How Write a Killer CV (Resume)

Writing a Killer CV (Resume)

Got good grades, skills and experience, where else do you think you can prove that to your recruiter besides in your "CV". The Curriculum Vitae is a profile that lets your recruiter know what there is to know about you. It is the first impression you give your recruiter and as the famous saying goes, first impression lasts longer, you have give your recruiter the impression that you are real. An employer might have hundreds of CV on his desk but only the best are summoned for interview so CVs' are best written to be competative.

You have to keep somethings in mind when writing a CV, for example your CV should

• Be concise
• Be readable 
• Not be ambigous
• Be in vogue
• Not contain irrelevant experience
• Be dynamic

To achieve these, the guidelines below might be employed:

1. Layout
Your goal here is to make sure whoever is reading your CV reads it all the way through (or at least, most of it). Three aspects to focus on: 

• Readability: This is an all-encompassing term that involves the design, spacing, font size and arrangement of content for maximum legibility. Disorganised sections, inconsistent spacing, margins that are squeezed too tight - you may think these are minor - but I think it's a representation of your professional self! Subconsciously it shows the amount of attention you pay into crafting a professional summary of YOURSELF, and if you can't even do a decent version of that, how can you do that for the hiring company? A sharp, neat and concise CV crafted specifically for the job is what hiring managers look for.

• Objective statement: This is the first thing a recruiting manager reads after your contact information at the top, so make sure it counts and intrigues them to read the next line! It should be short and concise, maximum 3 (short) sentences long. It should describe your current role, field of experience and why you're the right person for the role. Yes, this needs to be customised for every single role you apply for, there's no one size fit all here!
• Length: Having so many pages in your CV might tend to bore the recruiting manager. Your CV should be at maximum 3 pages long, with normal margins and a legible font size. So be concise, every word counts. Everything you write has to have a purpose to demonstrate why you're the perfect candidate for the job, if not, it shouldn't be there. 

2. Contact Information
Often CVs are kept on file for long periods so any contact details you give have to remain accurate in the long term. A daytime phone number is most important, include your mobile number if you have one. Include an e-mail address, a gmail address is good because you will have it for life, rather than a university one which may expire.

3. Education and qualifications
The next section is straightforward, it should be a short, brief and relevant. List your professional qualifications first (if any), then degree and name of educational institution, in reverse chronological order. It should be up to 3 items at maximum, so just list the recent 3, first school leaving certificates, university degree and college results. You need most of the space for the next important section.
4. Experience/Previous Employments
Here's the section to focus 80% of your energy on, where you list and describe your past/current roles, and what you actually did for that job.The problem is 90% of people write this part of their CV in a task-based format, highlighting things they did with loads of buzzwords - that's a lot of waffle with negative value.

Instead, be like the rare 10% that make it by writing what you've accomplished by stating what is the (measurable) impact of your work. You must prove that you're a great hire not only because you get things done, but you also deliver measurable results and are worth the investment.

So instead of saying " I did Task A, B and C for Project X", go for "I did Task A,B and C for Project X which led to #15 million upfront savings". You know which is more impressive and convincing. Of course, that is not saying you should make up numbers or fake things you didn't do (never do that, the interviewer would know), but for every task you do, you'll now be more keen to find out why you're doing it, and what impact does it have.Also write in reverse chronological order, including starting and leaving dates for each position. Include concise details of what the job entailed, your responsibilities and what you achieved in the role. If there are any time gaps between employment explain what you were doing in that time, for example travelling, at college, carrying out charity fund raising work. Use active verbs to describe your achievements: for example "has experience in”, “trained in”, “managed a project involving”, “developed”, “co-ordinated the development of” etc. Bullet point these at the start of a sentence for maximum impact. Try to avoid using “I” at the start of most sentences.
Always focus on the results on what you did to demonstrate your value to your potential new employer.

5. Skills and achievements
Here is last section where you can list both work and non-work related skills, make it relevant to the job you're looking for though! It's meant to be a boost to your current work experience while show a little bit of your individuality through your achievements. It could be that you're very proficient at using Bloomberg, speak Chinese and Italian, or used to be tennis champion - use your judgment here. Just a few bullet points on this section will do.

Don't forget to leave some space for "references available upon request" too! And make sure you found 2 willing references who has worked with you in a professional capacity for this ready.

6. Hobbies and InterestsIf you do choose to include this section, it can be used to give an insight into your personality. Consider carefully what you are putting down and its implications.  Be specific, and show what you learnt or gained from the activity (such as perseverance, teamwork, communication skills), and if you were on the society or helped organise anything emphasise this. Keep this section very brief, do not list ALL of your interests and hobbies. You do not want to give the employer the impression you would rather be doing your hobbies, or travelling around the world than doing the job you are being considered for.

7. References
This is where most people try to spook the recruiter. Unless you have a particular referee you are proud of, you can simply write "Reference available on request ". You don't have to over play or under play your achievement.

8. Revise, edit and reiterate
You never get it right the first time, there's a lot of revise and editing to craft your CV to be perfect for the role. Like writing, it's better to flesh out all your thoughts and ideas in one go, section by section, before rephrasing and cutting it down to what's relevant and most important to highlight. You'll get there after a few iterations.