How Important Is Your CV
To be logical – how could it ever be possible to get a good job by using a bad CV
Yes, your CV needs to tell them what you have to offer, but more than that, it needs to do so in such a way that you can be sure that they will get the message. This means delivering a CV which is clear, concise and to the point and is easy to read and understand. You could be the ideal candidate for a job but if you submit a CV which doesn’t deliver the right message, then you are squandering an opportunity and wasting your time applying for the job in the first place.
The single most common mistake in CV writing is to include too much detail. Most CV’s are so packed with information that reading and understanding them becomes a mammoth task. Unfortunately employers simply don’t have the time to spare to wade through detailed information. To put it in perspective, you should remember that on average an employer will only allocate about 30 seconds to an initial appraisal of each application, and typically 200 responses are being received for each advertisement placed.
‘You never get a second chance to make a first impression’ – never a truer word was spoken. If you submit a CV which consists of pages packed with long paragraphs of prose, the employer will be put off straight away and will be unlikely to read it at all. Or at best they will read only some of it, which means it is left entirely to chance which bits get their attention. People are afraid of leaving things out of their CVs but by including too much detail they lose control of the situation. If you can bring yourself to go through your CV and prioritise the information, pruning it down to only that which is relevant, and taking out anything which is repetitive, then your CV will be read and you will get your message across. That is the only way that you can be sure what information your CV actually delivers.
If your CV is clear and concise, and delivered in a format which is easy to understand, you’ll already be way ahead of most of the competition. As long as you’ve applied for the right job, one for which you are qualified, and which you honestly believe you would enjoy, you will have every chance of getting an interview and going on to enjoy success in today’s jobs market.
© This article is copyright CV Writing Services 2007. You have permission to reproduce this article or forward it to others, provided that all links and the resource box at the bottom remain intact.
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Gwyneth Holland is a specialist in
professional CV Writing
You can read more of her articles and get excellent advice on CV writing at:
http://www.cv-writingservices.co.uk
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