1. How To Write A 'killer' CV or Résumé
Introduction
How to sell your skills on paper and get yourself onto the shortlist for a job interview, is one of the
most important steps for getting a job and often the biggest hurdle for many.
What you are attempting to do is convince someone, who doesn't know you, that you are a worthy
consideration for the post they are trying to fill. With only your job application in front of them, you
are hoping that all your skills and abilities, your personality and your experience will shine through
the words and impress them. Impress them enough - to want to meet with you or talk to you
personally and find out more about what you have to offer them.
If you haven't sold yourself in the first paragraph of your job
application, then you've wasted your time writing it!
Basically, if you haven't sold yourself in the first paragraph of your CV or job application - then you
wasted your time writing it. So no matter what skills you have that relate to the job on offer, you also
need to develop some sales skills. If you are competing with many others, who may be equally
qualified for the position, then the deciding factor may be down to how well you sold yourself in your
application. Remember also that a good salesperson does a far better job when they believe in the
product they are selling and again, this is one area that many people fail in. Either through shyness,
not wanting to "blow your own trumpet", embarrassment about talking about yourself or general lack
of self-esteem, this is the one thing that lets so many down. If you don't believe in yourself, how can
you expect others to? If you are not sure that you are up to a particular job, you are going to project
that lack of confidence to the potential employer. If they are not short of applicants, then they
probably aren't going to put your abilities to the test.
All of your confidence (or lack of it) comes across in the way that you approach the job application
process, both in the written Résumé and later at the interview stage. Therefore, it is important to get
your act together, believe in yourself and focus on what message you really want to send to your
prospective employer.
The following sections cover the process of job applications and how to get the most value out of the
content of your Curriculum Vitae or Résumé.
One CV does not suit all job applications.
What you won't find are templates to copy - mainly because there is not one style to fit all cases. It is
too simplistic to pick up a template that worked for one person in one situation and expect that you
can just paste in your own details and it will work for you too. Not only are there differences in style
between countries, but also in industries, so there would be too many variations and possibilities.
By the end of this guide I hope you will understand that better and realise that you have to custom fit
every CV or Résumé to each job you apply for, if you are to make your best effort to be successful in
getting the job.
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2. The Employer
If you make the effort to present your job application well - it shows that
you take care with the tasks that you undertake.
Before we look at your Résumé or Curriculum Vitae in detail, it would be useful to view things from
the other side of the desk and put yourself in the position of "the employer" and think about what
would impress you if you were in that situation. Imagine yourself, Monday morning and the mail sack
has just arrived - full of job applications. Not only are you short-handed because you are one worker
down, but in order to fill that gap you have to spend time now, reading job applications and
interviewing potential employees.
Your first step is to go through the just arrived, stack of applications. You need to quickly sort through
them in order to narrow them down to those most likely prospects suitable to interview. You have a
busy schedule and work is piling up while you do this - are you going to waste your time with any that
are illegible, badly spelled or poorly presented? No - they will be the first you discard.
Here's your first tip - take the time to write up your application, neatly, with
correct spelling and grammar and in the format that was asked. Make sure it is legible
and preferably typed if you can.
It is worthwhile getting help with this - if your spelling is poor, get a dictionary, use
the spell-checker on the computer, get a friend to help or seek out someone who can
provide this service.
No matter what job is being applied for, even unskilled labour - the presentation of
your job application says a great deal about your ability to communicate and about
your approach to your work.
If you make the effort to present your job application well, it shows that you take care
with the tasks that you undertake. However, a slovenly or untidy job application
demonstrates the likelihood of the same behaviour towards other tasks. Ask yourself,
would you rather employ someone who thought they had done enough to sweep just
the middle of the room, or would you prefer someone who took the trouble to do all the
corners as well?
You also need to present your application in the format that they asked for, too. If they
ask for it to be on a specific form or sent to them in an electronic format - then make
sure you follow their instructions. This may be their first test - can you follow
instructions or do you do your own thing regardless?
Help the reviewer to get to the essential bits of your CV quickly.
Stepping back into "the employer" shoes again and the work on sifting the pile of applications. You
have now weeded out the "not worth bothering with" applications that were sent in from all those
people who obviously didn't want the job badly enough to make too much effort to get it. Now, you are
faced with reading the ones that are left and there must be 20 or 30 on your desk now to go through in
order to select maybe 5 or 6 to interview.
