Widely regarded as one of the most important document in anyone’s life, the curriculum vitae is a document that will follow you your entire, whether you are at the starting point of your career and looking for work or as an experienced corporate whose resume is essential and can be very often be required when attracting new clients or closing business deals due to the experience accumulated across a lifetime.
What to do…
Most often, people often believe the first step to making a CV is finding out how its built. However, the first and most important point to determine before writing a word is knowing who you are, your skills and were you would like to go in life career wise. Finding a website that can guide you in creating a CV is not a straightforward, but once a suitable website has been found, the structure will be left to the CV builder and enables you to focus your attention on the ins and outs of what to write.
Evidently, when trying to impress someone and show you are the most appropriate person for the job, it is crucial to use positive language that will show the recruiter that you are motivated and willing to accept any challenge. Additionally, make sure the most relevant and important information that you want to put forward is listed at the top of your CV, not at the bottom hidden in the corner waiting for a recruiter to come and find it with a magnifying glass!
What NOT to do…
It’s easy to assume that if you compliment yourself on your CV as much as you can and put as much information on an A4 page, you are most likely to be the one to get the job. This couldn’t be further from the truth, as a recruiter’s aim is to be able to read your CV in less than 30 seconds! The more precise the document is, the easier it is to analyze data rapidly and make a decision. Long paragraphs and text are very damaging to any CV and must be avoided at all cost.
This can also result in your CV being too long and dragging on for more than 2 pages, which will immediately put you at the back of the list as employers don’t have time. Candidates must keep in mind they should be able to read the essentials in less than 30 seconds and that most CV’s go through a filter to immediately dispense of CV’s which are too long, poorly structured and so on.