A CV is a selling tool that outlines your skills and experience so that an employer can see, at a glance, how you can contribute to the employer's workplace.
Some employers will ask for a résumé, which is a short summary of your CV.
CVs and résumés should be:
Some employers will ask for a résumé, which is a short summary of your CV.
Short and straightforward Clear and easy to understand Relevant to the job and to the company.
Not longer than 3 or 4 pages-2 pages in the case of résumésCVs and résumés should include the following information about you:
Full name Contact details Date of birth Personal profile Skills (in summary) Employment history Secondary and further education Training Interests Successful CVs have one thing in common: they make the right initial impression. Employers rarely take more than a minute, to look through a CV and to decide whether someone is worthy of an interview or not. How do you create the right impression in less than a minute?
There are some rules that apply to CVs in the real world, and if you follow these DOs and DON'Ts you are likely to impress rather than irritate your prospective employer.
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If you match who you are and what you are capable of to the job on offer, you will already put yourself ahead of the pack of other applicants. Your CV is not an autobiography or life story of yourself. It should sell what you are good at so that you catch the attention and inspire the interest of the employer.
SOME USEFUL TIPS:
Keep it short
Explain what you have achieved in short sentences and using bullet points. Employers do not want to read too much, it’s a waste of their time. They just want an overview of you. If they want to know more they will call you and you can expand during the interview stage.
Don’t tell too much
While you shouldn't lie, you also don’t have to include information that will diminish your chance of getting an interview.
Avoid outdated information
Including detailed information that happened ten years ago is a waste of time and gives a bad impression to an employer. It might look as if who you are and what you have to offer are outdated. Unless it has a direct bearing on your present capabilities or work experience, leave it out.
Question your CV
Once you have compiled your CV, go through it and assess the information that you have included. Ask yourself, “Will this encourage people to interview me? Am I selling what I am capable of?” If the answer is “no”, leave it out or re-write it in a more appealing way.
First things first
Irrespective of what you are writing about, start from the most current and up-to-date and then work backwards chronologically. Put the most important details at the top of your CV and the less important at the end. For example if you have many skills but little work experience guess which one should go first?
Use action and catchy words
Most employers look for keywords and ‘buzz phrases’, and if they find them then your CV gets shortlisted. Remember you are trying to get the employer’s attention with catchy words, you want them to be curious after a first glance so that they read on. Catchy words help them see that you are thinking one step ahead, that you are making every effort to sell what you can do and that you are innovative and creative.
Tailor your CV to the job on offer
Never apply for a job unless your CV is tailored in response to what is required. No employer wants to read a CV with general information about you and your skills—it is a waste of their time and likely to create a bad impression about you. One look at the first page of your CV will tell the employer whether you took the time to re-work your content or not. It also determines whether they keep your CV on file, pass it on for other relevant jobs or whether they toss it away.
| Please click here to view an example of a CV |