Resume Sway

For many of you, this will be the first time you've needed a CV and starting from scratch can be a little daunting. But it doesn't have to be daunting although like many other things in life, you will only get out of it, what you put in.   Remember, the market is about to be flooded with enthusiastic graduates, just like you, ready, willing (and in some cases able) to change the world. Problem is, the employer doesn't know you're the Special One. Your task, is to make him, or her, see just that. 

You may already know how little time you have to make your first impression and, almost by definition, graduate CVs all look pretty similar at first viewing. So, it is ESSENTIAL that you make it look different from the outset and show the employer that their job is the only job you've ever wanted AND that you're the best candidate for it!  There are a number of sections that you should have in your CV. My personal preference for order, which may not be the same as yours, is: profile, achievements, skills, work experience, qualifications and interests. 

Now as a graduate, you may thinking "Shouldn't my qualifications, especially my degree, be right up there?" Well yes and no. Stating that you have a BA in Marketing and Business Studies from Trumpton University 2006 - 2009 might be factually correct but doesn't make you stand out from any other applicant. Personally, I believe in listing your achievements during your degree as just that, achievements e.g. produced a 10,000 word dissertation entitled 'The Existence of Abstract Algebra Concepts'. Then in not more than two or three sentences, explain how you went about researching and writing this piece of work. If appropriate, detail to whom it was presented and what feedback or grade you received. If you ran projects, or produced case studies, using information from real businesses, tell the employer about them e.g. techniques (i.e. skills) employed and results achieved. Remember, you can draw your achievements from University, work experience, hobbies, voluntary work, school etc. Look at what you have done, and if it demonstrates a relevant skill or knowledge base for an employer, use it.

Next come skills. There are all manner of skills and the following list is not exhaustive: communication, interpersonal, customer service, marketing, sales, planning, organisation, accounting, research, technical, leadership, teamwork. Look at your achievements, look at your work experience etc and identify what skills you have used in all these different contexts. Don't simply say excellent writing skills, give an example of where you've used these skills e.g. as part of degree produced a proposal for (company name) identifying a strategy for increasing e-business. Go on to say what happened to that proposal e.g. implemented in full, parts thereof. Remember, no-one is going to say they've got rubbish communication skills on their CV, you'll all be saying "excellent communication skills", therefore, YOU have to give some evidence to the employer to justify your statement and to stand out.  

In my next article, I'll go to explain how to approach the profile, work experience and interests to ensure they become selling points within themselves. In the meantime, here are some general tips:

Write the CV in the third person, that is he, she.

Keep the document to a maximum of 2 pages.

Aim to use between 800 and a 1000 words but only if you have sufficient experience. Don't add words just for the sake of it.

Focus on relevant information e.g. if you were head choir boy back in 1980, probably not going to be too relevant today except perhaps if applying for a position as Choir Master!

Check your spelling and grammar.

Check your spelling and grammar, again!

That's it! Good luck with writing your CV.

If you require more help or simply feel you don't have the time available to devote to writing this crucial marketing document, then please visit my website for more information : http://thewritecv.org