CV WRITING TIP NO 1: Avoid sending scanned copies of your CV. Most database CV searches are done through key word searches. Your CV will not come up on a search if recognised as a fax/scanned copy as the system will see it as an image file, and therefore it will not be searchable.
CV WRITING TIP NO 2: Use as many relevant key words (to your experience) on your CV as you can. Remember that when your CV is saved onto a database, people will do a search to find relevant candidates by key-word searching. If you have done SAP and it is not on your CV, a search for all candidates having done SAP will mean that your CV won’t come up on the search if you have omitted it.
CV WRITING TIP NO 3. Make sure you elaborate in detail on actual duties and responsibilities in each job position. Recruiters and companies will want to see specifically what you have done within each position as this specifically describes your practical experience. Leaving this off may get people to presume you do not have enough experience for the relevant requirement. There are many similar job titles/designations, but different job functions. Do not make it difficult for someone to short list you for a job.
CV WRITING TIP NO 4: Do not story-tell on your CV. Ideally, you need a bullet pointed breakdown of duties and responsibilities. Your CV must be punchy, to the point, and detailed in this. No one has time to read a long story of how you got interest in the industry you are currently in, when and how you got the job, why you enjoyed it, the things you like doing now, the things you learned, what people think of you etc. People scan over a CV for a quick overview. A story-telling CV will get side-lined most of the time, and will irritate the reader in reading through your entire CV, causing then to concentrate unnecessarily in just trying to summarise the important info they actually need.
CV WRITING TIP NO 5: Dates are EXTREMELY important. Surprisingly, many people just list their jobs, or for example saying 8 years at a certain company, then 9 months at this company etc. This will raise questions with gaps and potentially create a bit of suspicion as to why you would have omitted thisinformation. Dates place your experience within a specific time frame and relevance to what the client is looking for.
CV WRITING TIP NO 6: Do NOT write your CV in capitols. This speaks of a lazy applicant at times, as well as making the CV very difficult to read owing to incorrect punctuation. It is difficult to raise emphasis on points you would like to when formatted like this, and does not make your CV professional and well presented. It also makes your CV look clinical and unappealing to read.
CV WRITING TIP NO 7: Put reasons for leaving under each position unless specifically needing to be discussed confidentially. This will fast track the shortlisting process for you in helping people to understand your motives, requirements and career intentions. Just avoid negativeness and criticizing current employers. Be professional and diplomatic. You can go into more personal detail during the interview if asked.
CV WRITING TIP NO 8: Don’t over-format your CV. Avoid hundreds of boxes and columns, with unused space that lengthens and complicates your CV unnecessarily. Over-formatting makes a CV hard to understand as one sometimes needs to jump to many different sections to retrieve relevant information in context which can frustrate the person reading the CV if it cause a little confusion and complication.
CV WRITING TIP NO 9. Limit the length of your CV without omitting important information. As impressive as you might think a 15 page CV is, it is not! When going through 100s of CV, clients don’t have the time to keep scrolling and scrolling to try to retrieve the really important information they need. You will annoy someone under pressure having to go through all the guff to get to the main information required as lengthy CVs waste the person time who is reading it. Keep your CV 2-4 pages in general. (This is for CVs within the African continent, generally)
CV WRITING TIP NO 10: Taylor your CV to the position you are applying for. If you are not someone who plays a numbers game and submits your CV to every job under the sun, be selective in the keywords you use, and submit a very targeted application relevant to your experience. Some people may be the perfect fit for a job, but their CV’s content disqualifies them in the shortlisting process without them being aware of it if too general.
CV WRITING TIP NO 2: Use as many relevant key words (to your experience) on your CV as you can. Remember that when your CV is saved onto a database, people will do a search to find relevant candidates by key-word searching. If you have done SAP and it is not on your CV, a search for all candidates having done SAP will mean that your CV won’t come up on the search if you have omitted it.
CV WRITING TIP NO 3. Make sure you elaborate in detail on actual duties and responsibilities in each job position. Recruiters and companies will want to see specifically what you have done within each position as this specifically describes your practical experience. Leaving this off may get people to presume you do not have enough experience for the relevant requirement. There are many similar job titles/designations, but different job functions. Do not make it difficult for someone to short list you for a job.
CV WRITING TIP NO 4: Do not story-tell on your CV. Ideally, you need a bullet pointed breakdown of duties and responsibilities. Your CV must be punchy, to the point, and detailed in this. No one has time to read a long story of how you got interest in the industry you are currently in, when and how you got the job, why you enjoyed it, the things you like doing now, the things you learned, what people think of you etc. People scan over a CV for a quick overview. A story-telling CV will get side-lined most of the time, and will irritate the reader in reading through your entire CV, causing then to concentrate unnecessarily in just trying to summarise the important info they actually need.
CV WRITING TIP NO 5: Dates are EXTREMELY important. Surprisingly, many people just list their jobs, or for example saying 8 years at a certain company, then 9 months at this company etc. This will raise questions with gaps and potentially create a bit of suspicion as to why you would have omitted thisinformation. Dates place your experience within a specific time frame and relevance to what the client is looking for.
CV WRITING TIP NO 6: Do NOT write your CV in capitols. This speaks of a lazy applicant at times, as well as making the CV very difficult to read owing to incorrect punctuation. It is difficult to raise emphasis on points you would like to when formatted like this, and does not make your CV professional and well presented. It also makes your CV look clinical and unappealing to read.
CV WRITING TIP NO 7: Put reasons for leaving under each position unless specifically needing to be discussed confidentially. This will fast track the shortlisting process for you in helping people to understand your motives, requirements and career intentions. Just avoid negativeness and criticizing current employers. Be professional and diplomatic. You can go into more personal detail during the interview if asked.
CV WRITING TIP NO 8: Don’t over-format your CV. Avoid hundreds of boxes and columns, with unused space that lengthens and complicates your CV unnecessarily. Over-formatting makes a CV hard to understand as one sometimes needs to jump to many different sections to retrieve relevant information in context which can frustrate the person reading the CV if it cause a little confusion and complication.
CV WRITING TIP NO 9. Limit the length of your CV without omitting important information. As impressive as you might think a 15 page CV is, it is not! When going through 100s of CV, clients don’t have the time to keep scrolling and scrolling to try to retrieve the really important information they need. You will annoy someone under pressure having to go through all the guff to get to the main information required as lengthy CVs waste the person time who is reading it. Keep your CV 2-4 pages in general. (This is for CVs within the African continent, generally)
CV WRITING TIP NO 10: Taylor your CV to the position you are applying for. If you are not someone who plays a numbers game and submits your CV to every job under the sun, be selective in the keywords you use, and submit a very targeted application relevant to your experience. Some people may be the perfect fit for a job, but their CV’s content disqualifies them in the shortlisting process without them being aware of it if too general.
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