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Your Curriculum Vitae (CV) – derived from Latin, meaning ‘course of life’ – is one of the single most important documents in your possession and its purpose is to open the door to career opportunities by positively promoting your identity.
When your CV reaches a prospective employer you literally have seconds to make your initial impact. On first glance, you want your CV to be aesthetically pleasing so that it stands a chance of being read and, on being read, you want its content to convey the message that you merit an interview.
Advice on how to correctly present your CV varies from useful to downright confusing. Some advocate the traditional chronological version while others promote a functional version. Some chant the mantra of cramming your life into one page while others focus on formatting do’s and don’ts. It’s worthwhile to remember that no two people think exactly alike and what impresses one may not necessarily impress another.
So, from that perspective, it all comes down to personal preference. As a starting point, your CV should be in a format you feel comfortable with; one that elicits self-confidence.
For instance, my own CV spans two pages, incorporates both chronological and functional aspects, stating educational and employment history as well as key skills and achievements and has proved successful for me.
The decision to present my CV in this way was as a result of completing employment application forms over the years. Most, if not all, of these forms included a section asking me to describe my skills and achievements and how they would benefit the prospective employer, highlighting the fact that they were obviously interested in such information.
It stands to reason, therefore, that you should tailor your CV by highlighting skills and achievements relative to the particular position you are applying for.
Your CV should include the following:
Personal Details Include contact details but only add other information, for example, ‘Current Clean Driving Licence’ if it is relevant to the position applied for.
Education and Training Include details of both formal education and professional training.
Key Skills Include 5 or 6 in the form of a bulleted list and tailored to the particular position applied for.
Career History Include a brief outline of your responsibilities and highlight any achievements in this section for each position you have held rather than listing achievements under a separate heading where they can end up looking isolated and meaningless.
Interests Don’t include activities such as watching TV.
References Include the names and contact details of two referees, one of whom should know you in a professional capacity.
As to the layout of your CV:
· Use good quality paper. · Use headings to draw the reader’s eye easily to each section. · Be consistent in how you present the information. · Don’t be gimmicky. · Always send printed originals, never photocopies.
Lastly, an individual and concise covering letter should always accompany your CV and reflect its content, drawing attention to the fact that your skills and experience meet the particular requirements of the prospective employer. |
