how to write a cv that really works, part ii , presented by dr. shadia yousef banjar.pptx

LANE 462- CA-2011I

By:By:By:By:

Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. ShadiaShadiaShadiaShadia YousefYousefYousefYousef BanjarBanjarBanjarBanjar

http://SBANJAR.kau.edu.sa/

http://wwwdrshadiabanjar.blogspot.com

HOW TO WRITE A CV THAT

REALLY WORKS

Part: II

Dr. Shadia Yousef Banjar112/9/2010

The importance of your CV/Resume cannot be

underestimated. First impressions count in competitive

job markets.

12/9/2010 Dr. Shadia Yousef Banjar 2

There’s More Than One Way to

Present Yourself

In part I , we have been analyzing why it is so important to ‘sell yourself’. We have examined how to identify your skills and achievements and what

information to include on your CV. This part concentrates on how to present this to the reader.

PUTTING ON THE STYLE


PUTTING ON THE STYLE

WHICH APPROACH TO TAKE!There are three main styles of CV:1 The chronological CV.2 The functional CV.3 The targeted CV.

Each one has its strengths and which style you use will depend on:1. what you have already done

2. what you intend to do.

It may well be appropriate for you to have more than one version of your CV and to present yourself

using different styles.


using different styles.

The Chronological CV

This style of CV presents your

career history in chronological

sequence, starting with your

most recent job first.


most recent job first.

C

V

This style is useful when:• Your career history shows natural

progression and growth.

• You’re staying in the same field of work.

•You have worked for well known

companies with good reputations.

•Your previous job titles are impressive.


•Your previous job titles are impressive.

•You’re aiming to work in a traditional

field, e.g. government or education,

when where you worked or studied is

important.

•Your last or current position should include more information

about your duties, skills and achievements than previous ones.

•The less recent your job, the less information you will include.

•Remember, when writing about your work, only include:1. the main highlights,

2. what you achieved (not just what you did),

3. the skills you developed,

4. facts and figures that help sell you (e.g. managed a team of

7Dr. Shadia Yousef Banjar12/9/2010

4. facts and figures that help sell you (e.g. managed a team of

14 staff, working to a budget of £250k).

So if your career to date emphasizes continuity and progression and you have worked for well known employers, this style may well be best for you.

The functional CVThe functional CVThis style of CV highlights your main skills and

strengths and does not place so much emphasis on

who you worked for and what your job title was.

The functional CV offers greater flexibility on how you present yourself than a chronological CV.


This functional style is useful when:•You want to emphasize skills and strengths not necessarily acquired through

paid employment.

•Your career to date consists of a number of jobs, most of which are

unconnected.

•You want to change careers and therefore your present position may be of no

relevance to your future ambitions.

•You want to emphasize skills and achievements from previous work experience

which were not required in your most recent position.


which were not required in your most recent position.

• You are entering the job market after a break or for the first time.

•Most of your work has been freelance or you have worked on a number of

temporary assignments.

• You are self employed and want to present to clients the range of areas in

which you have experience.

•You have had a number of job titles, but the work has been basically the same.

(Using this style avoids endless repetition of the same information.)

•This style can be used when sending your CV

on a speculative basis, as it gives a brief

overview of the range of your skills, rather than

simply emphasizing what you have done in your

most recent position.

•For this reason it is also useful when contacting


•For this reason it is also useful when contacting

agencies who may wish to consider you for a

number of positions.

•This style of CV, as the title suggests, is best to use when you are aiming for one specific type of job. •As such, the CV can only be written with the job in mind.

• Although much of the content of the CV may be the same as

used in the previous styles, this one will be tailored accordingly.

•Greater emphasis will be given to detail that relates specifically

The Targeted CV


•Greater emphasis will be given to detail that relates specifically

to the job in question.

A targeted CV can be a combination of functional and chronological CVs. However, all detail included will be written with a clear objective in mind, as opposed to a general overview.

This style is useful when:•You have a specific job to go for, or are responding to a

particular job advert.

•You want to emphasize skills and achievements, not necessarily

acquired in your most recent work, or which were obtained

outside paid employment.

•Adopting this style will, by its nature, mean you are likely to have

a number of versions of your CV which you adapt accordingly.


a number of versions of your CV which you adapt accordingly.

+

One of the main talking points around CVs is how long they should be. It is helpful firstly to answer the following:1. Does my CV give enough information to the

reader?

Getting The Length And Layout Right


reader?2. Have I been able to portray fully my skills and

achievements?3. Am I getting interviews?

•Most people agree that there is no need for a CV to be any

longer than three pages – and quite often two pages is enough.

•To some extent, this will depend on the size of type face and

how spread out your information is.

•There are those that argue that a one-page CV proves most successful and that it should be possible to include all relevant information on one page.


•Certainly, if the reader is inundated with CVs and only has to

glance through one page of yours, this may be an advantage.

•The key, is to concentrate on what you want to tell the reader and then decide how long your CV will be.

The third question is perhaps the most vital one. Ultimately, if you are not gaining interviews:•you are applying for the wrong types of jobs.

•your CV needs changing.

•you need to adopt different strategies for using your CV.

•The readers of your CV have different preferences.


•The length of your CV will depend on how you decide to

lay out your information and also on which one of the

three styles you choose to use.

•When someone sees your CV for the first time, they will

begin to form a strong impression immediately. This will

be influenced by:

MAKING FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT


be influenced by:a. the quality of paper used

b. how neatly the CV is presented

c. whether or not the CV is clear and easy to read.

The reader does not want:•eye strain from trying to decipher a mass of words crammed

onto a single sheet of paper

•to be faced with a seemingly never-ending document that

fails to get to the point and does not give them the information

they require.

•Remember:


•Remember:Your CV must look good visually and be easy to follow.

The use of headings, bullet points and bold lettering can all play their part in helping to make your CV

look good.


look good.

1. No more than three pages.

2. No CV without editing. Learn to Edit your CV and know

what needs to be in and what doesn’t.

3. No frivolous email address. Keep those ones for your

friends and get a new one for the job search. Your name,

CV No-No’s


friends and get a new one for the job search. Your name,

or some version of it, is all you need.

4. No too small font size. Keep it to 12pt for Arial or Times

New Roman. There is no need for any other font – if you

like a modern look go for Arial, if you like a traditional look

Times is for you.

• No Gaps. Every year of your career should be accounted for. If you took a sabbatical or time out to do non-work stuff, you need to say something

to explain that time

• No Platitudes and clichés. They don’t say anything. “A highly enthusiastic team player” or “Hardworking and able to work alone or in a team”. Has anyone yet confessed to be a lazy misanthrope? Keep the subjective opinions and the pointless clichés out of the profile

statement and focus on facts.

• No need to be a job board tart. Recruiters are using clever programs to


• No need to be a job board tart. Recruiters are using clever programs to manage on-line applications. If you are rejected by one consultant in a

firm it flags up for the others the next time you apply for something. If

you consistently get rejected, sooner or later the other consultants will

stop opening your CV, especially if you apply for a wide range of

unrelated positions.

• No need to rush. Don’t forget, January is traditionally a good month for recruitment.

One Last Thing:EDIT

EDIT

EDIT!


EDIT!

Resource:••How to write a CV that really worksHow to write a CV that really works © 2009 Paul McGee. Published by How To Content:

www.howtobooks.co.uk

•Five CV No-No’s, by Nick Gendler:

http://workjoy.wordpress.com/2010/12/20/five-cv-no-nos/

23Dr. Shadia Yousef Banjar12/9/2010

how to write a cv that really works, part ii , presented by dr. shadia yousef banjar.pptx

Education

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functional style

functional cvthis style