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3. At first, you might be quite diligent and read through all the pages of each résumé, but quickly realise
that at this rate, not only will you not be done by lunchtime, but the rest of the day looks like being
written off too. It doesn't take you long before your eyes are glazing over as you read - there is nothing
duller than the average CV - as applicant after applicant recounts their career history from schooldays
to the present time. The "potted history" of each applicant may be really interesting to them, but when
you've read 10 or 20, then it is very difficult to even stay awake, let alone take in the facts.
Scan reading helps you to move through the pile of applications more quickly, but tends to increase
the glazing effect and the job applications begin to blur together. If you have to narrow the choice of
applicants down by 75%, then it is only going to be the ones that stand out from the rest that get
anything beyond a cursory scan.
Here is the second tip - sell yourself in the first paragraph if you want your job
application to even be read, let alone considered for the next stage of the shortlist for
interview.
The first few sentences of your application or resume should not only make it clear
that you can do the job, but the first paragraph should be interesting enough that the
reader wants to actually continue and read ALL of your application.
The very first thing that should be mentioned is whatever it is that is THE most
important criteria being used for selecting the successful applicant or that would be
considered as an essential requirement to be able to do the job.
Starting your job application, CV or résumé off with a succinct summary of what you
can do for the employer, means that the person reviewing it has a quick snapshot of
who you are in relation to their business. They can quickly make a positive choice
in your favour, if what you've written basically says that you can fill their need.
I've seen many CV's where the applicant merely listed in chronological order, all the
jobs that they've had since leaving school - which meant that the most prominent
information was probably the least relevant to the job being applied for.
Help the reviewer of your CV to see your light - don't hide it under a bushel - put the
most recent and relevant information first (ie reverse chronological order).
A job that you did 5 year ago in your school holidays cleaning windows probably
won't help much, to get you the position of Shift Supervisor for a Call Centre, but your
last job as a Customer Service Team Leader might.
Help the reviewer to get to the essential bits of your CV quickly.
Being caught out in a lie doesn't demonstrate that you are an honest and
reputable person.
Back in the role of "the employer" again, you have probably managed to shed about half of the job
applications now, although it took you all morning to do it. The last sifting process has got it down to a
pile of about 10 to 12 "possibles" to consider. There are still too many to interview, so you will now
need to go through these in a bit more detail in order to narrow the selection down even further. Well,
that looks like some more exciting reading for you to look forward to - after lunch!
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4. Presumably, all of these applications had done a good enough job of selling themselves and look
interesting enough to be worth a further and more detailed reading. This is where a finer filter is
needed, to separate out those who can't back up their claims from those who can, to weed out any
"stretching" of the truth, or any shortfalls in experience and qualifications for the job.
At this point as "the employer" you have to adopt an approach which is more like that of a sleuth -
cross checking the details of each application, spotting errors, omissions, lies, reading between the
lines at what is NOT written. It's amazing what some people will claim in their CV's and what they
think they can get away with! As "the employer" you have your chance now to look more closely and
only select those that stand up to the detailed scrutiny.
Third tip - be honest or be bold enough to carry off a bluff! You will have to be very,
very good though - I did once know someone who lied about their experience, but they
were bold enough, self-confident enough not to give themselves away AND they were
capable enough to do the job, once they started.
Honesty, though, is your best policy. Yes, there are ways of emphasising certain facts
or playing down others, but at the end of the day - you have to be able to do the job and
if you are caught out in a lie about references or credentials - there will always be a
price to pay.
Remember - an employer will be trusting you with their business and they
are looking for clues that you are someone who will repay that trust, not abuse it.
Being caught out in a lie doesn't demonstrate that you are an honest and reputable
person - quite the contrary and you know which pile your application will therefore
end up in!
So, skipping back to being "the employer" - you now have a handful of applications left, that passed
your selection criteria, all the detailed scrutiny and that look worthwhile to interview. You hand the
rest to your administration assistant to post out the standard rejection letter. This is a courtesy that
you try to observe, but sometimes when you've been hiring for popular job positions, you've been so
inundated with applications that if you had answered every one, there would have been no time left to
do the job you were employed to do. It's worth bearing that in mind when you apply for any position,
where there is likely to be popular interest and not to take it too personally if you hear nothing further.
CV or Résumé?
