CVs

CV Writing and CV Preparation Advice

I have written and redesigned thousands of CV’s over the years. Some of these CV’s I have designed from scratch, other CV’s I have tweaked and some CV’s required major reconstruction – “turning frogs into princesses”.

I have written and redesigned thousands of CV’s over the years. Some of these CV’s I have designed from scratch, other CV’s I have tweaked and some CV’s required major reconstruction – “turning frogs into princesses”. Interestingly there are the same common mistakes that keep arising on CV’s with a few complete howlers for good measure. This article will revisit the common CV mistake and it will also explore a strategy to use if your CV is not doing the business after investing time and effort.

CV Writing - Content is King

Over 90% of CV’s fail because they lack focus. I keep preaching this point but jobseekers ignore it. If you think your CV is about you, you are wrong. Your CV contains information about you BUT it is about the recruiter. You must put yourself in the shoes of the recruiter when writing a CV and focus on information relevant to their needs. The best example of this is that many CV’s have a “Personal Profile”. Waste of time!! What does your profile tell the recruiter – that you are enthusiastic, hard working, work well on own initiative and as part of a team.

Some profiles tell the recruiter that the jobseeker is keen to secure a job in a progressive company. Remember employers don’t care what you want. They only care if you can solve their problem and do the job. Let’s look at another example of lack of focus. Most jobseekers have great work experience which they are keen to get on paper. Unfortunately much of this experience is not relevant and therefore dilutes the document. Concentrate of relevant content!! Identify what the recruiter requires and highlight how you meet these requirements.

CV Writing – Information easy to find

If information does not make the front page it is not important. Many recruiters rarely get past the first page of a CV. Do you notice how most newspapers try to get their key stories on the front page? If you don’t get your relevant information on the first page you may miss out on interviews. Your CV has a 20 second window to make an impact. I have designed CV’s with Hobbies and Interests on the first page. This is something that traditionalist would mock. If it is relevant - why not put it on the first page? Don’t stick to rigid layout advice. A CV is a marketing document and a fluid document. If the information is relevant ensure it makes front page reading.

CV Writing – First impressions count

I am not a big fan of CV’s with “bells and whistles”. Many jobseekers try to stand out by formatting fancy CV’s. Remember as magnolia sells houses, clean and simple sells CV’s. You can make your CV look good without being flash. Flash can turn recruiters off as a sitting-room painted in pink can turn off house buyers. Some key points are ensuring that there is white space on your CV, use bullet points and uniform fonts.

CV still not working

In society the demand for cosmetic surgery and plastic surgery is rising dramatically. I’m sure if I could offer a service to make jobseekers CV’s as they requested I would not be able to keep up with demand. Unfortunately the only way to make your CV what it is not is to lie and I would not advise this.

Quite often jobseekers present their CV as best they can BUT they still fail to get called for interviews. This can be very frustrating and can drain enthusiasm. So what should they do? Give up? Absolutely NOT!!! I recommend many individuals to play “hide the CV”. Most jobs have an application process that requests a CV. It is madness to send a CV if you know you will not get invited to interview. Try phoning the client directly and give your sales pitch.

A CV is a piece of paper at the end of the day and it is impossible to portray your attitude, personality or sense of humour on the document. I have often seen CV’s and said “no way” only to meet the individual and have a completely different impression. Try to get an interview without sending your CV. Even if a client is adamant that you forward the CV even after you phone them your CV will have a whole new dimension.

Happy Job Hunting

Paul Mullan is Director of Measurability offering career coaching solutions for jobseekers.

CV Writing Service - http://www.measurability.ie/individuals/cv-design-service/
Interview Coaching - http://www.measurability.ie/individuals/interview-coaching/
Career Direction - http://www.measurability.ie/individuals/career-direction/

Contact details:
paul@measurability.ie
087 1223308
www.measurability.ie