How to Write a Good Cv (curriculum Vitae)

Steps

1. Make a list of jobs you have done in the past (Include dates).
2. Make a list of qualifications you have obtained.
3. Make a list of hobbies and interests.
4. Use these lists to draw up a list of key skills which set you aside from the other candidates
5. Reference each key skill to a job you have done in the past. Bear in mind, key skills dont have to be obtained from paid employment alone, Team work (for example) can be demonstrated through many sports activities such as football. Leadership skills can be demonstrated by referencing that holiday you organised or some other event you arranged.
6. Use as many POWER WORDS as possible. Here is a list that should get you started: achieved, acquired, adapted, addressed, administered, analyzed, anticipated, assembled, assisted, audited, budgeted, calculated, centralized, changed, collaborated, composed, condensed, conducted, constructed, contracted, converted, coordinated, created, cultivated, demonstrated, designed, developed, devised, discovered, doubled, drafted, edited, eliminated, enforced, established, evaluated, expanded, explained, forecasted, formed, founded, generated, guided, hired, implemented, improved, informed, insured, interpreted, interviewed, launched, maintained, managed, marketed, minimized, motivated, negotiated, obtained, operated, organized, originated, oversaw, performed, planned, prevented, produced, promoted, provided, publicized, published, recruited, reorganized, reported, researched, resolved, reviewed, selected, separated, set up, simplified, solved, surveyed, staffed, supervised, taught, tested, trained, utilized
7. DO NOT LIE - I cannot stress this enough. It is ok to twist the truth to make things sound a little more impressive than they actually was, but if you tell lies (eg I once worked as an accountant) your potential employer could ask you questions which you are unable to answer.
8. Make a list of key sections (these will be different for each job you apply for): Personal Information, Education and Qualifications, Skills & Experience, Technical Skills, Employment, Hobbies and Interests, References
9. Send your CV off to an employer you have no intention to work for. Ask them to review your CV and provide any feedback.
10. Ensure your CV is no more than two A4 pages long. It is a summary, not your life history. If your prospective employer wants to know more, they will ask!
11. Provide contact details along with the dates and times you are available to work. BE AS FLEXIBLE AS POSSIBLE!

Tips

• Focus your CV around the job you are applying for. Example: If you are applying for a job as an IT Technician, your employer wont care about how many bars you have worked in. If you are applying to work in a call centre, your employer would love to hear about the customer service skills you learnt when working with the public.
• Call up the company you wish to work for before you send them a CV. Be positive, and sell yourself. The employer will then be looking forward to reading it.
• Send a covering letter with your CV which explains why you want to work at that company over another one. Make links to important aspects of your CV in this letter.
• Believe in yourself. If you do not show confidence, how will an employer have confidence in you to do the job you are applying for?
• SKILLS SKILLS SKILLS - Do not merely list the work you have done in the past. Focus your CV on the skills you have learned. [BAD EXAMPLE - When i worked at a local pub, I collected glasses and cleaned up mess][GOOD EXAMPLE - When working as part of a team at **YourPubName**, I learned the importance of maintaining a clean working environment and improved my customer liason skills]
• Dont come across as desperate. Remember - The company is loosing out by not employing you as you can give your skills to the competition. You are not loosing out!
• You may be rejected for the first 100 jobs you apply for. This occurs when there are many more applicants than jobs and you should not let it get you down. Think of this as a learning experience. Ask yourself - How could I improve my chances when applying for the next job.
• Its not only unemployed people who apply for jobs! You can allways apply for a better job than you have now to improve your carreer!
• Try to stick to a job for at least 6 months! If your carreer history shows you have worked for 12 different comanies in the last year it will look like you are not reliable.
• Put yourself in the employers shoes. What would you think if someone handed you that CV?
• Show passion about your work and your hobbies.

Warnings

• I say it again DO NOT LIE. This will do you no favours
• NEVER put yourself down. Even if you fail to get the job you desire, REMEMBER you have many skills and there are many other employers!