There are all kinds of CVs, with different fonts, different lengths, varying formats and lots more. Every day, recruiters and HR Managers sieve through a ton of CVs, in order to find some that point them in the direction of their next set of employees. So, what makes a great CV?
Tidy Formatting
A great CV is one that is easy to read. Anyone should be able to scan through your CV and get the necessary information in just a few seconds. Bullet points are very useful in arranging your resumé. In addition to making scanning easy, good formatting also makes helps you manage the limited space required for a great CV. With bullet points, you don’t have to make full sentences; clauses would convey your points.
Chronological Arrangement
Chronology is an important feature of a great CV. A resumé is a timeline or history of your work experience, education and skills. So, it is essential that you put the events chronologically so that the recruiter can see how you progressed from one stage to the next, as well as how many years you spent at each job or acquiring a degree or diploma.
The chronological sequence for resumés is newest to oldest, that is current position or last position held to the previous position before that.
Necessary Details
Generally, CVs are not very lengthy. However, there are some details that must be included in any CV, especially a great one. Such details include: your name, contact details, work experience, skillset, and educational background.
These details are important and required by any recruiter, irrespective of what company or sector he or she belongs to. Such information is the heart and soul of your resumé. Without this information, what you have written can be called any other thing but a resumé.
Conciseness
Asking that a CV be succinct, right after saying it needs certain details can be considered contradictory, right? Well, not exactly. When we say your CV should be concise, we simply mean that it should have just the necessary information and nothing more; clear and straight to the point. The ideal resumé should not go beyond 2 pages.
Remember the scanning rule discussed earlier. You want to get your information across as quickly and effectively as possible. Recruiters do not have the time to read through a 4 to 5 paged resumé, especially when they have thousands more to peruse and make decisions on. Having that in mind, keep your resumé short but informative.
Accurate information
Your resumé is a representative of you and your accomplishments. It is usually the first means through which Human Resources Managers get to meet you before they meet you in person. As a result, your resumé should not only speak well about you, but it should also provide accurate and verifiable information about you.
Don’t falsify information on your resumé because you never can tell if that piece of information is something that the interviewer might focus on (if you make it to the interview stage). Be guided by the golden rule: the truth is easy to remember.
Also, ensure that your dates, names of organization, contact information and other necessary details are error-free. Check your digits and spelling. Ensure that your listed skills tally with your actual skills because you never know when you could be called up to put those skills to practice, particularly in the absence of any preparations or pre-information.
CVs are step one towards getting most jobs. They represent you and influence your progress to the next step on the recruitment ladder or not. If you want to give your CV a professional touch, our CV writing services at My Sharp Pen Editing Services are your best bet. A great resumé improves your chances of landing your dream job.
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