Oxford Dictionary Definition
Résumé
noun -
1) a summary
2) N Amer. a curriculum vitae
origin from French, 'resumed'
After sitting in the employer's chair, you should have got a few clues about how best to approach the
job application process, what the employer is looking for and what information you give away besides
the facts that you've written.
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5. There are many styles of CV or Résumé and the mode you choose will usually reflect the country in
which you live as well as the profession or chosen field of work. The more formal and detailed
Curriculum Vitae is usually more lengthy and includes more information generally than a Résumé. A
CV tends to be the preferred option in some countries and with academic institutions generally. The
US generally seems to favour the style of the Résumé, which is more concise and summarises some
information. Whichever approach you take, CV or Résumé, there are still some principles that apply
regardless.
Presentation
In particular - legibility, spelling, grammar.
Whatever the style, your job application, CV, Résumé and/or letter of introduction should always be
neat, organised and well written. This is an absolute essential.
Contact Information
Contact information should be clear, accurate and complete.
Include all modes of contact, including telephone, mobile, fax, postal address, email address. The
more ways that you can be contacted, the easier it makes it for them to get in touch.
Job Target or Objective
State the position that you are applying for, up front, right at the beginning of your CV.
Bear in mind that the position you are applying for might not be the only one that is being dealt with
by the person receiving applications. It would be a shame if your application was filed with the wrong
batch and never reached its intended target for consideration.
Capabilities or Summary
This is a short synopsis or bulleted list at the beginning of your CV/résumé that summarises what you
are capable of and that is relevant to the job application.
There is no point including irrelevant information here, keep it concise and firmly targeted at the job
position you are applying for.
Make sure that you include the key words that an employer might be looking for, for the position you
are applying. These might be tools or equipment, accreditation, languages, methods of work or
systems. They are generally industry specific and would be used by people who really do work in that
industry.
If you have been supplied with the selection criteria for the job, then this will guide you as to what is
relevant.
In some cases you are asked to write a covering letter addressing the selection criteria and this would
be completed as a separate document to preface your CV.
You still need to prepare your CV according to these guidelines though - CV's of the top applicants are
often filed for future reference, even if they didn't get the job, because they might be relevant for a
similar post or a further recruitment. You want your CV to include all the information that is
necessary if it is picked up later, without the covering letter.
Example
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6. Job Target: Project Manager (Information Systems)
Capabilities:
• Plan, direct and co-ordinate activities of designated projects throughout all
areas of an enterprise to ensure that objectives are accomplished to
specification, on target and to budget.
• Take responsibility for the set up and management of a project team and
motivate its team members towards achieving its goals.
• Monitor time, resources, costs and standards throughout the duration of a
project and prepare status reports and risk analyses for senior management
and clients.
• Control and document all stages of a project to conform with ISO9001/BS5750
and standard project management methodologies in particular PRINCE.
• Utilise project management tools such as MS Project to assist in project
planning and the development of resource plans and work schedules for each
phase of a project.
• etc.
This summary contains job specific keywords and is a brief synopsis of the attributes of
the applicant that are relevant to the position being targeted.
Qualifications & Credentials
List them with the most relevant and highest level of qualification first.
The first on the list might as well give the best impression, because details further down could be
glossed over.
Career History
Reverse chronological order i.e. the most recent jobs first, working backwards.
You are making sure that someone scanning your CV has got the most recent information first - they
are looking for what experience you have in the field you are applying for and it needs to be recent.
They may not read beyond the beginning of it or might just scan the whole for continuous
employment - unless you get through to the detailed scrutiny stage.
It is also important to cross-check your dates and be clear if jobs overlapped, or if you had time out of
employment for specific reasons - such as further training or education, sabbaticals etc. Some people
may misinterpret the information and wonder what you were doing during "missing years"!
How much detail you put in this section depends upon whether you are writing a CV or Résumé, but
the above principles apply.
It is also worthwhile listing for each job, what are the important skills, tools, systems, etc that you
used during this time. It helps the reviewer to build up a more complete picture of your experience
over a period of time.
Example career history description:
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7. Jan 1979 - Apr 1984 at Associated Dairies
Senior Programmer
As a Senior Programmer I was responsible for systems design, specification and more
complex programming work on order processing, invoicing, stock control and EPOS
systems relating to their general store's operation.
My other responsibility was for the management and co-ordination of the work of a
team of programmers, and included all aspects of staff management such as
interviewing, training, allocation of work and progress reviews.
