CV Tips

The CV should be seen as a marketing tool that should be used to sell yourself and make a potential employer want to invite you to an interview. This does not mean that you should omit any important facts but the person reading it must look at it and want to find out more about you. You can tell them the full story at the interview. It should be written to reflect the position applied for, identifying the skills and experience appropriate to the job.

Using research, focus your attention on meeting your potential employer’s recruitment needs. Keep it all clear, concise and simple. The following is a suggestion for the CVs layout;

Name, address, telephone numbers and e-mail. Personal details should include your date of birth, marital status, general health, whether you drive, nationality and if applicable whether or not you have a work permit.

Opening paragraph should describe who you are in terms of why an employer should choose you over all the other candidates, include your strengths, abilities and personality.  From this first paragraph it should be clear to any potential employer what sort of job you are looking for.

Career history in date order starting with your most recent job and finishing with your first one. Include company name, type of business, job title and dates of employment. List any achievements you had while in the job and quantify them wherever possible. This is the most important area – what you have done and what you have changed. Do not include reasons for leaving any employer – if these are relevant they can be discussed during the interview. Account for all your time – any gaps will be spotted. Use exact dates wherever possible.

Qualifications - include details of your highest level of qualification first and then follow with any others you consider relevant. Any professional qualifications relevant to the position should also be included as well as any relevant training courses. Outline any computer experience you have.

Hobbies/lifestyle information should be at the end of your CV and should only include a couple of leisure interests, which you really enjoy and can discuss if necessary during the interview. If the position requires an outgoing personality, do not include a list of solitary pursuits as your leisure interests.

Your CV should not be longer than three sides, preferably two, unless absolutely necessary - as stated the aim is to get your CV read and then get you an interview  - it therefore only needs to provide enough information to do that.

Ask one or two people with good English grammar skills to proof read your CV.

Present your CV on good quality, white, paper taking care not to overcrowd it with bold underlining or Italics. Also choose a sensible font. Times New Roman is a good choice. E-mail or post it in an A4 envelope. These options are preferable to Fax, which can sometimes reduce the quality of the CV.

Remember that a potential employer will have many CVs to read and those that get to the point with clarity are those that will be selected for interview.