| In today's fast moving and competitive world of | | | | They get to the end and breaths a sigh of relief, as |
| recruitment, creating an effective job CV can often | | | | the pile of CV's on the desk is much smaller already. |
| mean the difference between success and failure. It | | | | Time for another coffee and then starts reading.... |
| can take time and a great deal of effort to produce | | | | Rule 2 - Think about how your CV will get through the |
| something which sells your skills and abilities in an | | | | initial stage. |
| inspiring way and gets you the interview within 2 | | | | Make sure your CV is concise and to the point. They |
| pages. Yet by following a few simple rules and advice, | | | | need to see your experience, skills and achievements |
| you can maximise your chances and stand out from | | | | in the first half a minute. |
| the other applicants. | | | | They know what they want and you have what they |
| Rule 1 - Get inside the HR departments headImagine | | | | want so why distract them by adding in lots of |
| the busy personnel or HR administrator that suddenly | | | | unnecessary information. |
| has a vacancy because someone has decided to | | | | Simple is best. Plain formatting, properly laid out under |
| leave for whatever reason. Now filling the role will take | | | | clear headings. The recruiter will want to see what you |
| up quite a bit of his or her valuable time which they | | | | have done, when you did it and where you did it. |
| would rather spend doing other things. Finding the | | | | Fancy formatting will make your CV more difficult to |
| perfect person immediately would be so much easier | | | | read. Don't make a CV stand out for the wrong |
| than ploughing through loads of CV's. They have a job | | | | reasons. |
| description in front of them that was given to them by | | | | Make sure that you keep checking your spelling, |
| their boss. It includes experience or qualifications that | | | | punctuation and grammar. It is the first step in your |
| are essential for the job and some attributes that are | | | | personal presentation to an employer. It says a lot |
| desirable but not absolutely necessary. They start | | | | about you. Also, poor English will distract the employer |
| going through the pile of CV's on the desk scanning | | | | from reading the content of your CV. |
| each one for about half a minute and makes a | | | | Rule 3 - Clearly define the headings for your CV. |
| judgement. | | | | This is the list of headings that you should include on |
| Put simply they don't have the time to read the CV | | | | your CV |
| that is more than two pages and all the relevant | | | | Contact details |
| information is hidden in long paragraphs. - Its filed, in the | | | | Personal details |
| bin! | | | | Interests Profile |
| Fancy formatting, coloured text or multiple fonts do not | | | | Work experience or Career history |
| impress. They ask themselves, is this person trying to | | | | Education |
| hide something? Are they trying to cover for their lack | | | | Skills |
| of experience for the job behind a flashy CV? - Its | | | | Rule 4 - Make it easy for them. |
| filed, in the bin! | | | | Remember, they have very little time and they don't |
| Are there spelling mistakes or poor punctuation? This | | | | know you yet. They are only interested in what you |
| person is just sloppy! - Its filed, in the bin! | | | | can offer the company. |