Writing A Curriculum Vitae (CV)

The Curriculum Vitae (CV) or Resume may be the most important document you ever write. A good CV will get you an interview for the job you want, while a bad one will mean that you are rejected without being seen. It is, therefore, through the CV that you 'sell' yourself. Your CV is in the nature of a calling card to remind the interviewer who you are. A CV is intended to show that you are capable of doing the job and that you may be the person the employer is looking for. Your CV must be created in such a way that it will help your campaign, provoke interest and get an interview, facilitate a face-to-face presentation and prospect for you outside your geographic area. Making your CV stand out in the crowd is half the battle when there are always so many applicants for every opening.

A CV or resume is a carefully tailored marketing tool that summarizes one's employment qualifications for a pre-defined target audience. The two aspects to consider are content and presentation. Your CV is however, not a confession. You can present yourself in your best light emphasizing your strengths and playing down your weaknesses. This is quite fair; your competitors are all doing the same. Good presentation will, however, never make up for weak content, but it is all too easy to ruin strong content by poor presentation.

LAYOUT

Your layout should always be clear, logical and easy to follow with plenty of white space. Set your margins at 1" on all sides to start with. If space becomes an issue, you can shrink them down to 1/2", but any smaller and your page will start to look cramped. Margins serve to provide a welcome border of white space around your text and also as a built-in memo pad for employers to make notes directly on your CV, if they wish to.

• Name is, of course, the first heading. It looks best when centered or pulled out to the left hand margin. Put it in bold type and make it larger than anything else on you resume
• Address and Phone Number - List your complete address and moblie number. If you have a phone number and e-mail address, list those as well. List either your home phone number or your office phone number or both. Your office number must be listed only if you are sure that you have privacy in its use.
• Profile - To make a strong, positive impression from the start formulate a profile or summary statement that can grab the reader's attention in the first few seconds of reading the CV. The profile is most effective for the experienced job hunter to prove to the employer that you are tuned to his needs and possess the qualifications he is seeking. In fact, anything favourable should be on the front page, in summary form, if necessary.
• Objective - Most recruiters advise that recent graduates should include an objective on the resume. A well-conceived objective shows the prospective employer that you not only know what you want in a job but that you have also taken the time to learn what they want in a candidate.
• Education - Use this section as a major selling point to show why you are particularly well qualified for the job, Place it on the top after your objective. But if you have professional experience, then, of course, education come after experience. In the education section mention the name of the institution attended, city and state of its location, name of the degree/diploma or certificate you received, the year of graduation. If you are a fresh graduate in a field relevant to the job and your percentages are good, listing your aggregates is a good idea. If you got A First Class Honours / Master's, mention it so that it is noticed; if yu got a second class / pass, leave it out and explain later.
• Experience - could be the heart and soul of your CV. In this section, describe accomplishments, major job responsibilities, skills and knowledge acquired on the job. List your jobs in reverse order and with the latest and most interesting coming first. You may highlight internships, voluntary work, extra curricular activities, responsibilities handled, etc. if you have no professional experience.
• Activities - section is vital for freshers. Highlight those that are relevant to the job.
• Special Skills - must be listed in the order of their relevance to the employer. Remember to qualify the level of proficiency, say in languages, computers, shorthand/typing, speaking, etc.
• Your interests are best listed if they are either unique or relevant to the job. Controversial issues like religion or politics are best not mentioned.
• Professional memberships / continuing education, Licences / Certificates / publications are to be listed depending upon their relevance and contribution to your value as an employee.
• Publications - If you are applying for an academic post and you have a significant number of publications, mention them in the top half of the front page. For an academic position, highlight academic publications. For non-academic posts, high-lighting popular articles shows that you can write readably and can communicate technical matters to a general audience.
• Referees - It is quite all right to mention, "The names and addresses of referees can be provided if necessary". When you must quote name of referees, they should be people who can comment on your suitability for a job rather than those who could exercise political pressure. Your college professor or former boss - someone who knows you well enough, has some evidence of your performance and ability is a better referee. Talk to your referees; seek their permission and cooperation. Go over your CV with them and discuss the kind of recommendation they will give you.

HELPFUL HINT'S

• Ideally, a CV should not be more than two or three pages, on the shorter side when you are a fresher.
• State your career objective; include all academic and practical training, experience and skills that are in line with it.
• Sell yourself. Without exaggeration, emphasis your skills, accomplishments and levels of responsibility attained.
• Put the important things first. Arrange the information within each item with your career goals in mind.
• Use reverse chronological order, meaning that when items are listed by date, the most recent should come first.
• An action-oriented style with action verbs to highlight achievements is the best.
• Make it brief; delete irrelevant verbiage and fluff.
• Use perfect grammar, spelling an punctuation.
• Active voice is always better than passive
• Avoid grandiosity. Always opt for the simplest, most straightforward language.
• Make sure your document is readable. It should be spotless and attractive, well centered with no crowding.

A CV's content should be completely factual, results-oriented, accurate and honest. The focus should be on verifiable accomplishments and skills rather than no subjective qualities such as attitudes or personality traits. Your CV is, in a sense, a documentation of your past but it needs to be geared towards your future.

DON'Ts

• Avoid serial numbers against the items in your C.V. It is not supposed to read like a shopping list.
• Do not include details of height, weight etc. unless specifically asked.
• Avoid mention of sex/gender, as it shouldn't matter either way.
• Father's / Husband's name may be mentioned but their occupation need not be described unless this strengthens your application is some way.
• Mentioning a number of well-placed relatives in your CV is of no consequence because the CV is yours. The employer has to be impressed with your achievements not theirs.
• Don't act smart and skip details that you feel may go against your candidature. For example, not giving date of birth (because you are older than specified), not giving qualification (because the advertisement specified a science graduate and you graduated in commerce), not specifying languages spoken (because the advertisement specified familiarity with the local language and you do not speak it). You may feel that you can explain in the interview but chances are you may not be called at all. It is wiser to give an explanation in the covering letter and mention why you should still be considered.
• References need not be provided unless specified. (Mention that you will provide them as and when needed.)
• Mention nationality only when asked to do so, or when applying for an international appointment.
• Statements or achievements that cannot be proven should not be included.
• Do not use abbreviations that can be understood in different ways.
• Avoid overcrowding with in-consequential data.
• Exaggeration and flowery terms are out.
• Remuneration - avoid the risk of over or under-pricing yourself by omitting such details. If specifically asked, deal with it in your covering letter.
• Reasons for leaving previous job - This is a potential minefield; so let them wait for the interview.
• Don't use just any paper - use only good quality white bond paper.

PRESENTATION

     

The final step is to present your CV well. It is worth the cost of getting it on a word processor and using a laser printer. Let it be professionally laid out, so that it is both neat and eye-catching. Every prospective employer should get a top copy typed on expensive paper, not a smudged photocopy. You, then, give the impression that you are someone who is willing to do the job properly, because you will indeed have done the job properly.

It is advisable that a CV be rewritten for each job, emphasizing the skills and experience that are relevant. Tailor your resume so that busy recruiters know immediately how you are going to add value to their organisation.

The Covering Letter ACV usually goes with a brief covering letter highlighting your qualifications and experience (relevant to job). It should be concise, to the point and well phrased.

Application Forms / Format Expect to fill out in a ready-made format for entry-level positions in public / private sector organisations or government service. Fill it up neatly and correctly and keep a copy for your reference.