I wonder who invented the name ‘curriculum vitae’ for this particular document.   I think they could have had no idea how the modern CV would evolve.   No doubt the name was appropriate in the 1980s but CVs have come a very long way since then.

Yet it continues to surprise me just how many people think that a modern CV is still a type of potted biography.   They go into great detail about every job they have had ever since their career began.   They also explain all about where they went to school and what GCSE passes they achieved.   On top of this they go on with fulsome descriptions of themselves which cannot possibly be validated.   Why ever would a prospective employer need all that detailed information    Would they even have time to read it    The obvious answer is ‘no’.  

So, in order to establish what a modern CV is, we need to identify the purpose for which it is intended.   Well, let’s first ask ourselves why the employer needs to see a CV at all.   What does he want it for   What is he trying to establish    As soon as we answer those questions we are already well on the way to understanding the answer to the question ‘What is a modern CV ’

The sad fact is that prospective employers are not interested in individual applicants.  The only reason they need to see a CV is so that they can identify the right person to fill their job vacancy.   If that person is you then don’t throw away your chance to prove it. 

A modern CV is a marketing document for use in a very competitive environment.  It represents your first point of contact with a new employer.   Unless you have been ‘head-hunted’ then the information contained in your CV is all that the prospective employer can know about you in the first instance.   So make sure that your CV gets the right message across.

Remember that for every job advertised there are likely to be about 200 applicants.  That equates to 200 CVs for some poor individual to read.   No wonder many of them are confined to the bin without even being read (the CV’s not the employers). 

But here is the important part.  You may be the ideal candidate – just what the employer is looking for – but he needs to recognise you.   Unless your CV is user-friendly it may never get past the first hurdle.  It needs to be presented in a way that can easily be understood by a very weary person who may already have had to plough through up to 200 other CVs. 

Just because you understand the information in your CV doesn’t mean that somebody else will.  After all you have an insider’s view.   You need to overcome the temptation to put in all the detail and strip the information to the bare facts.  Make sure that you only include the facts that the employer will need in the decision making process. 

So to return to my point.   What is a modern CV    It is your introduction to a prospective new employer.  It is an opportunity to prove that you are the person with the skills and talents they are seeking.  And unless it does that effectively, it will be your only opportunity because you never get a second chance to make a first impression. 

© 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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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!

To be realistic, it is simply not practical for a prospective employer to read every application right through.   They will be forced to take short cuts.   What will actually happen is that the CVs will be speed read in the first instance.   Those that do not pass this initial test won’t even get a chance to be properly read – they will go straight in the bin.

So how can you make sure that your CV will overcome this first hurdle   The answer is simple – it all depends upon layout and presentation.  Make the presentation attractive and appealing without too many long paragraphs of prose and it will be noticed.

Of course it would be foolish to say that content is not important, it is, but more important is the way you present the content.  That will give you the edge over other candidates who may be as well, or even better qualified than you. 

Remember that in a good CV ‘less is more’.  How many people read all of the small print in a document     We all know the answer is ‘not many’ so don’t try to cram too much information into your CV.

In order to retain control of what the prospective employer actually reads, you need to prioritise the information.   Pare it down to the essential facts.   Make sure that you demonstrate your achievements and transferable skills.   Remember that what employers want to know is what you can bring to their organisation.

Don’t be tempted to put in a section entitled “Personal Objectives” or write some kind of autobiography.   They are not interested in you personally, or what you want, neither are they interested in how your last Company ran their business.

Put yourself in the position of the employers.   Present them with a CV that is neat and to the point.   They are bound to be weary from reading all those other CVs so help them to understand what you have to offer.   Use clear language, avoid acronyms and jargon that they may not understand.   Let your CV stand out from the crowd by it’s excellence and the clarity with which it delivers information – they will love you for it!

© 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

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.

When  you use your CV in support of a job application the person considering it will probably have a huge number of applications to wade through.   This is not such a problem as it at first appears when you consider what the opposition is likely to be.  It is a well known fact that in the first instance an employer will only spend about 30 seconds for a preliminary appraisal of each candidate.   The trick is in getting past that first hurdle.  

Many of the applications will be from people who are obviously not suited to the job on offer.   Many of the CVs will appear messy and unattractive so they will also be discarded.   Others will be so long and complicated that reading them is a daunting prospect for a busy person, so they are also likely to be discarded. 

Make sure you use an attractive and clear layout which is businesslike and doesn’t include any unnecessary tricks or gimmicks.  Prioritise the information so that the reader can gain a good impression as soon as possible.   Present the information as clearly as you can.   Avoid unnecessary detail and above all remember that the prospective employer is not interested in you as a person, only in what you can bring to his organisation.

If you remember these golden rules and make sure that you apply for jobs which are appropriate to your skills and experience, you will succeed in getting interviews and the rest is then up to you.

© 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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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

There are a number of different ways of finding jobs on the internet here are some of the main ones:  

CV Distribution Services for a fee these services offer to distribute your CV to hundreds of web job sites or recruiters.   The problem with this type of service is that although they will indeed distribute your CV, you have no control over where they will place it or with whom so you need to be very careful indeed about using this type of service. 

