Consider
your Curriculum Vitae (CV) as if it were an advertisement.
Develop it and use it as a tool to help you market a product.
That product is you. Your CV should focus on attracting
attention, being factual and positive, and telling your
story quickly and efficiently. Its role is to get you an
interview. A CV is sometimes not read comprehensively.
Employment decision-makers may have many CVs in reply to
a job advert so may have to scan them quickly and make
a quick decision who to call for an interview.
Less is
More
•
For people starting out with little work
experience, they should be able to fit their CV onto
one page. This makes it more enticing to read and digest.
Choose a format and keep it simple.
•
A CV
can be personalised and adapted for different jobs but
always keep it easy to read, accurate and professional.
•
Think
about your strengths and focus on them.
•
Use
short descriptive phrases and action words, for example
achieved,
implemented, expanded.
Appearance
• The appearance
of your CV shows a lot about you. Your style, attention
to detail
and pride in your work. Spell check it!
•
Use
bullet points not long paragraphs.
•
Be consistent
with your grammar.
•
Use quality paper and matching
envelopes.
•
Make sure it emails easily and consistently.
It is easy to turn word documents into pdf.
•
Proof
it carefully and ask a friend to do the same.
The Basic
Elements
• Your Name – You are confident,
make it prominent!
•
Contact details – Make
yourself easy to reach.
•
Employment History – Company
name/Location/Dates/Bob Title/Brief Description. • Education
- Name of college/Qualification/Dates/Brief Description
if necessary
Optional Sections
• Objective or
Personal Statement
•
Accomplishments
•
Skills
•
Associations
•
Interests
References
Put at bottom of page - References available
upon request. Have a separate page ready to send if asked.
Cover Letter
Once you have done your CV don’t forget
about your cover letter. In fact the cover letter is
your first chance to impress since it is actually the
first thing seen.
•
Keep the font and overall
style consistent with your CV.
•
Make it personal – address
it to a named individual if you can.
Research the company.
•
Like
your CV, keep it short – 3-4 paragraphs.
Paragraph
1
•
State the position you applying for and how
you learnt about it.
Paragraph 2
•
Describe
your qualifications and why you should be considered
for the post.
Paragraph 3
• State availability
for interview and how to be contacted.
Finish politely.
Good Luck! *********
Written by Edward Johnson, GIA
London
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) prides
itself on its career-focused education.
For more information
visit our web site www.gialondon.co.uk |
