Getting Ahead: The Ultimate Guide to CV Writing

Your CV, also known more formally as your curriculum vitae, may be all a prospective employer has to go on before they decide whether or not to call you in for that fateful interview. If your CV doesn’t stand out, chances are good that you are going to get bumped to a lower priority or excluded completely! How can you make sure that your CV tells your prospective employer what a good match you can be for their needs?

Look Up a Template

If you are not a CV professional, start by making sure that you have a template to work from. There are dozens of different templates out there, and while they basically convey the same information, they convey it in different ways. If you have worked with prestigious employers, you of course want to make sure that their names are prominently displayed on your CV. On the other hand, if you have many skills but fewer legitimate positions, consider listing your skills first.

Cool It Off

After you have written your CV, you are likely eager to get it out there. However, the thing that you need to remember is that it is by no means perfect yet. Put the CV away for a few days or even a week. After that, come back and look at it with fresh eyes. You’ll find that a rest period can go a long way towards getting you the kind of perspective you need. At the very least, it can help you pick out egregious errors that might otherwise have gone unnoticed!

Keep It Simple

There are people who feel that their CV should be decorative and attention-getting, but unless you are in a graphic design field, this is mistaken. Avoid the urge to use fancy fonts or images on your CV. This tends to make you look unprofessional in the extreme. If you are a graphic designer or someone who works with visual effects, you need to consider things like weight and symmetry, but even that is something that is more of an extra. All that should be on your CV is text. 

Run It By Other People

Ideally, you will run your CV by people that you know in the field. However, even if you do not know anyone in the field that you are entering, you can still share your CV with people that you know and trust. Ask them how they feel about it, and whether they see any errors. Having a fresh set of eyes on your work is always beneficial.

This guest post was written by BCL Legal – Providers of recruitment services in the Legal field.

Categories: College Life   Tags: resume, CV, CV writing, resume writing

Resume Objectives For High School Graduates

High school graduates find the job market intimidating because of their lack of working experience. For this reason, they tend to write very vague summary objectives about their general skills or habits. But, this statement is the most important element of a resume. This is their chance to show their interest in the company, beyond getting their first paycheck. Below, you will find four examples of typical vague and uninformative summary objectives written by high school students for typical job positions (See Reference 1). For each of them, we provide simple ways to emphasize their skills and to tailor their objective to the content for the targeted position (See Reference 2 for Guidelines).

Resume Objective 1: Retail

“Looking for an opportunity to use my excellent interpersonal and organization skills.” This statement does not allow you to stand out in the list of candidates. Instead, mention your interest in the products sold by the merchant, and your personal experience as a customer. For instance, a teenager who enjoys winter sports may mention interesting details about the clothes, which he finds very practical or ingenious.

Resume Objective 2: Marketing Intern

“Seeking an opportunity to work with highly experienced professionals for my corporate and personal growth.” This statement is flattering, but does not show your enthusiasm about the company. Be specific about their services, demonstrate how the marketing style is aligned with your values. You may also mention your interest in the products they have worked on, and the success of their marketing.

Resume Objective 3: Receptionist

“Looking for an opportunity to offer my excellent organization and interpersonal skills to your company.” A receptionist is the first person someone meets when entering a company. Your objective should emphasize your ability to make people feel comfortable, even in the face of delicate or tense situations. Also, this position implies that you can handle multiple phone communications efficiently.

Resume Objective 4: Human Resources

“Seeking the position of human resource assistant to utilize my writing, research and leadership abilities.” Depending on the company, the tasks of human resource assistants will range from recruiting personnel to learning management. A quick search on your targeted company could allow you to emphasize the particular skill set that matches the specifics of the requested position.

Please go ahead and share what job position you are applying for at the moment and we will make sure to provide you with some useful tips.

Categories: College Life   Tags: resume, resumes, summary objectives, resume objective examples, resume objectives, high school graduates

Top Student Tips on Getting a Job in the Summer

After the many final exams and the tasks brought along by the school end, many students start seeking for a job. When summer comes around everyone wants to go for a change. Students begin figuring out how to actually get the top summer job. It is always possible to make some extra money. Student summer jobs abound so keep reading.

If you are seeking to make some extra cash, it is about time to go for an extensive research. Consider the following steps so you can get the top position.

