How To – CV Writing For Idiots Part 5

Once you’ve sorted out what the employer really wants and worked out how you can prove you’ve got it, it’s time to start writing.

First of all, you need to decide which format your CV should take. The crucial factor here is to make sure the reader, your potential future boss, sees what he or she wants to see in the first 10 seconds.

Since you only have between 10 an 20 seconds in the first round of the CV trawl, you’ve got to make sure that the important facts stand out. If you don’t get through the first CV sifting, it doesn’t matter how brilliant you are or how amazing your cover letter is, you’re history. So if the critical information comes half way down page two, you aren’t really in with a chance.

Two important points before we look more closely at format: your CV should never be more than 2 pages long, unless you are an academic.

Secondly, it is usual only to go back 10 years in your work history on a CV, unless your earlier career was more relevant to what you are now applying for. There are always some exceptions and if you are asked for a “full CV”, that means your entire work history. Your information must be strategically placed if it is to jump out and catch the eye of the person scanning. So get the important stuff on the first page and use the appropriate format.

If your last few jobs have been highly relevant to the job you are after, it’s safe to use the chronological format, where you list jobs education in reverse chronological order. This is especially so if you have been climbing the ladder and this format shows your progress.

If it’s your skills and talents that are relevant, and not the jobs you’ve had recently, you should use a skills-based CV. The headings will be individual, and could be general or specific. So you might have Managerial Skills, IT Skills, Communication Skills and so on. Under each, you’ll list examples of when you used skills in those areas.

By: Waller Jamison

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