The Purpose – Once we
understand the importance / the purpose of writing
a resume, it becomes clearer as to why the CV is
not just a documentary record of your career to
date but a chance to sell and present yourself to
a world full of interesting and challenging opportunities.
Consequently, spending a little time getting your
CV right is well worth the effort involved.
So! Where is the effort
involved?
The effort lies in clearly stating about
the attributes which will make you the most well
suited candidate for the job.
The next stage is to make
a brief outline or a structure of your resume and
the subject headings you want to include. Identifying
the broad subject headings is very important as
it is here that you would be mentioning the skills
you intend to sell through the CV.
The Structure:
Globally, the most widely accepted and preferred
resume is the one which is concise, chronological
with reference to events and is not superfluous.
Hence start with specific
sections covering personal details, educational
background, employment history and interests and
achievements.
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Your
personal details should always include –
|
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1. |
Your name |
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2.
|
Address
(or where you can be easily contacted) |
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3.
|
Telephone
number |
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4.
|
Date
of birth |
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5. |
Driving licence details |
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6.
|
Marital
status |
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7.
|
Health
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Next is the Education background
– List down all the educational background starting
with primary education, secondary education, graduation
and professional qualification.
It is also important to mention the relevant passing
years as well as the grades.
If you leave the grades off, the worst is usually assumed
and potential employers will think that you are trying
to hide something.
Employment History –
The key here is to finding the balance between writing
too much or too little.
Your employment history should always be mentioned
in the reverse chronological order starting with your
current organization and designation. It is always
your most recent position that should be elaborated
and covered in most detail.
Start with your responsibilities stating both the
technical as well as the non technical aspect of your
job. Stating your responsibilities in a chronological
order will show your progression in the job.
Next comes achievements which should always be mentioned
in bullet points with some description added as well.
Don’t just mention your technical or your operational
achievements but also those which portray your strength
as a “People’s Manager”.
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The
Look - |
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1. |
Your CV should look clean and sharp which means
no fancy fonts, decorative borders, photographs
or presentation folders. |
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2.
|
Keep
the length of the CV to just about 2 –
3 A4 sides |
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3.
|
Always
write in first person and be to the point in your
approach. Let’s not make it a hard work
for the employer to figure your key skills. |
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