Need to write a CV

[Woodywizz]

After getting a bit jaded with current employer, had an informal chat this week with another potential employer. It went brilliantly but the guy needs a CV for his records.

I have not done a CV for over 7 years.

Any help appreciated

[Woodywizz]

Originally Posted by Abbeygoo

move to PM

[Abbeygoo]

I think your CV needs to be punchy, upbeat and dynamic. Include a brief resume of your school / uni qualifications but include more of what's relevant i.e. what qualities you have that can be brought to the job advertised. Include details of your excellent performance over recent years and your undoubted devotion to lunch time drinks, after hours dancing and countless visits on bank time to Superfi / Sound&Vision / Sevenoaks etc.

[Mr_Wistles]

If he purely needs a cv for his records then just do a chronological list.

[Pat_C]

Originally Posted by Abbeygoo

I think your CV needs to be punchy, upbeat and dynamic.

... and presented in a way that stands out in what may be a large pile of others; a CV should be thought of as an advert. It's also important to remember that it isn't there to get you the job, just the interview. You only need to tell a potential employer enough to get them interested in meeting you.

More than half of the CVs I've ever seen have been far too long (one even had an index )

[adam4478]

most of the cv's i get are used as a resource for finding questions to ask during the interview - once it's decided that the candidate is suitable. after that personality wins almost every time... short, sweet and (as above) punchy and to the point works on cv's, make them buy the person - not the paperwork. No matter how professional people are they will normally hire the person they like and are drawn to rather than the person who looks good on paper... don't blow too much smoke up your nether regions (a little breeze doesn't hurt ) a good interviewer will use anything to catch you out !!!! Ideally a CV should open the door and doesn't usually decide who gets the job - that's down to people, not paper.

comment above from Pat is spot on!!!!!!!

[Adam Shaw]

In the past, I worded for a few companies with high staff turnover (not bad management, just the nature of those businesses), and often had to go through the CV pile. Tips to ensure your CV dosent get binned before they've finished reading it:

1. 1 single sided A4 sheet. If you want to say more than this, wait till the interview. Long rambling CV's get binned

2. Under contact details, if you do not currently have a sensible sounding email address, go and create one. Any CV whose contact email goes som ething like 'pleasingtheladies@hotmail.com' gets binned

3. Layout; a sensible structure reads like this, from the top down:

Contact details

Work experience (most recent first, detail position and responsibilities)

Education History and qualifications. Again, keep this relevant. I have had CV's from people listing their swimming badbes and Cycling Proficiency Certificate! As an example, if you are applying for a job at a bank, they dont care that you have a GNVQ in sand dune management.

Personal interests: try and come accross and sociable. If your personal interests simply list watching telly and going to the pub, you wont really shine out.

Dont put contact details down for references, if they want them they will ask for them, and this uses valuable space.

4. Accuracy: use a spell checker, and make sure you get the right details down. Typo's and biro corrections of email addresses and phone numbers are a no-no.

[MikeTV]

I think there are different styles of CV for different industries, but in the IT industry (which I am most familiar) it is very important to demonstrate as much as you can about your various skills - and a one page CV is usually not enough (unless this is your first job). Two, or even three pages are very common - but never any more than that.

The most important thing to remember is focus on the things that are most significant to the role you are applying for - and don't bother with the rest. Eg. when selecting candidates, I couldn't really care less about their hobbies - I will learn about their personality at interview anyway. Be ruthless in editing out the irrelevent stuff.

Every job or project you have worked on will have some significance to the new role (even if it is only "successful completion"). But flipping burgers in 1992 may not be of great interest to a recruiter, and so concentrate on those skills that are the most relevent.

Try to demonstrate how your career has advanced and progressed, and that you haven't just stagnated. Demonstrate how you have taken on greater responsibility, etc. The CV should tell a story, with the latest experience putting you in exactly the right place (experience-wise) for the role you are applying for.

It's not a bad idea to provide an executive summary at the top - but keep this very impersonal and professional, stating what you consider yourself to be (eg. "an IT pro with 10 years experience..." ), and what you can expect to provide (eg. "with the ability to deliver solutions...").

Adapt your CV for different roles, instead of having one generic CV for every opportunity. You need to stand out from the crowd, and tick every box for the recruitor, because they have a pile of 500 CV's to review.

Lastly, make it as professional looking as possible. This doesn't mean make it "fancy", it means make it clear, concise and to the point. Rambling, badly worded, and mispelled CV's are trashed immediately.

Good luck.

[pave]

Just do a list of the lap dancing clubs you have walked into .........by mistake,....

That should do it..........




I'll get my coat..........

[Alan_W]

Just a warning - I make a point of not employing unlucky people, by throwing half the CVs I receive into the bin unread.

May be best to send two

[Abbeygoo]

My Dad always used to chuck the CVs into the bin that weren't immediately pleasing on the eye ..... make an effort, first impressions count.

[TeenSpirit]

All above good points - remember to keep it down to a single A4 sheet with a border around it to stand out - I can't be doing with pages and pages, it usually means that there has been too many job changes over the years or lots of job description blagging !

see;
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/cvsamples/l/blcvsamp3.htm
http://www.cvtips.com/how_to_write_a_CV.html

I would recommend following up the CV with a telephone call a week later to confirm receipt, show commitment and to put you fresh in the employer's mind (and hopefully top of his pile).

And good luck

[davisneil]

errr yeah, my CV is 3 pages long! I am in the field of AV and I have had bags of training, I have to list the projectors and gear I work with, all that gumph....I tried to shorten it but its difficult to in certain professions, especially if you first started AV work when you were 14!

Anyhow, just scored an engineering job with it, and a free trip to amsterdam, and never failed to get an interview with it, so if you want a copy of it to doctor, just ask

[shahedz]

if you already have the job like Russell said. Don't you just need to list your jobs and qualifications, does it need that much detail?

[Woodywizz]

Thanks everyone for the hints and tips - I've nearly finished it now