do you have a killer cv

Gain Competitive Edge by preparing a Killer CV

www.CareersAndCareers.com

Definition of CV

• 'Curriculum Vitae' or “CV” is derived from Latin and means "the way your life has run". In other words, a CV is a personal statement outlining your life from an educational and professional point of view.

• The role of a CV is to get you an interview and your foot in the door, not to get you the job.

• Your CV should reflect your occupational and educational life and be relevant to the position you are applying for. CV is a tool which acts as your personal marketing platform to sell/promote yourself to a prospective employer.

• When preparing your CV bear in mind that potential employers will only spend a mere 30 - 60 seconds reading your life history.

• Evaluating your own skills, your objective, education, accomplishments, achievements and personality is one of the most difficult hurdles and is the first step in the CV writing process.

• Highlights the relevant facts about you, your education, and your experience.

• Makes the first impression about you. • Positions you in the mind of the employer, thus creating a value.

• An average professional will change careers 5 - 9 times in their lifetime

• Therefore CV experience is essential if you are ambitious

Career Planning

Competitive Edge

• Finding a prospective employer through research

• Information on the company • Knowledge of the industry • Network as networking works!• Knowledge of the job • Be well-prepared per job specifications • An affective cover letter • More than a Resume Most important • Opening the Door• The Interview • Your Image

Finding the Right Employer

• Newspaper

• Walk in and see

• Telephone

• Internet

• Head-hunter

• Job Service

• Career Advice Centres

Use the above Sources to find your dream

job

Network for Finding the Right Job

Talk to people in a prospective organization & keep your eyes & ears open for a good opportunity

A New Approach to Hiring

• Now a days recruiters & HR executive scans your resume and may view your or profile

• They may your name. They may read your , , or blogs

• The conventional method of reference check by HR with your old companies and colleagues is still in place

Careful Planning is Crucial

What employers want:

• Reliability, Honesty, Motivation, Ability, Efficiency, Helpfulness, Integrity

What employers don’t want:

• Carelessness, Absence, Irresponsibility, Troublemakers, Lack of Ambition

Your CV should Reflect......

What do you Want? Logically show why

YOU ARE HERE NOW BUT YOU WANT TO BE THERE

Focus on a Career and Not Just a Job

• Apply for a Job you Really Want

• Otherwise you will stay bored and un-productive for the employer

• Then soon you will have to look for a new job

Professional CV Dos’

• Relevant, Clear and Concise.

• Be clear about your experience.

• Use white or light coloured paper & use paper that is of high quality if posting

• Reproduce on a laser printer or take it to a print shop

• Use white space

• Avoid graphics and shading

• Use a font size between 10 & 14 points

Professional CV Don’ts

• No typing errors.

• No misspellings.

• No Abbreviations.

• Do not include any negative information.

• DO NOT include irrelative information

• DO NOT write as a letter instead of a summary

• DO NOT include interests, hobbies unless relevant to the job

• DO NOT include Age & Birthday

Have more than one CV Versions

• Create a more focused CV each time you apply for an opportunity.

• When preparing a CV, stay focused on Job Specifications

• Prepare and upload a 'generic' resume to use in online databases.

Don’t hesitate to show your Achievements

• Summary of any published research/articles

• Details of what your major accomplishments are

• Achieved “An Investors in People Awards” for previous employers

• Brand Management

• Responsibilities of group budget

• Lead a team of 21 in seven units

• Talk about how your skills would benefit the company

• Only sell what the new employer is looking for

• Always if quantify in numbers or percentages when appropriate

Highlight Your Special Skills

You have to tell prospective employer,

What can you do which others can’t

• Played a major role in building “London Eye”

• Developed “Dreamweaver” software

• Conducted a seminar on Brand Management

• Tell how your values would benefit the company

• Sell what the employer is looking for

• At the end of the day your CV is your Sales Brochure

Talk about your Awards

You have to tell prospective employer,

If your work was Recognised

• If you were an Employee of the Year”

• Passed in Distinction in your professional qualifications

• Achieved a “Gold Medal” in your degree or Master degree

Show that You have a ...