Begin by seeking around your respective community

You will find many lists, especially designed for students. There are many options that you might as well enjoy. Truth is, many students do not desire to be just stuck performing mindless work. They actually prefer to go for more creative positions.  How about working at the golf course? You can even find a job at the local pool, at the ice cream store, etc.  Remember you need to fully understand and commit with the hours you will need. Make up your mind and establish the proper deal.

Remember that you may need specific qualifications

If you happen to be a newbie in most areas, try to train yourself. You can easily master your skills. Most summer jobs require basic stuff.  Odds are, you will end up finding a suitable job. For instance, if you desire to become a lifeguard during summer time, you should at least have some swimming experience.

If you’ve already picked up the job, begin developing a detailed resume

Include a cover letter, too. If you feel overwhelmed and somehow confused, you can always find online cover letter samples. Consider asking for assistance, you need to have the best resume ever!

Go ahead and apply for the respective job

You need to display confidence and the rest will flow. In most cases, you will be asked to fill out an application - Include valid information. Well-written answers will always increase your chances of getting the job.

Don’t limit yourself

There are many options out there. Think outside the box. You might as well ask around, word of mouth is always a powerful weapon. Don’t limit yourself. You should apply at various spots. Once you’ve applied for different positions, you just need to wait. If any company happens to be interested, they will call for a second interview. Try to be prepared, you should always find out about the company history, etc. You should also display a professional image, try to dress yourself properly, and present yourself the right way.

Landing a summer job is not hard, yet, you need to show confidence and knowledge. Show them what you’ve got!

Remain focused

However, if after a 2nd interview you do not receive a call, don’t get discouraged. You can find another job. Repeat the same exact process and think about weak points. Odds are, you may need to reinforce specific aspects about your personality. For example, body language is very important, try to work on it.

Go get them! You can start working today. It is a matter of enhancing your strengths and improving what you dislike about yourself. A confident attitude will lead you to the top.

What are your thoughts about summer job positions? Do you feel you may come across with obstacles? Is it hard to get out there? We encourage you to share your own comments and suggestions.

Categories: College Life   Tags: resume, summer job for student, student summer, summer jobs, summer jobs students, final exams, top summer job, cover letter, cover letter samples, resumes

Tips on How to Write a Resume

Sooner or later, each of us faces the necessity to write a resume or curriculum vitae (CV), another word for it. It is not evaluated with the grade, it doesn’t influence a course grade; the role resume (CV) plays in our life is more important for it is our spokesman before the employer. To put it short, a resume (CV) is a one- or two-page writing where a job seeker presents his/her education, work experience, skills in order to persuade an employer to provide him/her with a job. To write it in a proper way, you are to take into consideration a number of requirements that are typical for this genre.

What to write in a resume (content)?

  1. Work experience: not only full-time jobs; underworking, babysitting, and other occupations of that kind should be presented here. Volunteer activities may be included in the resume (CV) or enumerated in a separate list.
  2. Education: you are to mention elementary and higher education, advanced training courses, courses in foreign languages, refresher courses, if any.
  3. Military experience, if any.
  4. Achievements in other spheres: sport awards, participation in some creative projects or contests.

How to write a resume (style)?

  1. Be brief and meaty: try to make the most efficient use of the one or two pages you have, present information in a form of items, keep in mind that your working experience and education are two the most important things.
  2. Be persuasive: explain why you are the right man for this job. Avoid overpraising yourself or flattering your employer; try to sound argumentative and use facts to support your claims.
  3. Be honest! Never resort to false data to get a job for in the majority of cases, information is being checked. Even if not caught, you’ll be for sure asked to perform the functions “you were already occupied with”. In order not to seek for excuses, tell about the experience you really have.

Technical specification.

  1. Try to scram all the information in two pages.
  2. The most popular typefaces are: Times New Roman, Souvenir, Palatino Linotype, Bookman Old Style, Courier New.
  3. Use size 12 so that your employer doesn’t have to strain to read the information. There should be one space between lines and double space between paragraphs.
  4. In the top right corner give your contact information: your first and last names, address, phone number, e-mail; in the top left corner write the name, position, place of employment, and its address of the employer. Then shift it several lines below.
  5. Check your resume (CV) to avoid mistakes in grammar and punctuation.

Good luck with your resume!

Categories: Writing Tips   Tags: tips on how to write a resume, resume, curriculum vitae, CV