10 Things to consider when you want to write a great CV
The concept of getting a nice and actionable curriculum Vitae cannot be overemphasized. A lot of job seekers in Nigeria Write a great CV not considering some of the points that is listed below.
Your CV will determine if your prospective employers will call you for an interview or not. If your CV is well presented, you stand the chance of securing an interview slot. But if no appointment is secured, then chances are that your CV was poorly written.
Here, we will clearly state 10 clear things to consider before you tag your CV a great one. Pay attention closely to these points, because it is little foxes that spoils the vine. You might be conscious of big errors and in turn avoid them, but you should also pay attention to these little points. If neglected, your CV will be a mess.
- The organization, company or institution you are applying to
- Accuracy of all your documents
- Your referees
- Keep it brief
- Use action words
- Be sincere
- Format properly
- Your CV should be keyword friendly
- Add a link to your LinkedIn profile
- Include your efficiency
- The organization, company or institution you are applying to:
The first thing you consider is the organization you are applying to. The organization will determine about 40% of all you will write. There are information that does not change from organization to organization. For example, information like educational background, working experience, and your personal details will remain unchanged. But information like, career objectives, hobbies, reference and skills should vary from one organization to the other. In providing this information, first know much about the organization, their requirements, core values, and mission and vision statement. With this information, you can then fix your CV. But be sure that since various organizations have different mission and vision statement, then your career objectives should vary from one application to the other. Your skill set and hobbies should match with the organization’s requirement.
- Accuracy of all your documents:
Be informed that your CV is not the only document you will be required to submit. Therefore, in writing your CV, review your documents properly to ensure consistency in your information. For example, your name should be the same for all the documents. But in a case where there is a change in the name, them a court affidavit must be provided to show that it is the same person.
- Your referees:
In providing your referees, you must be careful not to use people whose names have circulated for some offensive and frivolous actions. Therefore, you must do a thorough review of your referees before adding their names to your list. Though in some cases, your referees may not be so necessary but might be made available upon request.
- Keep it brief:
Your CV is not your autobiography. Therefore keep it a brief as possible. As much as possible, maintain the standard 2 pages. Great CV is not by how lengthy you make yours so make it brief as possible
- Use action words:
Action words are strongly encouraged. Most especially, in your career objective and work experience. Your work experience should also contain your achievements. Example of action words are but not limited to; Achieved, Improved, Resolved, Managed, Created, Generated, Initiated, Organized, Introduced, Identified, Increased etc
- Be sincere:
Do not overhype yourself in your CV. Many people tend to lie in their CV just to secure the job. You must be sincere with your CV. Do not write a skill you do not have. Do not write and objective that is not true. Be real and true. It is better for a company to employ you with deficiencies than to employ you thinking you are what your CV says you are.
- Format properly:
Format your CV properly. Use bullet point in stating your educational background and working experience. There should be consistency in your font type and size. Your headings should have larger font from your text, but it should still be consistent.
- Your CV should be keyword friendly:
If you are not sending your CV direct to a company, this might not be so much of importance. But in a situation where, you are uploading your CV to a job site, then ensure that it is keyword friendly to enable searchers to find it.
- Add a link to your LinkedIn profile:
If it an online application, adding a link to your LinkedIn profile will go a long way to help and increase your employability. LinkedIn is a social networking site that helps people of related skills network seamlessly. It also helps companies locate people with the skills they need. Therefore, your LinkedIn profile should have a full detail of your job experience and skills. So, if you do not have a LinkedIn account try to create one before you write your next CV.
- Include your efficiency:
Do not just state the skills you have. Also, state how efficient you are in the skill.
These few points will help you in writing a professional CV. Go through them, one after the other. Some might seem insignificant, yet very important.
Summary
Writing a Great CV is not tied to these 10 points alone. Make sure you research on other points that will make you win your dream job.
