How to Write a good convincing CV

 

    How to Write a CV

ftere are lots of different ways to write and set out a CV and each employer will have their favourite but the most important thing to know is that it will normally be read in about 7 to 20 seconds – and after you have spent hours creating it!

Keep it clean, clear and easy to read.

As a student, or recent graduate, employers won’t expect you to have lots of work experience. ftink about everything you’ve done at school, in your spare time including your interests (the information you gathered about yourself in Part 1 will help you here). Is anything that you’ve done relevant to the job you’re applying for? If it is, make sure you put it on your CV.  However,  you should keep your CV to no more than one page by making it relevant   and to the point so that it is immediately interesting – it is not your life story! It must state who you are and what you can do with sufficient evidence to back it up

fte key to a great CV is to make sure that it is really strong and contains all the key information to ensure that the reader will read to the end. ftis should include

•                 Your contact details

Make sure that your contact details, including a professional looking email address, are written clearly at the top of the first page.

•                 A summary of who you are and what you are looking for

Your opening paragraph needs to be a strong message that summarizes your background and indicates what you are best at and what you can offer an employer. ftat creates a theme that is then followed by your ‘proving’ that you are great at these things by showcasing supporting accomplishments in each job. Use summary words like ‘qualified’, ‘graduate’ to get your message across. Make sure to focus on what you do well as nearly everyone can say that they are ‘dynamic, enthusiastic, creative’ etc. It is also a good idea to try and match your experience to the requirements of the job.

•                 Education

List key qualifications and recent courses attended.

•                 A brief summary of your career to date

Discuss each job you have done (most recent job first). Summarise the job in 2-3 lines, then set out your key achievements in bullet points. Just put in enough to     give the recruiter a complete overview of your career.

Use active language e.g. ‘initialised’, ‘organised’, managed’, etc. Include facts, numbers and percentages where possible.

Explain jargon or abbreviations where necessary to help the reader. List significant awards or targets achieved.

•                 Languages - refer to whether spoken and/or written and to what level of proficiency

•                 Interests

Include interests that might be relevant to the job, those that indicate co-operative or team working, or just things that you talk about at an interview with enthusiasm. When you’re describing your interests, highlight the things that show off the skills that employers look for. Some things to include are:

•                 any examples of working in a team

•                 relevant voluntary work or work experience

•                 positions of responsibility

•                 any activity that shows where you took the initiative

When a hiring manager is seeing the same old resume time and time again which includes the cliché words and phrases such as “highly dedicated individual” or “great team player” you are guaranteeing that your resume will be deleted.

Poorly chosen words and clichéd phrases can destroy the interest of the reader. Power words when chosen correctly can have the opposite effect of motivating and inspiring the reader and will help you stand out from your competition! A list of example power words has been included at the end.

Important points to consider:

1.  Watch your grammar. Sentences in resumes are written like headlines and are in the first person. For example, the statement “I am known for consistently exceeding my sales targets” becomes “Known for consistently exceeding sales targets.” Another one of the biggest mistakes when writing a resume is when people mix first person and third person. For example, although “Easily learns new software” sounds right, that is the third-person (“she learns”) and it should really be “Easily learn” (“I learn”). Small but important point, as you want your resume to be grammatically correct.

2.  Include only one telephone number rather than multiple numbers. Preferably one where the caller can leave a message.

3.  Do not include discriminating information. Avoid information that can lead the reader to discriminate against you, for example: age, sex, religion, marital status,   and ethnicity.

4.  Eliminate technical skills for basic software programs. Most employers today expect you to be familiar with the basic computer programs, such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

5.  Do not include references unless requested. Employers today expect you to offer references when requested, which is typically during the latter part of the interview process.

Writing a strong CV is all about finding the right information and words to present it in the best light to demonstrate that you have the specific experiences and skills the employer is seeking. Fancy designs and graphs etc., while they may look impressive, are not needed unless you are applying for a creative role and even then you need to be careful as the Applicant Tracking Systems that many companies use to scan CVs cannot read the information in graphics and text boxes. Best tip, keep it clean, clear and easy to read.

fte following pages provide you with a couple of examples of real client CVs although names, contact details, etc have been removed