Having a resume is one of the ways of standing out in the job market. Having a great presentation of your credentials is the most effective method of having an edge over other job seeks. Employers sees your CV before meeting you and regardless of how gifted you are decisions will be made on what you’ve displayed on your resume.
You might be academic and very good at what you do but lack a cohesive way of articulating your skills and strength on your CV. That is the reason some employs the use of professional resume writers. This could proof quite effective and get the door open for interview but I believe that having a touch of your personality on your CV makes a lot of difference. You don’t have to get it perfect but you could start from somewhere. That is the reason we offer our free CV review service to people who want to write a great CV with the support of our team.
Here are some tips on how to get you started
· CV heading: This is where you display your personal details. It is shocking to see the amount of personal details some people are willing to share on this section. I have come across people writing the age or date of birth, full address, marital status and even the number of children they have. Your CV is not a job application, it is your own little pitch to sell yourself in the job market. This particular section is meant for your name and contact details like emails and telephone, you may add your town and maybe your borough if you live in a big city so that if specific recruitment is going on in your area you will get considered over people who have to travel far.
· The first section of your CV is your profile; this is the section most read by recruiters and most employer. I call it the window to your CV, it allows you to show your skills and achievements. In short this is the section where you sell yourself to employers.
· It shouldn’t be in paragraphs, I would not use any word count but make it short concise and straight to the point. An example goes thus
· I am a business manager with 12 years of experience in the financial sector. I have led my team through a number of business changes/improvements that had enhanced the quality of the end products, retention of customers as well as acquisition of new one. I have great versatility a skill that had helped me in managing digital transformation changes as the business evolve with new technology…
· Be careful not to create a cocky impression or display the kind of strength too hard to believe. But flag up your strength, if you’ve won award in your career or have unique certification you might as well display it here.
· Roles/Responsibilities: This is the section to summarise what your roles are. It is very tempting to write every single role you might be playing but bearing in mind that yours is not the only CV employers will read it is better to summarise and narrow it down to those roles that are in alignment with the specific job you are looking for. Those roles that could make you stand out among the rest
· Trainings and Skills: This section usually receives less attention because people struggles to identify desirable skills that employers are looking for and also a non-certifiable skill almost always will get under-rated but skills like communication, time management, team playing are very attractive to employers. So make sure you articulate them well on your CV
· Certification/ Education qualification: Usually get listed in reverse chronological order with the most recent at the top. Always add relevant qualification in alignment with the job you are seeking.
· Referee: Most people will provide referee on request and I am a fan of this. As it removes unnecessary additional pages to your CV and also reduces the burden of your referees getting contacted until it’s absolutely necessary to do so.
To learn more or get your CV reviewed send your request to admin@knowledge-pool.co.uk
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