Preparing your CV for the housing sector

First impressions matter, and your CV is one way to make a great first impression on a potential employer. While it’s essential that the housing sector places importance on professionalism, upskilling, and community support, it can make listing out your qualities for a CV feel daunting. Wherever you are in your housing career, or if you are yet to start out, you will have transferable and invaluable skills to offer, you just need to present them in the right way.

Any professional CV should be written in chronological order using formal language. Employers usually like to see a small personal statement, your employment history, education history, useful skills, and qualifications – but it can be worth checking if a company has specific CV guidelines. Here are some tips for creating an accomplished CV for the housing sector.

Tailor to the job you want

When you find a job you’re interested in, use the job description to your advantage. Go through the sections that explain the role requirements and match your skills and experiences to each of the points. This will give you a list of essential details to include in your CV. While your employment and education history will remain the same no matter which job you apply for, the way you frame them should vary from role to role.

For example, if you have experience as a housing officer, the responsibilities you describe on your CV might change depending on which job you’re targeting. You might prioritise examples of how you supported vulnerable or elderly tenants in an application to be a supported housing worker, but you might prioritise examples of how you managed rent accounts and advised on tenant budgets if you were looking to become an income officer. CVs are normally a maximum length of two pages, so listing relevant details concisely is the key to success.

Immerse yourself in the housing sector

If you’re not sure whether your professional history matches a job you want to apply for, it doesn’t mean that you should give up on the role. A quick fix like attending a housing webinar or booking onto a CIH training course on the subject can demonstrate your enthusiasm for the sector.

Even if you’re not actively applying for jobs right now, keep your CV in the back of your mind whenever you come across ways to boost your professionalism or knowledge. Our regional in-person conferences only come around once a year, so it’s important to attend when you get the chance. If you attend a housing event as part of your current role, you could add it into the employment history section of your CV or, if you attend an event in a personal capacity, you could add it into your personal statement. Don’t just name the event – share what you learned from it. For example, if you’re interested in resident involvement roles in Manchester, your attendance at the Northern Housing Festival might have given you exclusive insight into how other professionals manage relationships, which you could feed back into your CV.

If attending an event feels like too much of a commitment, simple things like signing up for CIH membership can give you credibility, especially if you qualify for the Certified practitioner (CertCIH) or Chartered membership (CIHCM) grades. It’s a good idea to keep an updated document listing your education and professional achievements, so you’re able to transfer these over to a CV when the time comes to apply for a job.

Recognise the value of your skills

You need a mix of hard skills (specific, practical abilities that have been taught, like effectively tackling condensation and mould) and soft skills (personal traits related to the way you work, like maintaining professional boundaries) to be a great housing professional. While it’s important to include the technical competencies that make you a perfect fit for a role, you shouldn’t overlook transferrable skills like teamwork, leadership, and time management. These can be executed in any job, and can be a good way to make previous work outside of the housing sector relevant for a housing CV.

If you were a manager at a small company, you could talk about how you effectively juggled a range of responsibilities, just like you would need to as a housing officer interacting with different tenants in different situations. If you’ve worked in education, sharing your experience supporting vulnerable children would be a great idea, as it demonstrates your ability to identify and assist the needs of others. Whatever your employment history – you’ve got the experience to do a brilliant job in a housing role.

If you want more confidence when entering the housing sector, the CIH Housing Academy’s career development training courses, especially our nation-based introductions to social and affordable housing, are a good place to start. Many professionals also find that volunteering or undertaking a qualification are effective ways to get your foot in the door. Level two is perfect for those starting out, level three can help if you’re already in the sector but looking to build knowledge, and level four and five can propel you into a management position.

We’ve got a wealth of resources that can support you in building up your CV so you feel qualified and ready for your next housing role. Remember to frame your skills in the right way, take up professional development opportunities wherever you can, and to be confident in your abilities.