writing a good cv

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CERN GS Department CH-1211 Genève 23 Switzerland Internet Services GS AI S General Services Department GS Administrative Information Services Writing a good CV Rostislav Titov, CERN

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Writing a good CV. Rostislav Titov, CERN. Why?. Typical selection process. 150 candidates applied. 30 candidates selected for testing. 10 candidates interviewed. 1 person gets the job. Conclusions. Your CV should really stand out outstanding CV shows your talent and motivation - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS General Services

DepartmentGS

Administrative Information Services

Writing a good CV

Rostislav Titov, CERN

Page 2: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

Why?

150 candidates applied

30 candidates selected for testing

10 candidates interviewed

1 person gets the job

Typical selection process

Page 3: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

Conclusions

• Your CV should really stand out– outstanding CV shows your talent and motivation

• It should be tailored to employee’s needs– modify your CV for each employer

• Don’t give the recruiter a reason to reject it – funny e-mail, weird hobby, spelling mistake…

Your challenge: writing a CV that would impress a recruiter in 20 seconds and will be among the 20% of not rejected ones.

Page 4: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

General Principles

• 1-2 (or 3) pages maximum

• Nice layout, readable 11pt typeface

• Well-structured

• Every word and line should be relevant

• No spelling or grammar mistakes!

• Don’t write in the first or third person I improved the work process …

He improved the work process …

Improved the work process …

Page 5: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

Types of CV

• Chronological– what most recruiters would expect– focuses on work history– best if you have a strong, solid history

• Functional– focuses on skills and experience– good if you don’t have a lot of work history– good if you change career or have gaps

• Combination– first skills and experience, then work history– best if you want to highlight relevant skills while also

showing your work history

Page 6: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

Chronological CV

Personnel Information

Work history

Reverse-chronological,recent jobs first

Summary

Education and training

SkillsPublications

Other relevant information

Page 7: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

Functional CV

Personnel Information

Skills & Competencies

Summary

Education and training

Work history & Other information

Page 8: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

Combination CV

Personnel Information

Work history

Summary

Education, training, other relevant information

Detailed competencies and skills

Page 9: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

CONTENTS Personal Information Summary Work History Competencies & Skills Education & Training Spoken Languages & other information

Page 10: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

Personal Information• Name

– make it stand out by using a larger font

• Contact details (make sure they are correct!)• Age or date of birth

– possible but not required

• Including photo is not recommended– unless really important for job (i.e. model business)– you are judged by ability to work, not by your smile– photos in CVs are not allowed in some countries

• Marital status, nationality, height, weight, …– NO (unless needed)! It is not your profile on a dating site– in some countries it is illegal for recruiters to ask

Page 11: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

E-mail

• Don’t use your current employer’s mailbox– you may find yourself in an awkward situation– the CV might “fire” after you quit the company

• Make sure your contact details are correct– not a rare reason of non-inviting good candidates

• Create a new professionally-looking e-mail– it just takes 5 minutes– try to deriver it from your name/surname

A funny e-mail address could ruin your CV

Page 12: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

Summary

• Not strictly required… but extremely important

• No more than 3-6 lines

• It is the first (and possibly the only!) thing the recruiter will read

• Don’t put your objectives, tell who you are (tailored approach vice “wide shot”)

• Don’t use quotations (your CV will be rejected!)“A regional branch employee looking for a job in the headquarters decided to show his sense of humour and knowledge of Russian classics by starting his CV with: "Милый дедушка Константин Макарыч, сделай божецку милость - забери меня отсюда..." (Dear grandfather, Konstantin Makaritch, for Christ's sake, I beg you, take me away – A. Chekhov).

P.S. Refused. We have too many clowns already.”

Page 13: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

Summary

Cliché You are expected to be…

Redundant Not perceived well

“A good team player, self-organized and highly motivated, is looking for an interesting well-remunerated job”

This summary is a waste of space and is counterproductive

Poor Summary

Page 14: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

Good Summary

“A J2EE developer with over 7 years of experience in writing and supporting large-scale software in multinational teams. Lead architect of a corporate Java-based system (16’000+ users).”Vacancy: “An international company is looking for a J2EE developer for maintaining and developing a corporate recruitment system”.

