By Catherine Adenle
Preparing your CV? The tips below are useful in order for you to prepare an effective CV. As we scour the web for great career tips, once on a while when we stumble upon any great article, we share them with you. An example of a great CV article by Monster is shown below.
Explore the article for CV basics. With your CV, first impression counts. Although your CV will never be read in detail by a potential employer at first, regardless, through your CV, you should aim to convince the hiring manager to pick it up, place it in the ‘Yes’ pile and ultimately call you for an interview.
Your CV is important to secure a job because it is a tool to prove that you are qualified for the role, it showcases your skills, guides potential employers through your work history and demonstrates that you have all of the competencies necessary for the desired position. However, some job seekers are still not paying the required attention needed to their CV.
See 3 Types of CVs: their Advantages and Disadvantages
In a survey by Accountemps in 2010, 28% of executives felt job applicants make the most mistakes when writing their CV. Knowing the basics of a CV will allow you to prepare an effective CV.
The article by Monster
Whether a potential employer asks to see your curriculum vitae or resume, they’re looking for one thing – a document that proves why you’re the ideal candidate to invest their time and money in. Essentially it’s a self sales brochure, pinpointing the interesting PSPs (Prime Selling Points) that make you stand out from the crowd.
There’s no universally accepted format, but your CV should scream, ‘Pick me, ask me to come for an interview, your company needs me!’ It should aslo cover these elements:
• Your details
Include your name, address, phone numbers and email address so any interested employers can contact you easily. Information such as nationality, age, race and driving licence status are not necessary.
• Personal statement
One paragraph that immediately captures the attention of your reader and entices them to find out more about you. Be careful not to cram too much in. Instead take your main skill and relate it to the job you’re after to show employers why you meet their needs.
• Work experience
List your most recent position first, continuing in reverse chronological order including the name, location, website and dates of your employment for each company you have worked for. Aim to use bullet points wherever possible to highlight your responsibilities and achievements in each role so the person scanning your CV can quickly match up your experience with their job description.
See Free CV or Resume Example Templates
• Education
Again, in reverse chronological order, give brief details of your academic and professional qualifications along with the grades you achieved. If you’re looking for your first job since leaving education, include this information above any work experience.
• Skills
Whether you realise it or not you will have picked up many skills over the years, some tangible, some less so. Include every IT package or programme you have used as well as any foreign language skills you have gained, and state whether you’re at a basic, intermediate or advanced level. Skills such as communication and project management are harder to substantiate and should be backed up with examples and evidence. If you have worked for three to fifteen years since leaving education, include this information above any education information.
• Hobbies & Interests
Including these but be very selective (love to go to the Pub is not a good one!). The idea thing is to give the interviewer a more rounded picture and, perhaps, something more personal to discuss at an interview.
• References
It’s not absolutely necessary to list referees on your CV, but you should state that details are available on request. If this is your first job, it’s a good idea to nominate your manager, tutors or mentors. You’ll obviously need to choose references that you’re confident will give positive remarks, but you should also make sure they would be easily contactable by potential employers when the time comes.