Honeywell L66/DPS8 (GCOS4/8);
IBM 3083 (MVS, JES3, TSO, ISPF, PANVALET);
COBOL, BASIC,
GMAP, MDQ, IDS, TDS, DMIV, TP, TSS/TEX,
DL/1, IMS DB/DC, MFS, BTS, VSAM
The above lists all the computers, software and languages used during this job. It is
relevant to someone in this field, and gives a quick snapshot of what experience is
current, or how long ago it was used.
Other Information
Depending upon the position and the particular industry, there may be other information that is
relevant to include.
Examples might be -
a list of industry specific or workplace training courses that you have undertaken, languages that you
are fluent in, computer software that you have used, mechanical equipment that you have worked on,
publications that you have written and so on.
These should have an appropriate heading and be grouped in a way that someone can quickly
assimilate the information.
Key Words
If you are a serious job hunter, then you are probably registered with several job agencies. Your CV
will be in a database against which job opportunities will be matched. It is important therefore, to
ensure that your skills list is up to date and includes all appropriate key words.
If you are registering with an online agency, via the Internet say, then you will probably have an
opportunity to add keywords to your details as a separate list - make full use of this, as it will
determine how your CV is indexed. When matching jobs and CV's there is a better chance of yours
being picked up and for more opportunities if you have all the variants of a key word listed.
Key Word Examples :
Sous Chef and Sous-Chef - if there can be more than one way to spell something, list
all variants.
Project Manager, Project Coordinator, Team Leader are similar roles that you
may be interested in, but different titles used for searching might mean your CV gets
missed, unless you include similar roles in your key words.
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8. Spreadsheet, Microsoft Excel, Excel97, Excel2000 etc.. Include generic
references as well as more detailed keywords. Someone may not be fussy about what
type of spreadsheet that you use, others may need you to be able to use a specific
version.
It is worthwhile preparing a list of all the keywords relevant to your own CV. Group them according to
type e.g. all job descriptions and roles together, all tools, all training courses, etc.. With a pre-prepared
list, it can save you time when registering your details with job agencies and ensure that nothing
important is overlooked. Being thorough with your registration details means that your CV has the
best chance for being selected when a suitable job comes up.
Hidden Messages
What are you saying about yourself by the way that you say it?
The way that you express yourself is actually sending a subliminal message along with any factual
information.
I am not talking about body language or the tone of your voice - although that is one way that you send
hidden messages. However, your choice of words and the way that you construct your written
documents also says a great deal more about you than you may think. Whether you are writing a CV, a
Résumé or letter of introduction - how you describe your capabilities is also telling a potential
employer about your character and personality.
For instance, if you describe yourself as someone who takes the trouble to get things right, but then
present your job application in a disorganised or sloppy manner- which will be believed? - your
actions or your words?
Or, perhaps you are portraying yourself as someone with an assertive and direct manner and who
would be capable of a supervisory role. If your words are full of excuses or criticisms about what you
had to work with, then you aren't demonstrating that you readily accept responsibility. Rather, that
you are more likely to look to someone else to resolve your problems or pass the buck on to.
There are also some things that are better left untold - anything which is derogatory to someone else
or anything that indicates any form of bad relationship with anybody, no matter who was to blame.
You might be a totally innocent party to someone else's misdeeds, but there will be a connection made
between you and something which is a negative characteristic. You do not want to portray any
possibility that "you don't get on with people", or that you are a "victim" in any way. These are
negative impressions and will not enhance your employment prospects.
No matter how good you are at a particular job, employers like people who get on well with others,
because they are less likely to have "employee issues" to deal with.
Excerpt from a job enquiry
"Hello,
I signed up with xxxxx over three years ago and they kept routing my callers to other
psychics, so I quit. I also heard many people being cheated by yyyyy, no sense in
working when not being paid...
I was wondering if there are any jobs available for psychics on your line..."
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9. The first words written were criticisms of other businesses. The first impression was all
negative - the problems she'd had and concerns she might have about getting paid.
There was nothing about what she had to offer. Straight up, the subliminal message was
that she would be too much trouble!
It is important to ensure that you only send positive messages, that reinforce what you are saying
about your strengths and your capabilities.
Adding Value
Every sentence you write in your job application can be increased in value towards making the right
impression.
