The first thing that any serious organization will ask you for when applying for a job is your Curriculum Vitae (or CV for short). This brief document summarizes all your skills, qualifications and experiences, allowing you to present yourself to your potential employers. A good CV is VERY important if you want to land the job you’re applying for.
It is, after all, the document that will create the first impression in the mind of those who you’re applying to. Therefore, nailing this is essential. You can search for different resources online and use translator agencies help to translate if it isn’t in your native language.
Deciding what to omit from your CV
Rather than worrying about what else to fit into your CV, you should focus more on what to omit from your CV. In other words, your CV should be short and concise, and should NOT mention experiences or skills that would not be applicable for the job you’re applying for. For example, if you’re applying for a post in a bank, mentioning your one-year experience during high school as a fry cook at McDonald’s isn’t the smartest of moves. Even if it’s something you’re extremely proud of, if it doesn’t relate to the job you’re applying for, then it doesn’t belong on your CV.
On a further note, it’s always best to omit to paste a photo of yourself on your CV. The idea is to let the employer make his impression of what you would look like, which avoids the unfortunate scenario when a biased employer decides to drop you as a candidate based on your looks.
Making it stand out
Whether you like it or not, the world is a competitive place, and standing out from the crowd does take some effort. Instead of preparing a run-of-the-mill CV and have the company heads skim over it uninterested, put some effort to make it different. Make the design and layout eye-catching, but subtle. Once you’ve got their curiosity, get their attention by having a polished, impressive resume, with perhaps even a witty remark in your statement (no risk, no glory). Anything to stand head and shoulders above the rest.
Look at your CV from your potential employer’s perspective
Before submitting your CV, stop and (honestly) ask yourself this: “Would I hire myself if I was the interviewer?” Take a long hard look at your CV. Now put yourself in the company’s shoes and judge yourself based on the CV only. Don’t be afraid to be critical of yourself; one of the best ways to improve is to learn to form your mistakes. Get a third person’s opinion too. Do you think you’d fall short? If so, alter your CV according to whatever you think is missing and whatever you feel needs to be omitted, till you’d be confident enough to hire yourself.
Review and update
Having a spelling mistake in your CV, or a comma or two out of place is one of the most embarrassing things to learn in an interview. Never EVER submit a CV without reviewing for these simple mistakes, since they make you appear extremely unprofessional. And if you manage to learn a new skill or gain some more experience before hunting for your next job, not updating would be one of the stupidest moves you could take.
