Your first impression in applying a job is a CV (Curriculum Vitae). It is a document that must present your qualifications, skills and experiences in their most favorable light in order to attract the attention of hiring managers. In crafting a good CV there has to be a balance between being professional, clear, and personalized. Creating your CV has several dos and don’ts which can go a long way in the view of the prospective employers.
Do: Be Short and To the Point.
One should have a good CV, which is concise, well organized and points to the job he or she is seeking. Hiring managers usually have just a few seconds to go through each CV and you therefore have to make sure that important information can be easily found. It is recommended that your CV takes one or two pages. Showcase your most pertinent experience and qualifications and omit information that is not required in the job. Create a resume that is specific to the job, in such a way that you can focus on what skills and experience you have that fit the job description.
Don’t forget to put your contact details at the top, followed by a brief professional summary which provides a summary of your career. This is a quick preview of who you are and what you can bring to the table, as a reader. Put your work experience in reverse chronological order, beginning with the latest position.
Don’t: Get bogged down in personal information.
If you’re looking for a professional CV, consider using a CV maker in Dubai to make your document clear and pertinent. The majority of the employers do not utilize this information and even discriminate against employees based on their age, gender or appearance. Rather, emphasize on the abilities, experiences and achievements that qualify you to take up the position.
Do: Be Simple, Professional.
Words are important in the perception of your CV. Employ the professional language to the best of your knowledge. Use simple language and do not use too complicated words that may bewilder the reader. Remain focused, be succinct, and to the point. Active verbs such as: achieved, managed or developed should be used instead since it will make your CV meaningful and will highlight more on your achievements.
Make sure that your resume does not contain spelling and grammatical mistakes. Your professionalism and attention to details leaves much to be desired in your CV with errors. Proofread your grammar with grammar-checking software or get a colleague or friend of yours to proofread your CV.
Do not: Fib or Fabricate Your Qualifications.
Even though it is easy to inflate your accomplishments in such a bid to appear as a better candidate, lying on your resume is a costly affair. The employers will tend to verify the information you give them and once they detect some discrepancies, it will cost you the job. Be honest regarding your qualifications, skills and experience.
If you don’t have a certain skill, don’t claim that you do. Instead, focus on what you can bring and skills that can be transferred and that can be applicable in the job. Always, it is preferred to be truthful when writing your CV.
Do: Incorporate Achievements that are Measurable.
When describing the work experience, you are supposed to make efforts of providing measurable achievements that would demonstrate what you have done in the past jobs. Finite results, statistics and numbers all help to give you a clear picture of what you have accomplished. An example here would be instead of just saying that you led a team, you can say that you managed a team of 10 people and attained a 20 percent team efficiency increase in 6 months.
Measuring your success will enable your prospective employers to know the worth you can add to their company. It makes your experience a reality and shows that you are able to make a difference.
Don’t: Have Unprofessional Email Address.
One of the first things that an employer will notice in your CV is an email address which must be professional. Do not use personal or juvenile email addresses which may be inappropriate. Rather, a plain, professional email address with your name in it should be utilized. An example to this is that john.smithemail.com is much better than partyboy123email.com.
Wrong impression can be created by an unprofessional email address and your CV might not be picked as well. All your CVs should be professional.
Do: Show Your Competencies and Qualifications.
The current competitive job market is one that can be competitive and make one stand out amongst the rest of the applicants based on their skills and certifications. Remember to add a special section on your skills, I would have both technical and soft skills emphasized that are pertinent to the job. Whether it is software skills, project management or leadership skills, the display of your skill sets makes the employers have a glimpse of what they expect on their table at a glance.
Don’t: Have an Irregular or Unreadable Formatting.
Your CV format is as important as the contents. The resume with mixed fonts, colors or design will be difficult to read and will not impress the hiring managers. It can be done in a plain and business-like design with the same font size and style as is done throughout the document. Break down parts into headings and subheadings so that the reader could more easily work through the information.
Make the layout minimal, and have a lot of white space to prevent a cluttered appearance. The aim is to make the CV attractive and user-friendly to scan. A properly designed CV will be read to the end compared to the one that is difficult to follow.
Conclusion
To make a good CV, attention to detail and professionalism is necessary as well as careful planning. By the above dos and dons, you will be more likely to improve your first impression on your potential employers. It is important to remember that your CV is an image of your skills, experiences and professional identity. It should be capable of selling yourself as an applicant and at the same time be short and to the point.
