Writing CV Tips

Writing curriculum vitae is primarily the applicant’s call – whether it should be in one page or three pages, or what format to follow.  What applicants should bear in mind is that their resume is an advertising strategy.  It is supposed to communicate a message.  It is supposed to sell or market them.  It is supposed to convince people, particularly the company, to buy them.

Applicants writing their resumes can start off with asking or clarifying with themselves why he or she is writing the resume, in the first place, and what the expected benefit of the resume is to the applicant.  The primary purpose of the resume is to sell the applicant enough to grant him or her slot for interview.  After getting that slot, another challenge begins.

Self Promotion

Whether you believe it or not, recruitment teams receive piles and piles of applications for the different vacant positions.  The greatest challenge for a resume is to pull the spotlight to the applicant so that the company would be willing to spend time to interview him or her.  But most of the applications received get to be thrown to the trash bin, paper shredder or scrap paper files.

To avoid having your resume receive the stamp of rejection, stop treating your resume as a diary of your job history.  Though a resume is dominantly about one’s job experiences or credentials, the end in mind should be to arouse interest.  If you write with the goal of narrating about your past, your resume might end up like a book.  Unfortunately, managers can’t spend so much time to read very long resumes.  Choose the credentials you include in your resume.  If you have too-many-to-mention experiences, affiliations, or achievements, mention only those that are related to the position you are applying for.

WORST application ever

Prior to writing your resume, study the job description of the position you are applying for.  It will help you create a more convincing resume.  Using power key words in your job experiences, such as “supervised audit reports” instead of “handled audit assignments”.  Avoid writing your resume in a random manner, in the same way you fill out a survey form.  Indicating your job objective is also important because it reflects your sense of direction.

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