20
Create sentences that really appeal to an employer and illustrate your passion for thejob. There is nothing a potential employer hates more than picking up another monotone and predictable CV, especially if they have over 300 of them to read! Show the reader that you are confident, enthusiastic and capable. Demonstrate that you are someone that they would love to work with and be part of their team. If the tone of your CV sounds as though you are bored and don’t really have any self- belief, it will be extremely difficult for the reader to picture you in the role. Don’t give them any reason to doubt your sincerity or aptitude for the job, make them want to hire you before someone else gets you.
21
If you are in any doubt as to whether your CV is doing the job that you want it to then have alook at friends’ or colleagues’ CVs as you might find ideas that you never even thought of. There are also many sites on the web that give you examples of effective and ineffective CVs before you start your own. Take a look at CV Consultancies too who offer free professional CV appraisals and reviews. When you have the right information from the outset, it will eradicate anyself-doubt that you may initially have and give you the added confidence to write a CV that will be effective and get you the job that you want.
Tips
The content of a CV should reflect the position for which you are applying. For example, if you are applying for a job as an IT technician, it is not relevant to your employer that you worked in several bars early in your career. If you are applying to work in a call center, your employer would love to hear about the customer service skills you learned when working with the public.
Call the company you wish to work for before sending them a CV. Be positive and sell yourself. The employer will then be looking forward to reading it. Moreover, you may learn more information about the open position and therefore what is pertinent to include.
Send a cover letter with your CV that explains why you want to work at that specific company and why you are qualified. Emphasize highlights of your CV in this letter.
Believe in yourself. If you do not show confidence, how will an employer have confidence in you to do the job you are applying for?
For skills do not merely list the tasks you have done in the past but rather the results you achieved and the skills you have learned. A poor example would be, "When I worked at a local pub, I collected glasses and cleaned up mess".A good example would be, "When working as part of a team at 'The Crown and Cushion', I learned the importance of maintaining a clean working environment and improved my customer liaison skills".
Don't come across as desperate. Remember that you have a lot to offer a company. You are not losing out! They need to impress you as much as you need to impress them.
It is common to be rejected for the majority of jobs for which you apply. This occurs when there are many more applicants than jobs and you should not let it get you down. Think of this as a learning experience. Ask yourself how you could improve your chances when applying for the next job.
It's not only unemployed people who apply for jobs! You can always apply for a better job than you have now to improve your career!
Try to stick to a job for at least six months! If your career history shows you have worked for 12 different companies in the last year, it will appear as if you are not reliable.
Put yourself in the employer's shoes. What would you think if someone handed you that CV?
Show passion about your work and your hobbies.
The effectiveness of your CV can only really be judged according to the career you are focusing on. There are things that you can do to target your CV specifically to your chosen industry and you need to mention all of the attributes needed for working in your particular role. To really target your CV it cannot be generalised, you must completely concentrate on the role that you want and highlight all of your skills to fit well with that position. If you decide to target another industry then your CV would need to be rather different and I would suggest re-writing the whole thing. A good idea is to write up to 3 different CVs if you want to apply for three slightly different jobs. This is to optimise your chances by being specific and using existing experience in a way that can illustrate your suitability for the job. They basically have most of the same information but it is written in a completely different way and some skills were emphasised for a particular role. This really targets your CV and makes all of your experience and training as relevant as it can be.
Warnings
Do not lie. It will do you no favors.
Never put yourself down. Even if you fail to get the job you desire, remember that you have many skills and there are a lot of other employers out there!
Don't use your email address as anyone can get a hold of it.