Professsional CV -Professional CV’s
comprehensive guide on creating a CV that will impress!
Just trying to find a job can be stressful enough, but when it comes to
writing that all-important CV, you've got to take the time to make sure
it will impress a potential employer. Our CV writing guide has been complied
after consulting a number of our most experienced recruitment consultants
most have a minimum of 9 years experience assessing CV’s on a daily
basis.
Their guide covers all aspects of the CV writing process from the initial
preparation, tailoring your CV, to checking and dispatching your CV. To
help you further, there's several examples of CV's that will impress any
potential employer.
Professional
CV - get it now
Our step-by-step guide will first introduce you to the CV summary page
and tips for improving it. In the second step we've got some CV examples
for you to refer to when it comes to writing your own CV, and in the final
step we'll show you how to customise your CV for a specific job application.
There are two main ways of presenting a CV; Chronological CV's and Functional
(or skills) CVs. The Functional CV is more suited to graduates because
they are more descriptive and focus more on skills and direct experience
The summary page
All modern CVs now include a summary page. This is a descriptive summary,
which outlines your main selling points and can give the recruiter an
immediate overall impression of your suitability. A recruiter can receive
many CVs for a position and will often gloss over the important bits ruling
out your chances for an interview.
The summary page is your opportunity to make an impact by giving you the
chance to show off your personality and personal attributes. Begin your
summary by including your contact details, letterhead style. Remember
that space on this page is at a premium.
Profile
This is a descriptive overview of your profile and will occupy most of
the summary page. The profile should consist of three key elements:
Descriptive introduction - Key features of your professional self, including
your immediate ambitions. Ideally this should be punchy, precise and no
more than three (15-word) sentences.
Key skills (bullet points) - Eight points is sufficient, make sure they’re
relevant to the particular position and concisely written. Try to avoid
single words spilling over on to a new line, as this wastes space.
Achievements - These should be presented in the same manner as skills,
although about three significant achievements are enough.
Experience
The next important part of your CV is your most recent or relevant work
experience. You should leave enough space on the summary page to include
at least the most important outline of your experience. The rest of your
experience can follow on page two.
Note: Try not to clutter the summary page with too much detail. Clear
use of bullet points and white space should effectively draw attention
to a handful of key points that will prompt the recruiter to read on or
even confirm an interview.
The Contents
The rest of your CV should ideally be no longer than two pages and divided
into three sections:
Secondary experience
Qualifications
Personal summary
Qualifications and previous work experience that is unlikely to make
a significant impact should be left out. For instance, full details of
early job roles, which aren't relevant to the position you've applied
for. Here are some details that you can leave out.
Minute details of more recent jobs
Reasons for leaving a previous job
Current and past salaries
Failed examinations
Full details of hobbies and interests
CV Master Copy: Create a master copy of your CV, including any detail,
which may be relevant to any application. This copy can be as long as
you like because no one else is going to see it. The reason behind this
is that you can then customise the master copy according to the position(s)
you've applied for.
Each time you apply for a job, your CV should be customised to suit that
position. This requires assessing the position you are applying for and
identifying the key strengths, which you can apply to the role. Be aware
of the ideal person they are seeking and try matching your CV as closely
as possible to a basic imaginary profile of that individual.
Starting with the personal profile, eliminate those strengths, which are
unlikely to appeal to the pecific employer, and then elaborate one or
two key areas, particularly experience which is most relevant to the new
role. Showing that you've done your homework about a company will certainly
impress, and this is where you reveal that.
The work experience section of your CV is going to need the most work.
Minimize previous roles that are not similar to the new job, and go into
detail on the responsibilities, which are likely to show your suitability
for the new position. Mention any specific examples to prove your point.
And finally…
Take your time to create a complete CV. Check, amend and edit details
when your concentration is fresh. The manner in which it is presented
is a direct reflection on your own standards of P rofessionalism.
Proofing your CV is possibly the most important part of the entire CV
writing process. A small error can seriously undermine all your effort.
At a professional level, grammar, spelling and punctuation should all
be flawless. Ensure that details, contact numbers and references are accurate.
The following checklist will help you with some of the more common errors
found when writing a CV:
Proof reading - Preferably get someone else to check it for you. Don't
just look for textual errors, but use common sense and question the logic
in descriptive pieces. Do not rely solely on a spell-checker!
Facts and fiction - Lying on your CV is done so at your own peril. We're
all guilty of occasionally stretching the imagination, but sooner or later
you will be expected to deliver according to your claims. Rather than
being vague with details that are inadequate, leave them out and focus
on other skills, which you are confident with.
Minimizing negatives - Everybody has 'holes' in our CV, which may show
ourselves in a negative light. Instead of trying to hide it or cover up,
you can reduce the point, or turn it to your advantage by focusing on
another skill. Here are some potential pitfalls, and suggestions for dealing
with them.
Lack of track record: refer to vocational work, or unrelated work, which
shows your diligence. Emphasize your skills, which apply to the new role.
Present your willingness to learn as an advantage.
Insufficient qualifications: focus on experience and workplace skills.
If you're still studying, then mention it. If you have succeeded without
qualifications, then turn it into a positive and mention to what extent
you've 'beaten the odds'.
Foreign qualifications: try to establish the local equivalent of your
qualifications and state this. Alternatively specify the length of your
study, the number of subjects and the institution you attended as a means
of showing the standard of the course. If the qualification is recognised
locally be sure to mention this, the recruiter may not already know.
Gaps in your CV: if you've taken time out to travel or pursue a different
activity this is now perfectly acceptable, try to accentuate how the experience
has benefited you.
Checklist
Is it easy on the eye?
Is the appearance consistent and suitable for the specific role?
Have you checked the grammar, punctuation and spelling?
Are the names of all proper nouns correct and capped up?
Are all the details you've given on this particular CV relevant to this
application?
Profile details
Is it concise, punchy and informative, using power words?
Are your examples specific and quantifiable?
Is there too much detail?
Is the personal summary meaningful? If not, leave it out.
Now, read through it one last time, you're bound to find one final mistake
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