CV Postings most job sites will offer the opportunity to post your own CV on their database.   Most of these sites will make their money by selling access to their CV database to employers.  Managing your own postings is definitely the safest approach, but even so you need to protect your privacy.   Be very careful to ensure that the site provides you with the facility to conceal your identify.

Job Postings searching through job postings is the most satisfactory method of finding a job on a web job site.   If you can, try to limit your search to those posted direct by employers, rather than those placed by agencies.  This will make you a more attractive proposition because your ‘cost of hire’ will be less as there will be no agents’ fees involved.

E-Mail agents many sites will provide a service where they will e-mail you with any new jobs which fit your search criteria.   This can be a very useful service as long as it doesn’t compromise your privacy.

Newspaper sites you can access the jobs section of National and Local newspapers which can be found by doing a Google Search 

Company Websites most companies will now have corporate websites.   If you are attracted to the prospect of working for a particular Company this can be an excellent way of finding out more about them and where you might fit into the organisation.  Most Company websites will have a job vacancies section.

Using the internet is certainly a very useful way of kick-starting your job search.  However, youwould be unwise to ignore other tried and tested methods, including networking and making speculative approaches.  Neither should you forget that, no matter how efficient your research, it will be no use unless it is supported by an effective CV. 

© 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.

****************************************

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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The trick in writing a CV is to identify your target market and then demonstrate that you have the skills and competencies that the prospective employer is looking for.   This needs to be done in a clear, easy to understand format. 

 It is not a good idea to take up too much space at the top of page 1 with information having no bearing on the selection process.  This space is very valuable in making an immediate impact.   I would advise that you centre contact details under the name at the top of the page and that any personal information you wish to include can be relegated to the bottom of the last page. 

The best thing to do is to lead with a profile which should be your introduction.   It should explain who you are and what you have to offer, the rest of the CV then demonstrates the claims you make in the profile.  This profile is usually followed by bulleted list showing either transferable skills and competencies, or achievements.    This means that the reader is off to a flying start in identifying you as the ideal candidate for the job on offer. 

 Avoid the temptation to describe yourself in glowing terms with the use of superlatives, such as ‘excellent’.  It is unlikely that a prospective employer will take your word for such claims.   What you need to do is to ensure that the claims you make are demonstrable and focused upon your actual skills and achievements. 

 As you progress in your career so your educational qualifications will become less important and you should be careful how you prioritise this information.  Certainly after you have been in employment for a while you don’t need to include a long list of GCSE passes.   Frequently it is better to simply include vocational training and qualifications in a section after the career history.   

 Unless the Company is a household name, It is never a good idea to identify previous employers by name alone.   The prospective employer will need to understand the environment you are working in so that they can assess your level of function.   A short description of your employers giving some information about their business and position in the marketplace is ideal.  

 There is no doubt that bulleted lists are the very best way of organising information.   However, you should try to remember that you are trying to get an important message across.   Bullet points are not just there as paragraph dividers.   Where possible each point should be on one line and there should never be more than seven points.  This will ensure that you capture and retain the reader’s attention, otherwise they may well simply skim over the detail and not understand what you are trying to say.

 Finally a word about references.   All that is needed here is to say ‘available upon request’.   It is considered to be very bad form to give details of names and addresses.   This is also a good way of monitoring progress, if you receive a request to furnish details of your references then you know you are at least being considered for the position on offer. 

© 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.

****************************************

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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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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Remember that typically 200 responses are being received for each advertisement placed.    Inevitably employers will only have time to skim through the applications so they can allow no more than 30 seconds for each one.  Unless your CV delivers information in a style which has immediate impact, you will almost certainly fail to get the message across.

So how can you achieve the user-friendly CV   Well for a start, consider the following:

Your sentences need to be very short with each one including no more than one point and all the words need to be very simple as well, with a maximum of no more than three syllables so that they can be easily understood.  Paragraphs of prose need to be divided up into shorter paragraphs so that the information is delivered in small ‘bites’ and the prospective employer does not have to concentrate so hard to understand what you are trying to say. 

Then compare it with this:

Sentences need to be short.  Each should include only one point.   Words need to be simple with a maximum of three syllables.

Prose should be divided into short paragraphs. Information delivered in small ‘bites’ will be more easily understood.  

Bullet points deliver even more impact.   Here are my rules for achieving maximum impact in a CV

•     sentences should be short
•     each sentence should include only one point
•     words need to be short with a maximum three syllables
•     prose should be divided into short paragraphs

When you have finished writing go through the CV in detail.  Strike out any unnecessary words or repetition.  This is just one way of making sure you present your CV in a way which will make sure that the prospective employer reads and understands it.      

Another point to remember is that you need to avoid including anything in your CV which may not be immediately understood.  This includes acronyms and jargon.  Remember, as soon as the reader has to pause to work out what you mean, you will have lost their attention. 

Those who have hundreds of CVs to work through have a hard enough job already.   Use short simple words and paragraphs.  Make your CV user-friendly and you will stand a much better chance of success.

© 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. 

****************************************

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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