The first thing that should appear on a properly written CV after the name and contact details is a Profile.   This should be your introduction it should say why you are the best candidate for a job.   It needs to be focussed on demonstable achievements throughout your career as well as transferable skills and competencies.  It should be an overview of the whole CV and as such it can’t be written before you have the rest of the information sorted out.   

The best way to show your career history when writing a CV is to show the jobs in reverse chronological order (ie the most recent comes first).   But that isn’t the way your life happened.   Now we know that it is not necessary to go back more than about ten years when writing a CV, but what I would advise in the first instance is that you go right back to the beginning and list all the jobs you have had ever since you left school or University.   When you have done that you can decide where you will start the detailed Career History.  However, I would usually advise that earlier jobs should not be omitted altogether but should simply be listed.   This will enable you to demonstrate your career progression which is a very important factor when writing a CV.    

So to summarise, when writing a CV it is much easier if you write your Profile last and you put down your career history in the order in which it happened.   So why not do as I do – I assure you writing a CV is much easier if you start at the bottom of page 2 and work towards the top of page 1.   It makes it much easier to focus the brain.   You might like to put in your paragraph headings first just to give the draft pages some structure, but the first section that I always complete is REFERENCES available upon request.   At least I’ve made a meaningful start so I can get on with the task of CV writing in a way that helps me to feel organised in my mind.

 What do you mean by that    I am frequently surprised that people don’t know the answer to that question.  

It actually falls into two categories

Senior Managers who are still formatting their CVs in a way that is more suitable for graduates for example by putting education before Career History or who describe their CAREER HISTORY as EMPLOYMENT or even WORK EXPERIENCE.   Many Senior Managers also include inappropriate descriptions which they should have outgrown.   They may for example say that they are ’punctual’ or describe other personal attributes which are more appropriate for a school leaver. 

At the other end of the spectrum there are graduates or people who are just starting out who ‘big-up’ their achievements.   Believe it or not I actually had a graduate who had only done part time and holiday work  who described himself as a ‘manager’   The problem with this is that there is nowhere to go.   How can you aspire to career developent if you have arrived at management level even before you’ve started

There is a popular misconception that when creating an effective CV, content is what it is all about. I would like to explode that myth and here’s why -

We all know, and goodness knows, I’ve said it many times, that a CV is a marketing tool for use in a very competitive marketplace.   Every time a job vacancy is advertised there are likely to be around 200 applicants.   Every one of these applicants will submit a CV for consideration.   So pity the poor person who has to read them all!

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Sounds good, doesn’t it.   So what happens when you apply for a free CV assessment.

Well, obviously it depends upon the individual firm, but there is no doubt about it the ‘free’ assessment is a very powerful marketing tool.    Beware of CV Writing firms that promise that one of their representatives will ring you with your free CV assessment.  What is actually happening is that they are sending the CV Writers on their books details of people asking for free CV assessments.  The CV Writer is then required to make a sales call, usually at their own expense, to try to ‘convert’ you or sell you the full blown CV Writing service.   It is obviously in the interests of the CV writer to do this – they don’t get work any other way.

So when you apply for a free assessment, nine times out of ten your name will be passed on as a sales lead.   OK if you are prepared for this but don’t get caught unawares by somebody who is simply trying to sell you something.

So are free assessments ever worth having   The answer is yes, sometimes.   If a CV Writing firm is promising to reply to you via e-mail then you are in a much better position than if they are replying by ‘phone.   You are not being put on the spot and you can judge for yourself whether what they are telling you is worth while.   Indeed this can be a very good opportunity for you to assess the quality of a CV Writing firm.  If what they are saying makes sense and you can tell that they know what they are talking about, you can at least know that they will provide a genuine professional CV writing service that is worth paying for. 

Many people believe that it is a good thing to ‘big up’ their skills and achievements to impress a prospective employer, but this is simply not true.   An honest CV which shows your career progression will have much more chance of success.   

The important thing to remember is the purpose for which  you are going to use your CV.   In 90% of cases this is to support a job application.   So what sort of job are you going to be applying for   I think  you will agree that there would be little point in trying to get a job for which you are not qualified. Neither you nor your employer would be very happy with.   So when writing your CV make sure that you rely upon what you actually have to offer without making any exaggerated claims.

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The internet has become a very popular tool in searching for jobs.   It is quick, easy and very accessible.   It is also interactive, so that you can register your CV with a site who will then forward it to employers on their books.  

The main advantages of using the internet for your job search are  

•     access any time of the day or night 
•     no need to wait for the day the job ads appear in the press 
•     no trailing around agencies – you can easily access them via the internet 
•     more applications – everything is so much faster 
•     access to the International marketplace if required 
•     improved quality for your applications by efficient searching
•     access to first hand information direct from websites of leading Companies

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 It is important to remember that a CV is essentially a marketing document for use in a very competitive field.   It needs to be written in a format which will be pleasing to the eye and impart information in a very clear and concise way. 

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To be logical – how could it ever be possible to get a good job by using a bad CV   Read the rest of this entry »