“Your CV is Your Advertisement”
Your CV is the single most important thing in job search, even more than you. It fights against 100’s of CVs and wins an interview for you. Therefor CV has to be more than perfect.
A CV gets maximum of 20 seconds before it makes or breaks, so –
“First Impression is Vital“.
Selection Process
Job Ad -> CVs Collection -> CV Selection -> Interview -> Final
Be aware of Who is involved in the process: Recruitment Agency, HR and/or Hiring Manager: Each of them would view a CV from his perspective.
Common Mistakes
| 1- Too Lengthy: Irrelevant & unnecessary information | 6- Missing or Poor Soft / Technical Skills Section |
| 2- Too General & Too Common | 7- Missing Personal Profile and Future Plans & Objectives |
| 3- Missing Important Information | 8- Work Experience written as Job Description |
| 4- Grammatical Errors & Spelling Mistake | 9- Missing vital Searchable Words. |
| 5- Inappropriate Layout – Too Boring, Too Flashy, Unclear, Complex, in Wrong Order | 10- Contains unknown / unfamiliar Names, Abbreviations & Acronyms |
Writing Your CV
Always follow the rule of “What, When, Where & How”:
– What was it (i.e. Name, Title)
– When was it (dates from & to)
– Where was it (Place: Preston University, Ericsson Ltd,)
– How did YOU do it (Explain with ‘YOU’ in mind)
– Use “Action” Verbs such as developed, designed, coached, executed, trained, arranged, organised, etc etc.
NOTE: CV format & contents are industry & country dependent. Advice provided here is general. For specific advice, seek help from someone suitable from your area.
Qualities of a Winning CV
– CV is Not your Autobiography. Length should be no more than Two Pages, three if you have more than 10 years Experience.
– Your CV is your Professional & Educational Highlights – Only add important & relevant information as highlights
– No repetition of any information
– Be honest. Lying is a crime.
– Appearance & template should be a unique looking
– Format: Simple & clear in MS Word or Adobe Acrobat
– Use Spaces and style variations to make reading easy.
– Use Same format throughout.
– Use small sentences, easy words & commonly known names, abbreviation & acronyms (e.g. Ltd., GSM, etc)
– Make it specific not general. Example of General: “To join a challenging role in prestigious organization”, Example of Specific: “To join a challenging Network Engineer’s role in a prestigious IT organization”.
– Once completed, make sure it is reviewed by at least two or three experienced people. And also by your university career advice service.
– Keep on reviewing & updating your CV all the time
– Use different CVs for different types of jobs and different people.
– Register your CV on top job sites & relevant companies (monster, jobserve, total jobs, etc) and make it visible & searchable.
– Every job, industry & country has certain formats and requirements, Tailor your CV accordingly.
– Follow up your applications by polite emails & phone calls.
Sections in Order:
1- Name (with Mr or Miss)
2- Personal Details: Name, mobile phone number, decent email address, date of birth (optional).
3- Objective / Profile (3 to 4 lines max)
4- Technology Skills: (Software, Hardware, Operation Systems, Databases, Languages, Technologies, Tools)
5- Education (with latest one first). Write main subjects. Must include final year project.
6- Experience (if you have more than one years relevant experience, put it before education)
7- Interests & Hobbies: Not more than a couple, and the ones you really do.
Conclusion: Make your CV Simple, Short, Relevant, Targeted, Attractive & an Individual (different) like you are!