CV Tips

A curriculum vitć (CV) is Latin meaning "course of life" and résumé is French meaning "summary".

Often the résumé or CV is the first item that a potential employer encounters regarding the job seeker, and therefore a large amount of importance is often ascribed to

Your single most important marketing tool is your CV and its primary purpose is to secure you an interview. It is vital therefore, that your CV or résumé is well presented and clearly structured.  A CV should present your qualifications, skills and attributes to the employer in a way that demonstrates your suitability for the job.

As well as providing insight into your qualifications and experience, it should show the employer that the skills and qualities you have match the role being applied for. A CV must be accurate and up to date.

Your CV provides your interviewer with a snapshot of information about you. As an applicant for a recruiting program, your education may be your strongest selling point and therefore it should come first. Make sure that you identify your educational result or achievements clearly. Identify main selling points and the key competencies/skills that the employer is looking for.

The structure of your CV should follow a set format, for example:

• Personal Details: all your personal details should go at the top of your CV. Include your name, address, telephone number(s) and e-mail address
• Education: your most recent educational information should be listed first. For each degree level qualification include the degree type e.g., Bachelor's, Master's etc., the University attended, subject(s) studied and grade achieved.
• Work Experience: should be listed in reverse chronological order; that is, put your last job first and work backwards. Include dates of employment (month and year is sufficient), name of organization, location of work (city and state or city and country is sufficient). Summarize your experience with emphasis on specific skills and achievements that would make you the right person for the job
• Skills: you may wish to list key or special skills and competencies such as language skills or IT literacy. For Technology applicants, it is usual to include a comprehensive and clear summary of the IT applications and systems you have worked with
• Hobbies and interests: summarize your hobbies and interests by drawing attention to the skills and achievements in these areas.

At a glance, your CV must appear ordered, readable and pleasing to the eye, with sections and headings clearly marked and, where applicable, dates should be included to show the duration of particular activities. The maximum length of a CV for application is two pages. It is best to avoid unusual fonts and stick to a standard typeface such as Arial or Times New Roman using at least font size 9.

It is essential that you have as many people as possible review your CV and provide feedback - ask friends, family, or career advisors. Use spell check, but remember it won't pick up words that have been used incorrectly but are correctly spelled.