Help with a CV,Please

[Quam256]

Seems these days you have to sell yourself with a CV.
I have never been one to put pen to paper,is there anyone who can give me any pointers on how to do a CV .

[Hugh]

You may find these sites useful
BBC_CV

Alex_CV

And there are some good hints on the Monster today, top ten hints on things to avoid on CV's
Monster

HTH

[TheDaddy]

A good CV tells people what you can offer them; it describes your skills, experience and achievements. An excellent CV will go on to match these to the needs of the organisation to which you are applying and will clearly indicate what you can offer in the future as well as what you have achieved in the past.

It is claimed that a CV gets no more than 60 seconds attention from the recipient. In that time you need to gain and maintain their interest and leave a clear, concise image of quality, professionalism and what your likely benefits to the organisation will be.

The completion of an effective CV takes time and probably many drafts. Visual layout, presentation and a choice of words, which demonstrate responsibility and achievements, are all vital components.

There are no ABSOLUTES for CVs, there are though however, some generally accepted fundamental principals. The key is to focus on the needs of the market- look at it from the recipient’s point of view.

There is no such thing as a perfect CV- it is likely that you will need to target your CV for every application.

The sole purpose of a CV is to get you a meeting or interview. It is your personal advertisement, your marketing literature.

Try to make it easy for the recipient. There is nothing worse than having to look for the information; it should jump right out at you!



What To Include And What To Exclude

• An outline of your experience and how this might be of value to prospective employers/organisations.
• Your work and personal skills
• Your significant achievements and the benefits these brought to companies for which you have worked

In addition you may wish to include

• Qualifications and what emphasis they should have on your final CV. If they were gained long ago or are not very relevant, then perhaps only brief details need to be included.
• Training Courses, These are often overlooked make sure you make the most of them.
• Computer Skills, most employer require applicants to have basic computer skills, so if you have more than basic skills, state them clearly, they will be valued.
• Languages, competence in languages provides a competitive edge.
• Interests, these can be both over and under played, it is worth mentioning interests that are unusual, provided they are not dangerous or to time consuming. Make the most of positions of responsibility.
• Membership Of Professional Institutions, it is useful to quote these, particularly if you can claim regional or national posts of responsibility. Memberships that have required study or assessment are also more significant than those that are simply gained by paying a membership fee.
• Personal Information, It is up to you what you include, make sure what you put in is relevant.

Things you should not put in your CV

• Salary Requirements, these can be negotiated later.
• References, these will be required later.
• Race or Nationality
• Political Affiliation

[RUSTY]

you could use your local library, an excellent source of information and its free + books on how to present yourself at an interview. best of luck.

[Hugh]

This is on the jobcentre website, looks quite useful
JCS

[Halcyon]

Make sure you keep it well designed and not cluttered.
Employers will glance over it briefly and if it isnt clear then they will move on to the next one.

Hand written C.V.'s are a definate No No so make sure you type yours up.
Use a standard font.....eg. Times New Roman or Arial.

Remember to not go over 2 pages of A4 maximum and keep it to one if possible.