CV: skills, achievements, personality.

Munir Mamujee of m2r says that taking the trouble to hone this most personal of documents is time well spent.

Ok, it’s time to rewrite your CV (curriculum vitae – latin for you life story –  Ed). You may view this as an extremely tedious and mundane task that only merits a very short amount of your time, but this attitude could seriously jeopardise your career prospects!

Your CV is an opportunity to show a prospective employer your skills, achievements, and also your personality. It is your shop window and should be viewed accordingly. A poorly constructed CV will do you no favours when applying for a new position.

During my time in recruitment I have seen thousands of CVs, some well-written and some extremely poor. Hopefully, by the time you have read this, you will appreciate how important your CV is and also how to create the perfect CV.

Construction

The first thing I would advise is to write your CV yourself. Do not be tempted to pay a company to do this for you. Every CV I have seen that has been created by a ‘professional’ CV writing service has been extremely poor and a waste of money.  A CV contains personal information and, therefore, should be treated accordingly; do not entrust it to someone who is merely doing it to pay bills.

When I receive a CV, the first thing I look at is the grammar, then the construction and, finally, the content. The reason is simple; I want to see that care and attention have been afforded. Anyone can put information onto a piece of paper, but it takes time to ensure this looks professional, captures the attention of the reader and, most importantly, creates the right impression. You are a sales person after all!

A poor CV tells the reader that you are not committed, lack attention to detail and, quite simply, are not taking the process seriously. These CVs will head straight into the shredder.

Securing an interview: spend time on your CV.

It still amazes me that people cannot see the importance of spending time constructing a CV – after all, this document could be your only way of securing an interview. Don’t forget, first impressions really do count. You would not attend an interview in scruffy clothes, so why send a CV which is poorly constructed?

Your aim is to communicate your strengths, your achievements, your initiative and your personality – in short, your credibility and suitability. Be positive, not too modest, but do not exaggerate. Always use a spell checker and get someone else to proof read. One mistake could make all the difference.

Content

So, what information should a CV contain and how should it be constructed?

1. Personal details.
Ensure that you provide all relevant information; note that the names of your children and the year you were married are not. The introduction of the Age Discrimination Act in October 2006 means that, if you do not give your date of birth, companies are not entitled to ask. I would, however, recommend that you provide this information as it helps the reader build a clear picture.

2. Profile.
This is a concise paragraph or bullet points highlighting your skills, strengths and achievements. Keep it brief but just enough to gain the reader’s interest. There is no harm in tailoring this to the role and matching your skills to those required.

3. Education
Work in chronological order starting with the most recent. Include the name of the establishment and the qualifications gained. The further back you go, the less relevant they become, but always provide some information, eg 7 O Levels including maths and English. If you are applying for a role that requires specific qualifications, make sure you highlight these.

4. Full employment history
This is the most important. Again, you work in chronological order starting with the most recent role. You should include the dates, names of employer, role, duties and achievements.

Sell yourself! Give clear examples of your successes; include actual figures, but only ones that you can back up at interview.

Bullet point the information as this makes it easer to read. You must include a reason for leaving as this will put the reader’s mind at rest if you have had a few quick moves. On this point, do not leave out positions as you may be found out when references are taken.

The further back you go, the less relevant the roles become, so again, summarise. If you left school and ‘temped’ for 5 years, do not list each role but bundle them all together giving an overview of the work and the skills gained.

Ensure that you do not leave any gaps between dates; this always worries employers and makes them think you are hiding something.

5. Interests
One tip – never put ‘socialising’ or ‘reading’: they are far too general. Be specific without getting too quirky. Remember, you want to appear interesting with an active life outside of work.

6. Referees
My advice is to write, ‘Available upon request.’ A prospective employer does not need names and addresses at this stage.

If you have undertaken relevant training courses, list these as well, including the date.

Providing your picture is not necessary unless specifically requested by the employer.

Feel proud when writing your CV; you want to show yourself off!

Regarding length, do not try to cram all your information into 2 pages – your CV will look too cluttered. Use your common sense. Make it too short and it will lose its impact, too long and you will lose the interest of the reader. So, 3 pages will suffice, leaving the reader wanting to know more. The most recent and relevant information should be expanded, allowing you just to summarise less relevant positions like those you took on leaving school.

Appearance

Your CV should be aesthetically pleasing too. No fancy fonts, no multimedia – keep it simple and professional. You should be spending more time on the content and less on trying to make your name look flash in five different colours.

CV: no alterations in biro.

Finally, if you plan to attach a photograph, make sure you attach a suitable one. I once received a photo from a candidate of a distinctly ‘adult’ nature. That’s not the way to get an interview. Trust me on this one!

After all of this, take a well-earned rest safe in the knowledge that, when your CV arrives on the prospective employer’s desk, it with not languish with all the other scraps of paper and half-baked resumés: instead, it will be top of the pile and making an impact.

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