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| CV PREPARATION |
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Changing Careers
You must remember one thing when looking for a job; you will not
be the only applicant, which is why a quality CV is very important.
It will be your initial contact with your potential future employer,
and it will be one of the key determinants of whether or not you will
be invited to an interview. The problem however is differentiation,
what can you do to make your CV stand out in a pile, thus giving you
an advantage over others.
- You all know the common headings: Personal Details, Education
Qualification, Employment History, Interests and References, but
there is so much more you can do to put your CV aside from the
rest. At MDA we receive thousands of CVs every week, we talk
to our clients so we know what we're talking about.
- The most important feature of an effective CV, is the basics,
sounds weird doesn't it? But it's true, there must be no errors
in spelling or grammar, it must be presented in a well-organized
layout, and have consistent uses of fonts and styles. All obvious,
but you can be amazed by the number of little errors that can
appear. You may be the best Analyst Programmer in the industry,
but simple mistakes particularly at the beginning of your CV will
consign it to the "Rejected" tray and from there, there's
no return!
- The second most important hint is that you must try to get your
CV to look forward rather than back and address the needs of the
job and what you can offer. You want to try and get your CV to
come across as what you want to do in the future as well as what
you have done in the past. This is achieved by simply having a
clear objective sounds difficult but it isn't. "I am looking
for a position that will allow me to..."
- Obviously you need to summarise your qualifications, skills
and experiences to date, but you want to do it in a way that it
fits into what the job requires. At the end of the day the key
really, is to read the advert carefully, and make your CV fit
the advert. Put yourself in the shoes of the employer, think about
what he/she wants to see/hear, and include it, as long as it's
the truth! BUT don't waffle, keep everything concise, and only
include things that are important.
- If the employer has 50 odd CVs to look through they don't always
have the time to read through each of your job descriptions to
determine whether or not you have the skills they are seeking.
Sounds harsh, but it's the truth, some employers only scan over
CVs looking for what they want to see. Which is why you must only
highlight the most important information about your work experience,
skills and education.
- Try to include Power Words or verbs that match the level of
the job you are seeking, for example if you are going for a senior
position it would be more appropriate to use a style of language
that encompasses that position.
- The final hint is to prioritise the content of your CV. If the
job description outlines something which is a necessity. Make
sure it's situated somewhere where it'll be noticed, i.e. if an
important skill is required, don't bury it towards the bottom
of your skills, put it up there at the top, where it will be seen,
and will make the employer sit up and take notice.
There's no right or wrong way to layout a CV, but if you just bear
in mind one final thing when your preparing your CV, keep in mind
the level of job and salary that you are seeking, and be sure to
create the right CV for that particular position.
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