A curriculum vitae or CV is one
of the most important documents any of us will ever prepare.
It is a document that markets us as an individual. Whilst companies
spend millions on marketing their corporate identities, we as
individuals may well put together a CV in a matter of hours or
even minutes.
As reviewers of CV’s let us give you some of our own views
on what we look for.
Length
There are those who say that one page is the ideal length, whereas
others prefer a document with every conceivable detail that
might take an hour to read. We find that the first example
often tells us virtually nothing, whereas the second is so
daunting that we dread the thought of having to read it all.
Our preference is for 2 to 3 pages, but with lots of ‘white
space’ and headings, making it easy to read.
Personal Details
We like to see these at the beginning and want to know name,
address and telephone number. A telephone number at work is
useful but we respect it when candidates either put ‘with
discretion’ or a request to use only the home number.
Date of birth can be emotive if there is any hint of age discrimination.
However, it does help the reader judge career progression. Likewise ‘marital
status’ can be considered sexist. But the majority of recipients
such as ourselves just want to know the correct title by which
to address the candidate at their home or leave a message with
their spouse. We can at least address the person correctly without
arousing suspicions as to who the strange person is who is trying
to get hold of their husband or wife!
Education and Qualifications
The amount of information here depends largely on the level of
qualifications obtained. The most senior qualifications should
take prominence. For graduates, ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels
are still important, but those with professional qualifications
should give these prominence. As an example, if someone is
a Chartered Accountant, then we would wish to know the date
they obtained that qualification and with whom they obtained
it. We would also want to know if they have a degree, and from
where this was obtained plus the dates, class and the subject.
We would be less interested in their ‘O’ and ‘A’ level
record and whether they obtained an ‘O’ level in
woodworking or domestic science. The number of ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels
obtained would be quite sufficient.
When giving qualification details, abbreviations are not always
sufficient and the actual qualification should be spelt out.
This is particularly important if you have a less familiar qualification.
Another common problem is for people to write about studying
for a qualification without actually confirming whether they
ever obtained that qualification in the end.
Career History
We prefer to read employment history starting with the present
job and working back. It is, after all, the recent years of
experience that are of most interest to the reader.
Unfortunately, it is in this area that CV’s are often
lacking. For instance, the writer may name their employer but
give no indication of what the organisation does. Unless we are
aware of the activities of the employer, it is difficult to put
the job into context. Other common mistakes are not indicating
internal promotions or the reason for wanting to change employment.
All gaps in career history should be explained.
The ideal career history will contain:
Depending on the length of the career in question, similar information
should cover the past 10 years. Prior to that, information can
be more brief with names of employer, dates and job title only.
Interests
This is a tricky one. We know of those who put great emphasis
on a person’s interests on their CV, whilst we are happy
to learn about these later in the process. Over the years,
we have become cynical with ‘reading, gardening, DIY
and the theatre’ so often, even though this is probably
what we would put ourselves! However, caution is needed as
interests can sometimes offend. It is largely a matter of personal
choice whether a candidate wishes to include interests. It
is extremely unlikely that candidates would not be interviewed
purely because they had omitted to mention their interests.
Our comments on CV’s are as follows:
Firstly, they should be simple and ‘idiot-proof’.
Remember that the recipient may not be a technician in your discipline.
Do not fill the CV with jargon that someone outside of your discipline
would not understand.
Finally, a CV is likely to be used for different job applications.
It should therefore always be accompanied by a covering letter.
Within this letter, you can expand on the experience and details
that are pertinent to the particular job for which you are applying.
Invariably, when we receive CV’s and a covering letter,
candidates fail to give a reason for their application. Stating
your reason for applying and the attraction that the job holds
for you can make all the difference to whether you are invited
to an interview.
Your CV is the document that gets you in the door. Thereafter,
it is up to you
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