to take out any information that might identify you. That might sound odd, and you’re probably thinking that the whole point of a CV is so we can find out more about you.  

  That’s true. But we do it this way to make sure that when our managers are selecting who to invite for interview, they do it in the fairest way possible.    

  When you send us your CV, it’s important not to include: 

  • Your name 
  • Your email address 
  • Your social media profiles or websites 
  • Your age 
  • Your address 
  • Your religion 
  • Your gender or sexual orientation 
  • The names of places you studied at 
  • The dates of when you studied 
  • Personal interests that may identify you 

  We’ll ask for your contact details when you submit your application, so you don’t need to put it on your CV. It’s likely your email address will contain your name. Don’t worry. This will only be seen by our recruitment team and not the manager who is hiring for the role.   

• What should my CV include?

  You should tailor your CV to the job description and person specification of the role you’re applying for. You should consider including: 

  A personal profile. This is a few short lines at the start of your CV that sum up what you’re about and what you hope to do.  

  Your education history. Include the names of your qualifications and the grades you achieved, if essential to the role. Start with the most recent and work your way back. You don’t need to include where or when you went to school, college or university. This helps to keep your CV anonymous. 

  Your work history and skills. Include placements, volunteering and any paid jobs you’ve had. Start with the most recent and work your way back. For each one you should include: 

  1. The employer or organisation name 
  2. Your job title 
  3. The dates you worked there 
  4. Your main responsibilities and achievements, usually listed as bullet points 
  5. Your reason for leaving    

  Qualifications and professional development. Include any relevant professional qualifications you have, or development you might have undertaken – like training or courses. Start with the most recent first. You don’t need to include the dates of your qualifications or where you studied.     

  Personal interests. You don’t need to include these if you don’t want to.  

  References. You don’t need to include the names of any referees or references at this stage.  

• How should my CV look?

  How you lay out your CV is up to you. But it should be clear and to the point. When writing your CV, you should: 

  1. Keep it to 2 sides of A4 
  2. Use a clear font like Arial, Times New Roman or Calibri at size 11 or bigger 
  3. Use headings, bullet points and spacing to break information up and make it easier to read 
  4. Save it as a PDF or Word document 
  5. Not use your full name when you save your CV. Use your initials instead. For example, ABC_CV_May 2024  

• Where can I find out more about writing a good CV?

  The National Careers Service has lots of good advice and tips for how to write your CV.  

• What’s a supporting statement?

  A supporting statement is the document that supports your information in your CV. It’s a chance for you to write about your skills and experiences, and why they make you the best person for the role. 

  The recruiting manager will use your statement to help them to shortlist for the job.

• What should my supporting statement include?

  Like your CV, you should tailor your supporting statement to the job description and person specification of the role you’re applying for.  

  Address the essential criteria in the same order as they appear in the person specification. This makes it easier for the recruiting manager. The person specification shows the criteria that will be used to assess your suitability at the shortlisting stage.  

  You should clearly explain how and why you believe you’re a good fit for the role. Give examples against each of the essential criteria and if necessary, the desirable criteria in the person specification. 

  Try to use active verbs like “created”, “analysed” and “devised”. And personalise it to you rather than others, for example “I created” or “I worked closely with”, so we can understand the part you played. But remember to be honest and factual.  

  You might want to finish off your statement by explaining why you want to work for Breast Cancer Now and what attracted you to the role.  

• How should my supporting statement look?

  When writing your supporting statement, you should: 

  1. Keep it to 2 sides of A4 
  2. Use the same clear font (like Arial, Times New Roman or Calibri) and size that you use for your CV 
  3. Use spacing and bullet points, where appropriate, to break information up and make it easier to read 
  4. Check your spelling and grammar 
  5. Save it as a PDF or Word document 
  6. Not use your full name when you save your CV. Use your initials instead. For example, ABC_Supporting Statement_May 2024