HOW TO WRITE A GOOD CV
1) The point of writing a good CV is to ensure that you receive an interview with your
potential employer; it will also help you during your interview process.
2) To have a CV in the IT or Telecoms industry, it needs to be to the point, but it also
needs depth. For anyone to grasp the flavour of the document it must be possible
for them to glance in an instance, however, it still needs to be possible for them to read in detail.
3) Around 80% of CVs do not do the job of handing over exactly what the roles of the candidate
are suitable for. What you need to do is take a good look at your CV and make
sure that the document works. i.e., make sure that the CV does exactly what you say you do.
4) The two page CV is designed to read and flick through like a small chapter, but in detail
when you need it.
5) Some candidates are capable of doing more than one role in the industry, if need be,
have 2 CVs available, do not lie. You
can have a CV for managerial experience and one document for technical; however, you need to apply for the roles that are
suitable to your CV.
6) Start your CV from the present
and then go backwards, show the company names you are presently working at and companies you have worked for. Use your employer names, dates and the roles you were involved with along with any hardware, software and
skills you utilised. If your job role was Head of IT or Pre-sales Manager, and
your job was actually doing 2nd and 3rd line support for 6 offices, make adjustments to the title that
are appropriate.
7) Build your CV with plenty of white
space. Do not use 5mm margins and small font sizes. You need to think about how a business documents is structured, they will have headings, bullet points
and white space.
CV PAGES HOW MANY?
1) It depends; as long as the position you’re applying for requires it to be, however,
do not be forced to conform to the two page CV that is still the mainstay of some industries personal preference.
2) Usually CV’s of a technical
nature has the average length of 3.5 pages or more. However, the consultant will
add other extra pages such as the cover sheets and the notes written by the consultants.
The employers are used to glancing pages of documents, therefore, you need to keep your CV simple and to the point.
3) For a senior management role, usually
the two page CV is suitable, if they were applying to an independently advertised role.
Quite often the recruiter will put your details together and present it to the employer and attach the interviewer
notes as well.
4) What you need to remember is a
CV will get you through the door, however, you cannot guarantee it will actually get you the job, when you go into the interview
room; you’re on your own.
CV STRUCTURE
1) To
structure a CV, what you need to think about is a business document for e.g. a project definition document; this will have
plenty of white spaces, bullet points and details when it is required.
2) a. First page -
Name
Address
Date of Birth
Home Phone
Mobile
Email address
Personal summary of yourself
Career objectives
Major achievements
b. Second page -
Qualifications
Schools\Colleges\Universities
Hardware and Software used
Duties conducted within the role
Projects you were doing
Top Ten Hints
1) Make sure you spell check your CV and it is proof read;
2) Do not use boxes on your CV, unless you’re a graphic designer;
3) Save your CV as a Word document or Rich Text Format;
4) You need to be consistent where you use Bold and Underline;
5) Do not use colour in your CV, this is a business document;
6) Check your margin, it needs to be 1 inch (2.5 cms);
7) The reviewer needs to make comments, so use white spaces;
8) Font size needs to be 11 point Arial, this works well;
9) With emails, check the email body text and your subject line;
10) Make sure you copy contact details into your email body text.
