Resume Writing
There may only be one chance of creating an impact that opens the initial
door in your search for a job and the following guidelines are intended
to assist you in the preparation of your Resume/Curriculum Vitae (CV).
Profile believes that the CV should be your document and should reflect
your personality and style. One should bear in mind that many companies
receive hundreds of CVs each day, even if they are not, at that moment,
actively recruiting. As a result, most CVs will be rejected, either
politely if the recipient is lucky, or simply discarded, as is most
usual. Often, a person who is clearly well qualified and well suited
to a role is quickly dismissed due to a poorly presented CV.
Whilst there is no right way to write a CV, the information you are
presenting must be:
Remember to write your CV so that it applies to the position. The reader
does not want to read your life story, he/she is looking to fill a position
and therefore your experience and background must be appropriate.
Above all, it is YOUR story.
As a general rule, employers like to read CVs in a standardised format
and we find that the following layout works well:
Personal Details
Name:
Address:
Telephone: Home Work Mobile e-mail & fax if appropriate
Date of Birth
Personal Details i.e.: Nationality, Marital Status (if you wish &
ages of children if appropriate)
Key Skills
This should be clear, truthful & CONCISE.
Objectives
This should be realistic and to the point
Career History/Work Experience
This is obviously extremely important. It should be well laid out
with your most recent/current position FIRST. The dates should be on
the left hand side and the Company name (& location if abroad, but
not address) should be as an indented paragraph as follows:
Date from - until
Name of Company & brief location
POSITION
Brief outline of responsibilities, achievements etc.
Should be maximum one paragraph
Date from - until
Name of Company & brief location
POSITION
Brief outline of responsibilities, achievements etc.
Should be slightly shorter in length to paragraph above.
Continue in this format until all previous jobs are covered with outline
becoming shorter each time. If there are gaps, briefly explain reason,
i.e., time off for travelling etc.
Education
Education background in the same format as Career History i.e. dates
on the left and details as a separate indented paragraph, starting with
the most recent first.
Date from - until
Details of any recent training courses attended
Date from - until
University/College
Qualification attained
Date from - until
Name of School
Details of any qualifications
Languages spoken
List any languages and level of fluency
Personal Interests
This is optional and only if you have any space. Many employers like
to have a feel for what the candidate enjoys doing in their leisure
time and it can be an initial 'ice-breaker' at the beginning of an interview.
Keep it brief.
Layout
Layout is very important and it should therefore be as simple and clean-looking
as possible. Graphics and other gimmicky icons etc should be avoided
as they are distracting to the reader. If you are using color, this
should also be kept very simple and uniform.
Paper
The paper should be of good quality and try to avoid coloured paper
(particularly as it photocopies and faxes badly).
Photograph
A passport size, professional looking photograph can also be attached
if you have one (do not glue it on; either attach it by paper-clip or
staple).
Covering Letter
A covering letter should also be attached. Only hand write it if your
handwriting is very good, otherwise type it out and remember to sign
it. Try to have the name of the person to whom you are sending the CV,
spell their name correctly and always write to 'Mr / Mrs Bloggs', not
'Dear Joe Bloggs'. If you are writing in response to an advertisement,
always refer clearly to the position.
Do not repeat yourself in the letter and try to keep your relevant
experience out of the letter (it should all be in your CV). However,
you may list one or two key skills that you feel make you ideally suited
to the role if appropriate.
