Job Hunting Tips - Writing The Perfect CV - Part 1

Free Resume Examples Articles : Job Hunting Tips - Writing The Perfect CV - Part 1 by David Bain

A CV (from the Latin Curriculum Vitae) - 'Resume' for our American friends has only ONE purpose. It aims to win you an interview. Once you're at the interview, the interviewer may use the CV as a basis for discussion, but it won't determine whether or not you'll get the job. With this in mind, what are the most important aspects of a CV?

1) Don't make your CV too long

Two pages length is perfect. There are some exceptions - some employers from countries such as South Africa prefer as much information as possible, but on the whole, anything more than three pages may have a negative impact on your interview chances.

Think of yourself as being the one having to discriminate between over 100 different CV's for the one job role. Would you really be interested to read everything about somebody's previous employment or simply have them summarise 5 bullet points of the job that indicate the experience most pertinent to the applied position?

Often, someone will make a decision on whether or not to see someone for interview after viewing a CV for less than thirty seconds. If your most relevant industry experience is hidden away on the 4th page of your CV, you're hampering your chances of getting invited to that all-important interview.

2) Make sure your CV is in the right order

On most occasions your employment history is more important than your educational qualifications. This means that on most occasions your employment history should be before your educational qualifications on your CV.

Often people make the mistake of emphasising what they're proud of rather than emphasising what's more likely to be the most important thing to your prospective employer. Try your best to view things from a neutral perspective and highlight your skill set that relates to the job description of the position you're applying for.

3) Personalise your CV for every job application

If you have your CV saved on you computer, it doesn't take too long to optimise its relevancy for your potential future employer. Once you've viewed the company's website and read the job advert you'll be able to determine whether or not there are aspects of your previous experience that don't presently feature on your CV.

Simply delete the bullet points in your previous work experience that are less pertinent to this job application and replace them with bullet points that are more pertinent. Remember to use similar phraseology and wording that appear in the company's literature in order to highlight your specific relevance to the position.

The second part of this article will focus on the content for your CV including Personal Details, Personal Profile, Employment Experience, Educational Qualifications, Additional Training and Personal Interests.

David Bain is a consultant to http://www.UteachRecruitment.com - a specialist UK teaching supply recruitment agency. U Teach Recruitment is based in Coatbridge, Scotland and brings schools and teachers together from all over the UK. Teachers for most teaching subjects are required. Visit www.UteachRecruitment.com to search for UK teaching supply jobs today.

About the Author
David Bain is a consultant to http://www.UteachRecruitment.com - a specialist UK teaching supply recruitment agency. U Teach Recruitment is based in Coatbridge, Scotland and brings schools and teachers together from all over the UK. Teachers for most teaching subjects are required. Visit www.UteachRecruitment.com to search for UK teaching supply jobs today.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=268967

Listing A Hobby On Your CV Or Resume

Free Resume Examples Articles : Listing A Hobby On Your Curriculum Vitae CV Or Resume by John Rivers

It is becoming more common for people to be asked what their favourite hobby or pastime is on a job application form. It is therefore advisable to include a section on your interests and any hobby that you are actively engaged in on your CV or Resume too. This helps to differentiate your application from all others that have similar experience and qualifications as you do. A hobby can be used as a great ice-breaker at interviews too and you may find yourself discussing your skydiving exploits more than your previous job. Obviously the more unusual the hobby the better as it is likely to make an impact on anyone reading your CV and be a point of interest that helps the reader remember your application over another.

It is important, wherever possible, to list hobbies or interests that clearly demonstrate relevant skills and accomplishments that are appropriate for the job your resume is being considered for. Obviously, if you are applying to be a cook for a company you would want to list cooking as one of your hobbies. This may seem an obvious point but you could also highlight other areas of the same hobby such as researching recipes or jam making for example.

It is advisable to be selective about the number of hobbies you list. If it seems that your time is taken up with a myriad of different activities a potential employer may reject your application for fear that you may never be available for overtime work if necessary.

Another possible impact of your choice of hobby may be if it involves a lot of travel or long hours. The potential employer may feel that your hobby would have an adverse effect on your ability to hold down a long term position and may think you are just trying to fit in work around your hobby and not the other way round.

Whatever you do, don't make up a hobby purely to get a job. If you say you are a chess player, to indicate that you are a logical thinker and forward planner that is great if it's true but beware, you may find that you are challenged to a game by your boss and be rumbled on the first day!

About the Author
John Rivers is webmaster of E Career Makers. Key career development and job-hunting tips, strategies, and suggestions from numerous sources.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=132001

Why Your CV/Resume Is Not Generating Interview Offers

Free Resume Examples Articles : Why Your Curriculum Vitae (CV) /Resume Is Not Generating Interview Offers by Gerard McLoughlin

If your current Curriculum Vitae (CV) or resume is not generating the interview offers you want, it is time to start assessing it. Check to see that the following descriptors apply: *Begins with a succinct, clearly stated career objective tailored to the particular job for which you are applying. *Highlights how your skills and qualifications match the company's specific needs.

*Employs appropriate titles for previous jobs to demonstrate clearly that you are suitably qualified for the advertised position.

*Gives a concise description of your previous employers - their products, services, industry, etc. - and your role in the company.

*Uses PAR statements to describe your accomplishments. P identifies the 'problem' you faced; A describes the 'action' you took to solve the problem; R describes the 'result' of the action you took.

*Quantifies your accomplishments using numbers, percentages, etc.

*Makes effective use of the key words and phrases contained in the job advertisement to describe your skills and areas of expertise.

*Every sentence starts with an action word, for example: "increased production by 20% while saving £200,000 in operating costs" Examples of effective action words are: compiled, conducted, created, designed, developed, established, implemented, introduced, invented, maintained, negotiated, operated, organized, produced, and published.

*Explains how, in your previous jobs, you increased sales and profits, improved productivity, saved time and costs, and established good customer relationships.

*Provides evidence of the competencies most valued by employers, for example: your communication and interpersonal skills, flexibility, initiative, organisational ability, and teamwork.

*Includes any pertinent awards or honours you may have received.

*Provides your educational history and details of training related to the position you are seeking.

*Employment history is logical and consistent; and gaps of more than one year between your jobs are clearly explained.

*The layout is neat and uncluttered, with an easy-to-read sequence of sections and no large blocks of text.

*Contains no errors in spelling or grammar; and all unnecessary words have been eliminated.

*Hobbies and interests have been included only if they serve to reveal characteristics, skills or accomplishments that support your career objective.

Visit the author's website at http://www.assignmentsplus.com

About the Author
Gerard McLoughlin, Director of Assignments Plus Communications, has contributed career-related articles to a wide range of recruitment companies, websites and publications throughout the world: USA Today, JobBankUSA.com, US-Recruiters.com; Jobs1.co.uk, Nurse-Recruiter.com, Recruitireland.com, AutomationTechies.com, EcruitingInc.com, etc.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=55044