h ow to write a resume / cv. what is a resume? a resume is a one page summary of your skills,...
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HOW TO WRITE A RESUME / CV
WHAT IS A RESUME?
A resume is a one page summary of your skills, education, and experience. The resume acts much like an advertisement for a company trying to sell something. The resume is your advertisement.
INTERCHANGABLE TERMINOLOGY
Curriculum Vitae "a brief biographical
résumé of one's career and training, as prepared by a person applying for a job.“
More common term in the UK
Résumé"a brief written account
of personal, educational, and professional qualifications and experience, as that prepared by an applicant for a job."
More common term in the USA
WHY DO I NEED A CV?
Many employers will ask for one Think of your CV as a brochure designed to
promote you Take some time and effort and create a really
great CV - it will be worth the effort In an application form you are limited in what
you can say about yourself - you can only answer the questions that are asked
In your CV, you are in control. Take advantage of this and show yourself in the best possible light
YOUR CV IS A WORK-IN-PROGRESS
Keep a master CV, which is updated cumulatively as you progress in your career:
add to it only when you have new experience or achievements to record
delete from it only as older items appear less significant in the light of new experience
Each time you apply for a job, make a copy of your master CV:
edit the copy to reflect the specific requirements of the job you are applying for
keep careful records of what was submitted for which vacancies
WHAT SHOULD I PUT IN MY CV?
The past how have you spent your life so far? what have you achieved?The present what are you currently doing? what have you learnt from what you have done in the past?The Future where do you want to end up? how do you plan to get there? It is good to have a career goal. It indicates that you are ambitious and are taking your career seriously. Your goal should be ambitious but achievable. You should be knowledgeable about what your goal
entails, and be prepared to discuss it at interview. You should have a realistic plan for achieving your goal The job for which you are applying should be part of that
plan.
THE PAST
How have you spent your life so far? schools and colleges attended (with dates) qualifications attained (with dates and grades) employers and job titles (with dates) student/vacation work (with dates)
What have you achieved? Do you have any sporting achievements? Do you play a musical instrument? Do you play in a band
or orchestra? Are/were you a member of any student clubs societies? Have you undertaken any voluntary work? Have you ever won any prizes or awards? Have you taken a leadership role or position of
responsibility with respect to any of the above?
SKILLS
Subject or industry specific skills: For an IT professional you might list the
programming languages that you have used - indicating your level of experience in
each. If you are a school teacher you might list the
subjects and levels at which you have taught.
Generic or transferable skills: Can you write well? Can you communicate effectively on the
telephone? Can you fit in to their team? Are you reliable? Can you be trusted with money? Do you have any leadership ability?
HOW SHOULD I ORGANISE MY CV?Use bullet point - or short paragraphs - within each of
these sections. Personal Details - simple, factual information. Career Goal - this section is optional but if you decide
to include it, be prepared to discuss it at interview. Educational History - bullet point your progress (with
dates) Employment History - bullet point your progress (with
dates) Skills and achievements - say when & how you have
demonstrated these Referees - make sure you ask their permission first Leisure Activities - this section should be kept fairly
short unless you have something very interesting to say.
Within each section, put more recent items above older ones
THE PERSON READING YOUR CV IS BUSY
... so use structure, layout and formatting to help him. Keep the structure, formatting and layout simple,
logical and consistent. Use layout such as white space, indentation and bullet
lists: to emphasise important information such as dates to enable the reader to scan quickly to the information he is
interested in. Keep the text of each item brief but self contained. Your CV should normally be no longer than two sides. Do not use a font that is smaller than 11 point Times
New Roman (or equivalent) - 12 point is even better.
USE POWERFUL WORDS I
Communicationskills
Managementskills
Researchskills
Technicalskills
addressarbitratecorresponddrafteditlecturemediatemotivatenegotiatepersuadepresentpublicisereconcilespeakwrite
assignattainchaircoordinatedelegatedirectexecuteorganiseoverseeplanrecommendreviewstrengthensupervisetrain
collectcritiquedefinedetectdiagnoseevaluateexamineexploreextractidentifyinspectinterpretinvestigatesummarisesurvey
assemblebuildcalculatedeviseengineerfabricatemaintainoperateoverhaulprogramremodelrepairsolveupgrade
USE POWERFUL WORDS II
Creativeskills
Financialskills
Salesskills
Teachingskills
conceptualisecreatedesignfashionformillustrateinstituteintegrateinventoriginateperformrevitaliseshape
administerallocateanalyseappraiseauditbalancebudgetcalculatecontrolcomputedevelopforecastproject
sellconvertclosedealpersuadehighlightsatisfywin oversign
adviseclarifycoachelicitenableencourageexplainfacilitateguideinforminstructpersuadestimulatetrain
USE POWERFUL WORDS III
accurateactiveadaptableadeptbroad-mindedcompetentconscientiousenterprising
enthusiasticexperiencedfairfirmgenuinehonestinnovative
logicalloyalmaturemethodicalmotivatedreliableresourceful
self disciplinedsense of humorsensitivesinceresuccessfultactfultrustworthy
WHICH CANDIDATE IMPRESSES YOU MORE?
Candidate 1: "I gained considerable
experience in dealing with the public during my summer job as receptionist for the Ramada Hotel, Portrush. This involved responding to enquiries on the telephone and registering guests on arrival. I feel much more confident in dealing with the public now."
Candidate 2: "I am good at
dealing with the public”
WHICH CANDIDATE IMPRESSES YOU MORE?
Candidate 1: "I want to spend
four years working in web design and development to get experience of the technologies and the business. After that I intend to become an internet entrepreneur."
Candidate 2: "I'm not really sure
what I want to do. I thought about web design but then I didn't know if there would be any jobs. Maybe I'm more suited to management."
GOOD LUCK!