A Perfect Career understand just how important your next career move is and  recognise the difficulties people experience in writing a CV or Resume.

While there is no single route to success when writing your CV or Resume, the following advice sets out some of the key issues which will ensure you present a document with a difference!

Presentation

Design a professional document that is pleasing to the eye:

• Keep the design simple - using one type style and font size to create a streamlined presentation
• Ensure plenty of white space
• Avoid boxes, diagrams and underscoring - the text should flow in a smooth, calm, uninterrupted style
• Save emboldening for 'Main achievements' to draw the reader's attention to your successes

Reader's Needs

Understand readers´ needs and motivations:

• Time is short so write explicitly, yet succinctly
• On-line CV submissions are often searched by key-words; include words and phrases relevant to your skills, experience and industry
• Place achievements in context - they will be more credible and will aid understanding

 

Content

Should you include a profile?

• A well written, factual Profile is useful to position you in the job market and to summarise your area of expertise, skills and career aim. Care needs to be taken to write factually so avoid self-congratulatory adjectives such as 'dynamic, highly motivated', `enthusiastic´etc - recruiters have heard them all before!

Is it better to commence with education or experience?

• Choose and position your words strategically - commence with your strengths and key competencies
• If the lack of a qualification is a handicap, redress the balance by commencing with your experience
• If the lack of experience is a handicap, redress the balance by commencing with academic achievements

Inconsistent employment history?

• Focus on where you have added value and made a difference in different sectors and minimise dates

Do you outline your job duties?

• Job descriptions can be boring! Better to direct the reader's attention to the skills you use and then clearly define your initiatives - what you did, how you did it and the positive result
• Don't include meaningless detail that smothers important facts

If you have a problem writing your CV Resume and need help, follow this link to CVs & Resumes or visit the Order / Feescale