• Tailored to the employee’s needs

• Immediately tells you have the right profile

Page 15: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

Work History

• Chronological, recent jobs first

• No unexplainable gaps− include reasonable explanations− do not cheat

• Explain in which sector/area the company works if it is not obvious (what is Beeline?)

• List your key responsibilities/achievements

• Use action “resume words”!

Page 16: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

Power Words

Including power resume words increases chance of getting hired by 80%!accelerated accomplished achieved addressed administered advanced advised applied arranged assessed assisted assured audited awarded built changed chaired clarified classified collected compared completed conducted conceptualized considered consolidated constructed controlled converted coordinated corrected created defined delivered demonstrated described designed developed devised diagnosed directed distributed documented doubled drafted earned edited endorsed enlarged ensured established estimated evaluated examined expanded explained explored extended financed formulated found gathered generated guided handled helped identified implemented improved incorporated increased innovated installed interviewed introduced invented invested investigated launched led made maintained managed measured modified moved negotiated opened organized participated performed persuaded planned prepared presented processed procured promoted proposed provided published purchased questioned raised realized received recommended recruited redesigned reduced reorganized repaired replaced reported researched resolved restored revamped reviewed revised saved selected set up simplified sold solved specified staffed streamlined strengthened structured studied submitted succeeded suggested summarized supervised surveyed systematized tackled tested traced trained transformed translated treated tripled troubleshoot turned tutored uncovered unified unraveled updated upgraded used utilized verbalized verified visited widened worked wrote …

Page 17: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS Best Insulation, Ltd., May 2009 - Now

Vice-DirectorManaged daily operations of a $1 million foam insulation company.Restructured product pricing/discounts resulting in an 80% bid acceptance rate.Implemented new bidding process utilizing Excel spreadsheets to formulate more accurate bids.Doubled company income by optimizing internal business processes

Crazy Constructions, April 2006 – May 2009ManagerOptimized business process allowing to save about 150’000$ per yearTrained and supervised work crews in more efficient product installation techniques that have reduced material waste by 20% and labour hours by 43%.Established a new safety policy

“Russian House” Construction company, April 2001 – April 2006Work superintendantSupervised construction of 2 skyscrapers in the Moscow business centreDirectly managed work of about 150 workers Improved construction quality by introducing innovative building techniques

ManagedRestructuredImplemented

Doubled

OptimizedTrained and supervised

Established

SupervisedDirectly managedImproved

Work History: example

Page 18: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

Dealing with gaps in the career

• Don‘t list the month for “over a year” positions− e.g. say 2008-2012

• Freelance, consulting, volunteering count as a job!− list them as you would list other jobs (job title, dates, etc.)− If you were on training, list it in the “Education”

• For big gaps, put the explanation in the history− consider everything you were doing (e.g. travel, family)− try to present them so they're relevant to your job objective

• Explain irrelevant gaps honestly and with dignity− don‘t refer to illness or unemployment, write instead about

something you were doing during that time, even if it’s not related to your job objective.

Page 19: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

Dealing with gaps in the career (2)

• Here are some “job titles” to cover gaps:Full-time StudentIndependent StudyFull-time ParentFamily Management (or Home Management)Family Financial ManagementAdventure Travel (or Travels to …)Personal Travel

• Call the section “History” instead of “Work History” if it includes “gap descriptions”

• Be prepared to explain gaps at the interview

Page 20: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

Competencies & Skills

• Start with the most relevant skills

• Indicate your level of proficiency– how many years of experience?– when have you used it last time?– have you used it in real projects or just for fun?

• Give examples– use action words

• Don’t waste much space on irrelevant skills– will Lisp skills help you to get a Java-coder’s job?