Demonstrate through your CV that you

Have one of these

• Your experience and it’s demonstration on your CV should show that you have a head on your shoulders

• Give very calculated and measured examples of your special achievements

Be Prepared

• Employer will ask you questions from within your CV, so be sure to remember your CV

• For senior jobs, you will have panel interviews and usually more than one interview, so analyse your own CV from various angles

• Make sure to keep a record of examples of work situations from your CV

Strategic Thinking is the Key

• The good news is, it's never too late to forge a new professional path. In fact, lot of people just like you have successfully made the switch. As long as you approach the process strategically and allow yourself plenty of time to complete the transition, your career change campaign is likely to end in success.

Multi-Tasking

• Demonstrate that you are a Multi-Tasker

• No need to give practical examples on the CV but be ready to answer any questions during the interview if asked

Team Worker

• Demonstrate that you are a Team Player

• And that you can Lead as well affectively

Well Balanced

• Demonstrate that you are a well balanced professional

• And can keep balance between priorities and judge these logically

Out of the Box

• Demonstrate that you can “Think out of the Box”

• And can lead the company strategically ahead of its competitors

CV Structure and Format

• Keeping your CV concise and to the point is a difficult task. Selecting a comprehensive structure and format will help you achieve this. There are many layouts to choose from, and they vary from country to country

Styles of CVs

1. Reversed-Chronicle order

2. Skill-Based

3. Creative

Typical CV Headings

• Contact details

• Personal profile

• The Career Objective

• Education & Qualifications

• Professional Experience

• Additional Skills

• Hobbies and Interests

• References

Contact details

• Name (write full name with big and bold font)

• Address, City and State, Post Code

• Telephone Number

• Mobile Number

• Email Address

Personal Profile

• Highly recommended to grab the reader’s attention, it is a key selling tool. Ideally this should be punchy, precise and no more than three, 15-words sentences. E.g. “A Group Financial Controller with 15 years experience of Management Accounts in Financial Services”.

The Career Objective

• KEEP IT SHORT

• Example: “To obtain a position as Director Finance in a Banking or Insurance Sector.”

Education & Qualifications

• List most recent education first.

• Write Date of Completion & University/ College name

• Percentage only if passed in “A” grades

• Academic honours.

• Don’t include high school (unless this is your highest level of education).

Professional Experience

• Write in reverse chronological order

• Divide the relevant experience starting with most recent job first

Five Important Components to mention: –• Job Title

• Name of Employer

• Location

• Dates of employment

• Description

• Exclude• Unaccountable gaps in between jobs.

• Street address, supervisor names, telephone number or reason for leaving.

Additional Skills

• Technological Skills.

• Foreign Languages

• Project Management

• Training Skills

• Audits etc.

• Professional Memberships

• First Aid

Hobbies and Interests

• Don’t list your Hobbies unless these are professionally organized, that is, if you belong to a club or group

• Has some relevance to the position

References

• Do not send to employer unless they request it.

• Usually a maximum of 3 references are requested, Ensure at least one is an existing or previous manger

• All individuals with direct knowledge of your job abilities.

• Or a professor of main subjects in case this is your first job

• Ask the permission of referee before giving their names and numbers.

• Provide details on company name, job title and contact details like telephone, email

Killer Cover Letter

Importance of a Cover Letter

• Your Cover Letter makes a FIRST IMPRESSION

• Potential employers spend 80% of their time reading your cover letter

Layout of Cover Letter

You should Include:

• A heading describing the job title you have applied for or would like to apply for

• An opening paragraph expressing interest in the job

• A second paragraph briefly outlining relevant experience & achievements

• A closing paragraph asking for an interview

Steps to a Killer Cover Letter

You should Include:

• Always address your letter to a real person

• Your letter needs to state clearly what job you are apply for and why

• Make your letter personal to the company

• Make sure your letter is enthusiastic about the job Don’t be afraid or shy to ask for an interview

Finally......

Analyse Your own CV:

• Does your CV clearly and quickly communicate to employer that you can do the job?

• Does it highlight your strengths?

• Does everything support the job you are targeting?

• Should anything be removed?

• Does it really sell your skills the way you want it to?

Contact UsThe ParkOrlyn ParkLusk, DublinIRELAND

Tel: +353 1 843 842 0 Email: rahat.kazmi@CareersAndCareers.com