THE PROCESS OF WRITING AN IMPRESSIVE CV
A CV (curriculum vitae) is a document which provides an overview of a person’s life and qualifications. In some countries, a CV is typically the first item that a potential employer encounters regarding the job seeker and is typically used to screen applicants, often followed by an interview, when seeking employment. So a CV must be an impressive one. There is a process in writing CV and there are some crucial points that one must take into consideration while writing it.
There are three different types of CV and the first step in CV writing is to decide the format of your CV. A chronological CV focuses on presenting the candidate’s experience on an employer by employer basis, with the posts being listed in reverse chronological order. It also contains details of education and qualifications, together with hobbies. Some chronological CVs also contain a brief personal statement at the front which sets out the key skills and strengths of the candidate. This CV type is particularly useful for those applying within the same industry as it will demonstrate your career progression. It is the favourite format for most employers, who simply want to get a feel for your career to date. If you do not have many achievements across your career, taking a job by job approach will save you having a separate “Achievements” section (characteristic of Functional CVs) which may look tiny. If you have gaps in your employment which you would rather not discuss, a chronological CV will make them more obvious. If you are changing career direction, a chronological CV will add little information to your new employer, who will be more concerned about the transferable skills that you are bringing rather than the detail of your experience in an unrelated sector. This type is useful especially for new graduates. A functional CV typically starts with a personal profile which highlights the achievements, skills and personal qualities that you possess. This is then followed by a succession of sections, each relating to a different skill or ability. These should be ordered in decreasing order of importance. If you have changed jobs frequently, if your experience is a mish-mash of seemingly unrelated posts or if you have several career gaps, a functional CV will help you place the emphasis on what you have to offer as a whole rather than on the chronology. The third one is Combined CV. A combined CV follows both the chronological and functional format, which makes the CV slightly longer than normal. This is the perfect format if you have a strong career progression with many achievements. This format is not suitable for those with little experience or achievements and with employment gaps.
Having decided to the CV format and before beginning to write the CV, it is essential for one to keep in mind some important points. Firstly, the job which you apply for should be suitable to your position, otherwise, your CV is nothing more than a waste of material and time. Secondly, the CV should be neat and tidy. Thirdly, honesty is necessary because the ones who use their imaginations and draw away from facts will find themselves in difficult situations. Lastly, do not forget that the employers may have the first impressions about you through the intention letter. You must give place to the subjects that you place the emphasis on like your business experiences, your educations, personal features and your profession fields. Intention letter is a mirror that reflects whether you can clearly express your ideas or not. It should not exceed one page.
A CV begins with name, surname, address, telephone numbers and e-mail address. Then there is a personal details part. In that part, you write your nationality, birth place, birth date and marital status. Afterwards you write your career objective because you career objective shows that you have focus in your job search and helps to clearly define your career goals. Key skills and achievements are also to be included in a CV. While writing skills and achievements, it is essential for you to avoid overestimating yourself, otherwise, the employer may think that you are for better jobs and may not employ you. Later, career history is added. If you are a new graduate, you had better choose chronological CV format. In education and qualifications part, which takes place after career history, your educational status takes place. Foreign languages that you know must also be also written but if you do not have a foreign language, skip that part. Just as the foreign language knowledge, “computer skills” is a part of the CV. To what extend can you use a computer? Which programs can you use in a computer? In this part, you write the answers of these questions. Immediately following, you write about your interests. Indeed, your interests have a great importance because it gives an idea about your personality. For example, if you like taking photos, this means that you know how look at things, and you have a wide perspective. In the end, references are given. While writing references, make sure that these references are from reliable people.
After you have finished writing the CV, you should check it in case of possible mistakes. Then, if wanted, put a photo of yourself into the envelope together with the CV. But if no photo is requested, do not insist on putting a photo.
To sum up, writing a CV is a process, and there are some crucial points of which you must be careful before, during and after writing a CV. The first thing that you are to do before beginning to write a CV is to decide what kind of a CV you are going to write. In the second phase before the writing process, there are some important points that you should keep in mind. During the writing of the CV, some personal details, qualifications and education, interests, foreign language and computer skills, career objective, career experiences are listed. Then, it is of great importance that you should revise what you have written.
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