Your CV is a snapshot of your professional story and is your first opportunity to establish credibility before an interview. For local government roles, it’s essential to present a document that is both focused and impact-driven. Unlike a CV for a private sector vacancy – which is often a marketing document to sell commercial value – your local government CV is a tool for validation and compliance against a detailed job specification.

Note that in some instances, local authorities will want you to transfer the details of your CV into a form with text boxes and drop-down lists. This guidance is designed to apply to both scenarios.

1. The essentials: format and contact

Your CV should be easy to read, professionally formatted, and, ideally, no more than two pages in length.

• Personal details: unless advised otherwise, always include your full name, phone number, and a professional-looking email address. You may add links to a relevant professional portfolio (for instance, a portfolio for a designer role, or, a GitHub repository for a developer role), but keep social media links to a minimum unless they are highly relevant to the job.
• Professional summary (optional but recommended): a short, powerful opening paragraph (3-4 lines) that summarises your key skills, experience level, and what you aim to achieve in a local government environment.

2. Demonstrate impact, not just duties

Recruiters are looking for evidence of achievement, not just a list of past job duties. Every bullet point under your employment history should be a compelling statement of what you accomplished in the role.

• Quantify your achievements: use numbers, metrics, and percentages whenever possible to show the positive impact you’ve had. This immediately translates your experience into valuable outcomes for the council.
  • Instead of: “Responsible for improving customer satisfaction.”
  • Say: “Increased customer satisfaction by 15% by implementing a new feedback system.”
  • Instead of: “Managed budgets and reduced costs.”
  • Say: “Saved the department £10,000 over one financial year by renegotiating vendor contracts.”
• Tailor your employment history: focus on the jobs and projects that are most relevant to the role you are applying for. You don’t need to detail every position you’ve ever held, but be sure to explain any significant gaps in your employment history concisely.

3. Education, qualifications, and interests

Keep these sections concise and tailored to the level of the role.

• Education: for recent graduates, detail your degrees and qualifications. For senior roles, focus instead on professional qualifications (for instance, certifications, diplomas) and industry-relevant training, rather than school grades.
• Awards and achievements: if you have received relevant and recent awards (professional or voluntary), include them! They showcase talent and often make great talking points during an interview.
• Other skills and interests: keep this section brief. Think about hobbies or outside interests that showcase qualities valued in public service, such as leadership, teamwork, community engagement, or complex problem-solving.

4. Final review and proofreading

Before submission, treat your CV like a critical project report.

• Review and proofread: carefully check and double-check for any spelling, grammatical errors, or formatting inconsistencies.
• Get external feedback: ask a friend or colleague to review your CV. Having someone else read it can help catch mistakes and ensure your professional story is clear and compelling to an external party. If no one can help, try reading it aloud, or asking your computer to do so – this can be a good way to spot errors your eyes somehow can’t!

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