It can be hard to be objective when you are writing about yourself, but your CV is the key to getting through the ‘interview door’, and unless you can make your reader interested enough to want to see you from your CV, the key isn’t going to work, and you won’t get an interview never mind a job.
Write and design your CV to appeal to your readers - and bear in mind that, because your prospective employer might receive literally hundreds of CVs, something well-organised and brief is more likely to attract and hold his or her attention:
• Contact information should be clearly visible on the first page.
• Format should be easy to follow – headlines that are highlighted and indented, for example, catch the attention of the reader and make it easier for a person to take a QUICK look at your CV.
• CV should be accurate and correct. Fifty percent of people lie a little bit on their CVs; some people lie a lot - see http://metlissbarfield.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html for more information about that. Try to not to exaggerate or embroider facts on your CV. These days you’re likely to be found out – and obviously people aren't too keen on hiring people who haven't been entirely honest.
• Keep the CV as short as you possibly can without crowding the page - or making the typeface very small. Try not to use more than two sheets and keep the typeface very legible.
• Don’t forget to put a header and footer on the second sheet and on all accompanying Certificates, etc. Many people like to spread papers out in a line so as to be able to check one sheet against another – I do myself – so paperclips and staples are regularly removed from documents, and it’s very easy for loose papers to go astray even in the best regulated circles.
• Choose a style that is likely to appeal to the reader. Chronological CVs are the most common style and you will need to have one of those anyway, but skills-based CVs often ‘target’ better. Skills-based CVs are more difficult, because they demand that you think through all of the skills that are necessary to a particular job, and then list personal details under those skill headings. Skills-based CVs are becoming more common the UK, incidentally, so it’s worthwhile trying to design one if circumstances seem to demand it.
• Don’t forget that employers are looking for a ‘perfect match’ at the moment – not only because employing someone is an expensive proposition, but also because they are in a ‘buyers market’. Whether you go for a chronological or skills-based format CV, always write a new CV for each job, so as to tailor information about yourself and your experience for that particular job. It means collecting information about the company and the job in question so that you can match your talents to what they’re looking for – and it can be hard work if you happen to be sending out a lot of CVs. On the other hand you won’t get nearly such good results from sending out a standard CV in every case.
• Try to stay abreast of what’s going on in your particular field – the latest technology, training and jargon that are relevant to what you do. It some cases it’s easy to fall behind if you're ‘out of the loop’ for even very short periods.
• Vary style according to the type of job you are applying for. Big or ‘professional’ Companies (like Solicitors and accountants, for example) usually expect very formal CVs on white paper (and yes, the quality of the paper does matter!), but in some cases you might use coloured paper or an unusual design. Again, it’s a case of finding out as much as possible about the Company and deciding what would be most appropriate and appealing.
Your CV is, of course, is going to have to go out with a covering letter – but that’s a post for another day!
Write and design your CV to appeal to your readers - and bear in mind that, because your prospective employer might receive literally hundreds of CVs, something well-organised and brief is more likely to attract and hold his or her attention:
• Contact information should be clearly visible on the first page.
• Format should be easy to follow – headlines that are highlighted and indented, for example, catch the attention of the reader and make it easier for a person to take a QUICK look at your CV.
• CV should be accurate and correct. Fifty percent of people lie a little bit on their CVs; some people lie a lot - see http://metlissbarfield.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html for more information about that. Try to not to exaggerate or embroider facts on your CV. These days you’re likely to be found out – and obviously people aren't too keen on hiring people who haven't been entirely honest.
• Keep the CV as short as you possibly can without crowding the page - or making the typeface very small. Try not to use more than two sheets and keep the typeface very legible.
• Don’t forget to put a header and footer on the second sheet and on all accompanying Certificates, etc. Many people like to spread papers out in a line so as to be able to check one sheet against another – I do myself – so paperclips and staples are regularly removed from documents, and it’s very easy for loose papers to go astray even in the best regulated circles.
• Choose a style that is likely to appeal to the reader. Chronological CVs are the most common style and you will need to have one of those anyway, but skills-based CVs often ‘target’ better. Skills-based CVs are more difficult, because they demand that you think through all of the skills that are necessary to a particular job, and then list personal details under those skill headings. Skills-based CVs are becoming more common the UK, incidentally, so it’s worthwhile trying to design one if circumstances seem to demand it.
• Don’t forget that employers are looking for a ‘perfect match’ at the moment – not only because employing someone is an expensive proposition, but also because they are in a ‘buyers market’. Whether you go for a chronological or skills-based format CV, always write a new CV for each job, so as to tailor information about yourself and your experience for that particular job. It means collecting information about the company and the job in question so that you can match your talents to what they’re looking for – and it can be hard work if you happen to be sending out a lot of CVs. On the other hand you won’t get nearly such good results from sending out a standard CV in every case.
• Try to stay abreast of what’s going on in your particular field – the latest technology, training and jargon that are relevant to what you do. It some cases it’s easy to fall behind if you're ‘out of the loop’ for even very short periods.
• Vary style according to the type of job you are applying for. Big or ‘professional’ Companies (like Solicitors and accountants, for example) usually expect very formal CVs on white paper (and yes, the quality of the paper does matter!), but in some cases you might use coloured paper or an unusual design. Again, it’s a case of finding out as much as possible about the Company and deciding what would be most appropriate and appealing.
Your CV is, of course, is going to have to go out with a covering letter – but that’s a post for another day!
Geoff - http://www.metlissbarfield.com
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