Selling yourself the right way
The first step in writing a great resume is to be aware of what
it is for.
A resume is a sales tool, designed to promote you and win that
important first interview. TEAM will assist you in developing the
most effective resume based on your skills, experience, qualifications
and future aspirations.
Below are some basic guidelines on what information should be included
in your resume. TEAM will be happy assist you in developing the
most effective resume based on your skills, experience, qualifications
and future aspirations. Contact us
to make an appointment with one of our consultants.
There is no right or wrong way to present a Resume or Curriculum
Vitae (CV) but there are a few rules to follow. As each person is
different so are their CVs but broadly they should contain the following:
-
Start with your name, address and all contactable numbers (you
would be surprised how many CVs we receive without these basic
details).
-
An attention grabbing summary of what you can offer in about
3 or 4 lines of text or bullet points.
-
List your Work Experience in reverse chronological order (i.e.
current or latest job first). This should include the start
and finish dates by month and year, the name of the Organization,
a brief outline of what they do/are and the position that you
held. List your duties, responsibilities and finally, the achievements
whilst in that position. Again, bullet points are highly regarded.
-
Having listed all your positions then include your education
and professional qualifications. Ideally only include courses
that are relevant to your career.
-
List your current IT skills, your typing / shorthand speeds
and the packages including hardware (PCs Macs), operating systems
(Windows XP/2000) and applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
-
Leisure interests are not really that important but may disclose
leadership potential, team working skills and something of your
personality so should be included.
-
Check the spelling and look for any grammatical errors. We
have all written 'gobbly gook' at some time in our career. Spell
checks are just not good enough - 'Sign and Sing', 'Stationery
and Stationary' are prime examples - so when you think it is
perfect (after many attempts) give it to a friend to read thoroughly
to point out any mistakes.
-
References do not need to be attached to a CV and will be
taken up later. If you do list Referees, confirm you have their
permission to do so and make certain the address and telephone
numbers are correct.
-
How long should a CV be? Again no right or wrong answer. A
competent Professional Recruiter usually takes about 20-25 seconds
to 'read' a CV. One International Firm of Recruiters stated
they took 17 seconds to 'read' your life's work!! However, the
generally accepted belief is that the one page wonder, so much
in vogue in the USA in the 90's, is too short and a two to four
page CV is ideal. The monster eight page plus CV will just not
be read!
-
When emailing your CV Microsoft Word format is generally regarded
as the best. Consultants and prospective Employers do not want
to have to click on your personal web site (no matter how brilliant
it may be) to obtain basic details about you!
-
Finally, be truthful. False information, i.e. lies,
on your CV is highly dangerous and you will be caught out eventually,
which may well cost you your job. Be honest in your CV as this
will save a lot of time for everyone
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