CV Preparation Tips

Writing an effective CV can often be one of the most difficult aspects of job hunting, following a few basic rules will make building and improving your CV more effective.

Basic Rules

The purpose of a CV is to sell yourself to a prospective employer. Ask yourself "What are the main qualifications or skills that I have to offer an employer?". Make sure that these are covered in your CV. Stick to the facts, but don't be afraid to include all relevant experience that indicate your abilities and talents.

A CV should rarely exceed three pages. Use clear, precise language and ensure that all spelling is accurate and that there are no grammatical errors. Ask friends to proof-read your CV for flow, grammar and typing errors. Encourage them to ask questions as these can help you to discover items you forgot to include.

Your CV should contain the following information:

Personal Details

Start your CV with personal details such as your full name, address, post code, telephone details (home, mobile, fax) and your e-mail address. Check and re-check that telephone numbers and email/postal addresses are all clear and correctly stated. Note: make sure that your voicemail message sounds professional. You don’t want a potential employer to get the wrong impression from a silly message on the voicemail recording.

Skills Summary

It may be beneficial for you to highlight your skills early in your CV. Depending upon your experience, you could list the specific computer software skills, the types of accounting systems in which you have experience, the size of budget that you have controlled, your supervisory experience, your knowledge of foreign languages, sales awards received, etc.

Education

List all relevant formal education, note the dates attended, degrees or diplomas granted, and the major subjects taken. If you are currently enrolled in a program of studies, indicate what level and/or mention the courses completed to date. If you hold a professional designation, note the date of qualification.

Also include other relevant courses such as computer software training, management training, sales and marketing courses, etc.

Employment History

List your experience in reverse chronological order; that is, put the most recent position first.

For each position held, state the name of the company, its location, your job title, the dates employed, and the nature of the business. Do not assume that your current or past employers are well-known, add additional information to describe them. If you have held multiple positions within the same company, be sure to list all of them - you want your potential employer to see how you have progressed.

The description of the position should include both a description of your responsibilities and accomplishments.

A Senior Manager's CV should include the size of the company, departments included in your chain of command, the number of direct reports, the size of your budget, the number and value of projects managed simultaneously, and any Profit & Loss responsibilities.

Account for any significant gaps between employment. If you took six months off to travel or study, say so.

Other Information

Use this section to communicate any other facts which you would like a prospective employer to know, such as "Willing to Travel" or "Willing to Relocate".

Hobbies & Other Interests

This section is optional, but can be useful since employers sometimes identify with people who have similar interests.

References

Under this heading, simply state that "business and personal references will be supplied upon request". This will avoid unnecessary inconvenience to your references by ensuring that they will be contacted only with serious inquiries.