Page 25
Writing the perfect CV (continue)
The average recruiter will only spend between 20 to 30 seconds glancing at a CV which means that you need to make an impression quickly and sell yourself.
Acting as a an advertisement for You PLC, your CV enables buyers (recruiters) to see what you have to offer and the presentation and structure of your CV are crucial. Luckily most people actually get it wrong.
So if you adopt the following structure you will have the advantage over your competition. Limit your CV to a maximum of two pages. The first – and most important – page focuses on your strengths and demonstrates that you are precisely the person for the job. The second page will focus on your career history and personal details. Most people structure their CVs the other way round but you must remember that your CV needs to show that you have the skills employers are looking for because they want to determine ‘what can this person do for my business?’
PAGE ONE
1 Heading
Position your name followed by ‘Curriculum Vitae’ or ‘CV’ at the top of the page with your contact details immediately underneath.
2 Personal details
Include your contact details only: address, home phone number and mobile phone number. You can add your age if you wish but, following the Age Discrimination Act 2006 employers cannot base their decision to interview you or not based on your age. Similarly, there is no need to include your nationality.
3 Personal Profile
This is your first opportunity to impress and be objective by spelling out your career goals. Use bold, assertive statements that clearly highlight your core strengths and credentials that are relevant to the position you are applying. For example: “Results-orientated team player proactively seeking the opportunity to develop my career further”.
4 Skills, Experience and Professional Training
Avoid the temptation to launch into your employment history at this stage. This section should be a bullet-point summary of your key skills and attributes: IT literate, excellent presentation and PowerPoint skills or strong negotiation ability, etc.
Include training courses that you have attended – some organisations such as Yell are renowned for their excellent sales training and it makes their sales consultants highly sought after candidates.
5 Major achievements
If you have a trumpet to blow then blow it! Take advantage of this space to list up to six key professional achievements that will set you apart from your competition. For example: “Awarded Sales Person of the Year”.
PAGE TWO
6 Employment History
For those of us old enough to remember Max Bygraves who famously said “I want to tell you a story”, that is exactly what you are going to do here – tell recruiters your career story starting with your most recent two positions and list in reverse chronological order.
Your most recent positions need the most attention because it is your skills and experiences gained in these roles that will determine your suitability for the role. Show your start and finish dates in years only – it looks better and helps hide any gaps when you may have been ‘in-between’ jobs.
But whatever you do, do not bluff or tell white lies about your capabilities because they have the nasty habit of creeping up on you and you may get caught out which could cause some embarrassment at a later date.
Again, keep it simple, logical and presented in a bullet-point format for clarity. And use action words to describe your accomplishments and contributions to your employer. For example: “Successfully increased revenues by 20% year-on-year exceeding the target of 10%”. But make sure that you can support your case with evidence in case you are asked at interview.
7 Personal Details, Education & Qualifications
Unless you discovered a cure for the common cold keep this part of your CV brief. Simply briefly state the qualifications that you have and the university or college attended along with the grades achieved.
And avoid trying to portray yourself as some amazingly adventurous or gregarious individual because, to be blunt most recruiters couldn’t care less. If your hobby has relevance to your job then add detail, if not then don’t.
And finally…
Check and re-check the facts, grammar and punctuation - spelling mistakes are one of the biggest turn-offs for recruiters. And, keep it clean, clutter-free and avoid the CV faux pas of adding attachments such as photographs.
Writing a winning CV can be a challenge, but by putting the mileage in you will have a document that will make potential employers take action and invite you for an interview. Then the real selling begins!
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32