You can simply state a fact or you can make the sentence work harder for you and add your
personality and work values to it. The point being that you can also give a positive impression of you
as a person, employee or colleague as well as the mere facts that you have qualifications and
experience in a particular field.
Compare these 2 statements:
"I worked at a burger chain serving up meals to customers and clearing
tables."
"I worked for a year at a burger chain delivering good service to
customers. Whether it was in serving up a meal or in maintaining a
clean dining area, I learned a great deal about catering in general and
enjoyed the interaction with customers."
The first statement may be factual, but there is no indication of what your work ethic is - did you drag
yourself in reluctantly for your shift, avoided work as much as possible and couldn't wait for the end of
the day in order to "escape"? Or were you a willing worker that got on well with colleagues and
customers and learned and grew on the job?
The second statement, however, says much more about your attitudes and abilities - the impression it
gives is that you:
• were a willing worker,
• applied yourself to whatever task was required,
• took notice of the other activities around you,
• learned new skills,
• interacted with customers in a positive way,
• would probably be an asset in roles where you were "front of house" and therefore encourage
customers to buy more.
Which job applicant has already set some preferences in their favour, in the mind of the person
reading their application? It may be the smallest difference, but one which might mean that your
application goes through to the next round in preference to the other.
Let's look at the statements in more detail and understand the hidden messages in each component.
"I worked for a year at a burger chain ..
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10. You reinforced that you worked at this job for a year. Considering this is likely to be a
low-paid job in an industry with high staff turnover, you are demonstrating a level of
commitment and also satisfaction by your employers.
.... delivering good service to customers......
You have a concept of a value system called "Good Service". This is a boon in any
industry, but especially those with direct dealings with customers.
.... Whether it was in serving up a meal or in maintaining a clean dining area,....
You served up meals and cleaned tables, but you are also showing that you have a
concept of another value system called "Cleanliness" and you are "results" focused - the
emphasis being put on the end result of a clean dining area i.e. you did what had to be
done to achieve the desired outcome.
... I learned a great deal about catering in general...
Even though your main focus was on waiting on table, this shows that you paid attention
to the whole operation of the business and therefore learned much more in the process.
... and enjoyed the interaction with customers...
When someone enjoys their work, they put more energy into it. It also shows that you
have a rapport with people and would likely suit other roles where you were directly
involved with customers.
You can see just how much more you can get out of a couple of sentences by "value adding" with
appropriate key words that represent positive characteristics or value systems.
It is similar in approach to that used by advertising, where certain concepts and values in the viewer
are invoked as they read. The reviewer makes a sub-conscious connection between what is fact and
what is their own judgement and comes to a conclusion which is more than the sum of the parts that
you have written down.
Be careful, however, that when you are value adding your own CV or Résumé, that the end result
doesn't look or sound like an advert or marketing campaign. You should aim to get your message
across in a natural way and avoid anything that seems false or contrived.
Practical Exercise
Get out your latest CV or Résumé and read how you have described yourself and the jobs that you
have done.
See how you can re-phrase each description, each job activity in a way that sends positive messages
about your abilities. See if you can "value add" your own words.
This is a good exercise to do in pairs, especially with someone who doesn't know you very well. After
you have re-written a section, get the other person to read it and tell you their first impression.
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11. Summary
Essential Points
Here again are the essential points to remember when compiling your CV or Résumé:
• One size doesn't fit all! One CV or Résumé doesn't fit all situations - custom fit each
application to the job you are targeting
• Presentation - your application needs to be clear, legible, organised and formatted according
to any instructions given
• Sell yourself in the first paragraph or you wasted your time writing it
• Value add your words to create a positive impression, more than the mere facts describe
• Avoid any negative issues, criticisms or derogatory remarks - mud sticks!
• Get the priorities right. Ensure the most important information is the first to be read in each
section i.e. most recent career history, highest qualification
• Key words - make sure that you have used all the significant words that are relevant to the
job being targeted.
• You get out, what you put in! The end results depend to a large extent on the amount of effort
you put in to creating your CV or Résumé, in the first place.
There you have it - the basic ingredients for writing a "killer" CV or Résumé. Armed with this
information you should be able to do a good makeover on your current CV or Résumé and apply for
your next job with a more targeted approach.
However, don't stop there - look at job agencies in your area and on the Internet for any useful
templates that will help you format and present your personal information in a way that is suitable for
your location or the industry that you work in. You will also find references below which may assist
you further.
Happy job hunting!
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