How To Write A Winning CV

How To Write A Winning CV
Your CV is a brief summary of your abilities, education, experience, and skills. Its main task is to convince prospective employers to contact you. Your CV has one purpose: to get you the job. It must do its work quickly. Human Resources and agencies can review hundreds of applications and may spend only a few seconds reviewing yours. To ensure that your CV stands out it must quickly convey that you are capable and competent enough to be worth interviewing. The more thoroughly you prepare the CV, the more likely someone is to read it later or remember your details against the other applicants. Gather and Check All Necessary Information for your CV Write down headings such as EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, SKILLS. Beneath each heading, jot down the relevant points: EDUCATION usually means post-secondary, but this can depend on your age and working experience. This should also include any additional courses or work related training, in addition to college and university. If you are just starting college, you can include high school as well. List degrees and month/year obtained or expected; names and locations of schools; and level of qualification. EXPERIENCE includes full-time paid jobs, part-time jobs, or volunteer work. List the month/years you worked, position, name and location of employer or place, and responsibilities you had.As you describe your experiences, ask yourself questions like these: What did I do, How did I do it, Where did I do it and When did I do it. SKILLS List computer languages and software, foreign languages indicating the grade of fluency, teaching or tutoring, communication or leadership, among others. After you have all this information down, check it for accuracy. You'll need full names, correct and consistent dates, and correct spellings. Ensure that once you have written your CV, you spell and grammar check the document. Remember to:

Match Your Skills and Experience with an Employer's Needs Highlight Details That Demonstrate Your Capabilities
Layout is Important PERSONAL INFORMATION: Top left of first page. Name (no title); addresses; phone numbers; e-mail and mobile number. EDUCATION: Often comes first in student resumes, especially if it is a B asset. If you have B practical experience, this should always be listed first as this is most important to a new employer and you do not want them to search for this information, especially if it is not on the front page.
EXPERIENCE: Use chronological format to emphasise work experience, list jobs beginning with the most recent. Some hints:

Write all job descriptions in parallel phrases List the most important responsibilities or successes first List similar tasks together Emphasise collaborative or group-related tasks
REFERENCES: You need not put these on your CV. If asked, you can cover this at interview, more frequently candidates are adding or indicating that they can or will be provided on request. Consider Word Choice Carefully for your CV In a CV, you need to sound positive and confident: neither too aggressive, nor overly modest. The following phrases are intended as suggestions for thinking about your experience and abilities. Whatever your final word choices are, they should accurately describe you--your skills, talents, and experience. Examples: I can contribute, enjoy creating, have experience in organising. . . While at X Company, I administered, co-ordinated, directed, participated in.... Ask Other People to Comment on Your CV/Resume We would recommend that you have an advisor, potential employer, or someone in your field critique your resume. For more help, ask:

Recruitment Agencies HR Consultancies Family and friends
NOTE: People may offer many different opinions. Use your own judgement and be open-minded about constructive criticism. Make the Final CV Presentable Use a computer and ensure that you spell and grammar check the final document. As it is most often the case now, you will be applying with your CV by email, it is advisable to use Microsoft Word for Windows or Work as these are by far the most common Word Processing packages available and you do not want potential employers to have difficulty in opening and reading your CV (though Open Office is an excellent, compatible and free alternative). It is also good practice not to use any strange fonts as not all companies may have the same fonts that you used installed and your CV may be illegible once received. Evaluate Your CV/Resume Hold your resume at arm's length and see how it looks. Is the page too busy with different type styles, sizes, lines, or boxes? Is the information spaced well, not
crowded on the page? Is there too much "white space"? Is important information quick and easy to find? CV Content and layout

Name is at the top of the page: highlighted by slightly larger typesize, bolding, and/or underlining Address and phone number(s) are complete and correct and are well-placed in relation to name All entries highlight a capability or accomplishment Descriptions use positively connotated verbs, and verb tense is consistent; current job is in present tense; past jobs are in past tense Repetition of words or phrases is kept to a minimum Capitalisation, punctuation, and date formats are consistent Check tha there are NO typos or spelling errors
Organisation of CV

Your best assets, whether education, experience, or skills, are listed first The page can be easily reviewed: categories are clear, text is indented The dates of employment are easy to find and consistently formatted Your name is printed at the top of each page
Format and design of CV

No more than two typestyles appear; typestyles are conservative Headings, italics, and capitalisation are used minimally and consistently Margins and line spacing keep the page from looking too crowded Printing is on one side of the sheet only, on high-quality bond--white or offwhite (i.e. beige or ivory) The right side of the page is in "ragged" format, not right justified. Right justification creates awkward white spaces
Now you're done! Just one more suggestion: If you are sending your resume to a prospective employer, you should also have to include a separate cover letter. This is usually one page long. The letter indicates your interest in a particular company or position, summarises the most important aspects of your education and experience, and lets the employer know where and when you can be contacted for an interview.

How To Write A Winning CV

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

How To Write A Winning CV

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

How To Write A Winning CV

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

How To Write A Winning CV

Recruitment Agencies HR Consultancies Family and friends

Format and design of CV

You might also like