Writing a Winning CV
Those of you that remember
being taught Latin in school will no doubt be aware that
Curriculum Vitae means 'Life Story.'
I thankfully did not study
Latin at school and have therefore come to understand the
phrase to mean 'a relevant document detailing skills and
achievements.'
Granted, my interpretation
is rather longer than its true meaning but is a much more
accurate description of the tool many of us today use to
sell ourselves on the job market.
Most applicants for jobs are
surprisingly reluctant to 'sell' themselves at every available
opportunity. The most common reason for this is because
they know in their own minds that they have the necessary
skills and experience but they neglect to ensure they sell
themselves on paper.
The first point to bear in
mind when creating a CV is that initially it will be a general
one and should therefore be customised for each and every
position you apply for.
General CV's are useful as
a template and to submit to Recruitment Agencies and Consultancies,
for their records, but should be tailored by you for every
position they put you forward for.
When writing your general CV,
you should consider the following main points;
Start from scratch. Do
not get a friends CV and try to superimpose your career
history over theirs because it will look disjointed and
unimpressive. The idea of creating a CV is selling yourself,
so you should attempt to highlight the best aspects of your
own history, which is unique to you.
Do make it look professional.
There is no need for plastic folders or for your CV to be
bound, but in terms of the layout, make sure it is easily
read and understood.
There is no point in trying
to be too fancy. Over-the-top typefaces and a variety of
colours only detract from the important details that you
are trying to convey.
A basic font and simple layout
will help highlight your achievements and make your suitability
to the job more evident.
Relevance is key When someone
is considering you for a job and they have another 40 applicant's
CVs to read through, all they need to read in order for
you to be invited for an interview is how you meet the criteria
set out in their person specification. They will find this
arduous if your CV is 12 pages long.
Your CV should be no longer
than 2 sides of an A4.
Remember what its purpose is.
It is the response to an advertisement and a tool to get
you an interview.
It is not a description of
all the projects you have worked on over your entire career.
It is a simple summary of your previous roles and main achievements.
In order to make your CV useful
to those using it, make sure you include your name, address
and contact details at the beginning. Daytime telephone
numbers are also useful in case potential employers would
like to see you at short notice.
Your education should be next.
However you do not need to list every single subject you
have studied throughout your life, a summary of your results
should suffice, unless of course it has been requested in
the job advertisement.
Your career history should
then be listed starting with the most recent and working
backwards. Include the dates you where employed, the name
of the company and your job title.
It is also useful to include
the type of company and their turnover as this allows the
employer to assess your relevant experience. For example
working in a purchasing department of a company with a turnover
of £100m is different to a similar role in a £10m company.
You should then list clearly,
in bullet points for example, your main duties and achievements
in each of these roles. This ensures that any employer can
see instantly what you have accomplished throughout your
career.
If you have a long career and/or
lots of jobs only do this with the more recent ones. Potential
employers are interested in what your have achieved in the
last few years (and what you can achieve for them) not what
you did say 20 years ago.
Many people include their interests
at the end of a CV. Yes, this does help to add a personality
to the words on the page in a general CV, but does it add
to your application for a specific job?
Are you more likely to get
an interview because you enjoy, 'cooking, keeping fit and
playing with the children,' or because you have helped increase
company turnover by £100k? If you have a choice to make,
leave this section out, as employers can judge how nice
a person you are at the interview stage.
Finally, after creating your
professional, concise and relevant CV, check and double
check it for mistakes.
The CV is your first and potentially
only chance to impress an employer, it is up to you therefore
to ensure that it helps to sell your skills and not detract
from your achievements.
Neal Lucas
You
can email Neal by clicking here
