CV Advice for Job Seekers

A very useful aspect of your application is your CV. If companies receive applications, the first screening criterion is how your CV looks.



Someone with a lower University grade, but a professionally written CV and cover letter will have a higher chance than an applicant with a bad CV or application emails will so many spelling errors.



The design or layout of CVs doesn’t really matter, provided that all words or letters are properly presented with no spelling mistakes.



The most important features of a good CV are:



· Smart, simple and well presented format within 2-3 Pages.

· Complex or very detailed CVs can be confusing and takes time to read.

· Suitable fonts like Arial, Verdana, Tahoma or Trebuchet MS. It is better to use just one of these fonts as they are very easy to read and look professional.

· Use Title Case and not excessive CAPITAL LETTER. Capital Letters in a CV can be irritating to an Employer. Make use of relevant case throughout.

· Showcase your Experience before Education. Employers are more interested in what you have done to relate to what you can do.

· Use the following Titles: Profile, Experience, Education, Training, Etc. This is not a rule, but when you spend one page on Education, it does waste people’s time. They want to see how relevant you are to the job – since Experience counts.

· Don’t use bright colours. If possible, stick to Black. You don’t have to design the CV in order to impress. What you need is a smart way to sell yourself.

· Save CV as your actual name. Example Bola Okafor and not ‘my CV’. Imagine that many people send CVs and a good way to be unique is using your name.

· Write a brief email / cover letter that state your skills for the job and what you can bring in (not your education or your local government).




Customize Your Resume for Best Results


You have a resume, but it's not working as well as you'd like it to. What can you do to increase the number of calls you receive for job interviews?

Customize your resume.

Submitting the same resume for every position can't possibly meet each employer's individual requirements. If you want to grab hiring managers' attention, you need to give them what they want. You must take the time to tailor your resume to each employer and its goals to strengthen your chance of getting noticed.

Before responding to a job posting, review the job description to see what credentials are important. If you're submitting your resume to an employer that doesn't have an advertised opening, research the company and find out how it would benefit from bringing you on board. Once you determine your top-selling qualifications, you will be ready to customize your resume to meet the employer's needs.



The most efficient way to create customized resumes is to develop one general resume and then tweak it for each particular job opportunity. Follow these steps:

Title

Your resume title should state your career goal, along with one or two of your top credentials. These credentials should be tailored to the employer's needs. For example: "Sous Chef - Culinary Degree & 5 Years' Fine Dining Experience."

Objective

The purpose of this section is to show that you're perfectly suited for the open position. Opt for a concise, targeted statement instead of a general objective that could be for any employer or job. An Objective like, "To become a software engineer for 123 Company's Web services group," makes the hiring manager's job much easier and brings you closer to getting called for the interview.

Qualifications Summary

Once you've researched the employer's requirements, use the summary section to match these requirements with your qualifications, thereby proving you are the perfect candidate for the position. Modify the Qualifications Summary in your duplicate resume as follows: omit statements that aren't important for the position's specific goals, reorder the summary so statements relevant to the position are listed first and add information about your credentials that's uniquely applicable to the position and employer.

Job Descriptions

Many employers go directly to the Employment History section to assess your qualifications. Review your job descriptions and modify your duties and accomplishments to pertain to the opening. Present an honest account of your employment history, but describe your experience to highlight your work tasks and achievements that relate to the job you're applying for. Place these pertinent qualifications at the top of the description, or use bullets surrounded by white space to make them stand out.

Skills

You've already reviewed the job posting and determined what skills the employer wants in an ideal candidate. Emphasize your matching skills in your resume's Skills section. Begin your list with the skills that would be of most interest to the employer