• Don’t put things you are not easy with

Page 21: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

Competencies & Skills: Example

Human Resources (8 years of experience, last used in 2012)

Established a pro-active career monitoring process (2012)

Designed and implemented a modern recruitment and staffing policy (2010)

Improved staff selection process by introducing a new software tool (2007)

Comprehensive understanding of Russian employment law legislation

Leadership & Project Management (4 years of experience, last used in 2012)

Designed, staffed and lead an award winning new recruitment unit

Introduced Key Performance Indicators in HR selection process

Directly supervised 18 persons

Page 22: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

Competencies & Skills: Example 2

Java – over 7 years of experience (J2EE/Spring/GWT/Hibernate)

Lead developer of a large corporate Java-based system

Designed robust and scalable web applications (16’000+ users)

Developed a billing application (1500 users) using Spring/GWT

Improved system maintainability by rewriting it with Hibernate

C++ – 4 years of experience (last used in 2010)

Created an expert system for Government of Ukraine

Maintained and enhanced 7 mission-critical C++ applications

Web technologies – 5 years of experience

Redesigned web interface of a big corporate system with AJAX

Created a corporate web site with HTML5/CSS3/JQuery

Page 23: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

Education

• Most recent and most relevant first

• Give qualification details, place and date– you can include incomplete qualifications but make

it clear that you have not completed them yet

• Do not include irrelevant qualifications

• Include relevant training (e.g. courses) and other facts (e.g. prizes in school competitions)

• Experienced job seekers: include basic facts

Page 24: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

Other Information

• Languages– With some details (oral skills, reading skills, etc.)

• List of publications / presentations

• Don’t put “references available upon request”– You are expected to provide them if needed anyhow

• Hobbies? Don’t mention them, unless you are sure they will help to get the job!– They take precious space– Employers don’t have to care– Weird or inappropriate hobbies could lead to a fail

“Hobbies: computer games, hacking web sites”

Page 25: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

COMPOSITION

Don’t use too many fonts and colors

Main font size 10-12pt

A bit of colour might improve the CV

Page 26: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

Structuring

This is how recruiters look at your CV

Page 27: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

StructuringJava. Over 7 years of experience (J2EE/Spring/GWT/Hibernate). Lead developer of a large corporate Java-based system. Designed robust, durable and scalable web applications used by thousands of persons worldwide and available on 24/7 basis. Developed a billing application (1500 users) using Spring/GWT architecture. Improved system maintainability by rewriting it with Hibernate.

Java – over 7 years of experience (J2EE/Spring/GWT/Hibernate)

Lead developer of a large corporate Java-based system

Designed robust and scalable web applications (16’000+ users)

Developed a billing application (1500 users) using Spring/GWT

Improved system maintainability by rewriting it with Hibernate

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Page 28: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

Spelling and grammar

• No errors allowed!!!– they indicate you are uneducated,

lazy, careless or not professional

• No red highlighting ≠ no errors– e.g. than ≠ then

• Show your CV to a friend

• Have it checked by a native speaker

Page 29: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

Distribution

• Use the best possible paper and printer

• Don’t fold unnecessarily

Paper version

• PDF or Word format

• No ZIP, RAR, JPEG, TIFF,...

Electronic version

No one called… Perhaps I shouldn’t have sent my

CV in CorelDraw format?

Page 30: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

SOCIAL NETWORKS

Great tools for job hunting

Online profile might be more up to date than the CV

They don’t substitute the need for CV

Page 31: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

Social Networks Usage

• Very powerful professional network• Get references and endorsements• You could use it for company search• Gives you a list of jobs you are interested in

LinkedIn

• Don’t afraid to network on Facebook• Friends who know you could help you

Facebook

• Let people know you are looking• Tell people what you are looking for

Twitter

Page 32: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

Social Networks Dangers

• Survey: 70% of candidates refused based of what was found about them online

• Remove complaints about your job, any confidential work information, photos of yourself acting in an inappropriate way, …

• Make your Facebook profile private

“Your first impression isn't made with a firm handshake – it's with a Google search”

Page 33: Writing a good CV

CERN GS Department

CH-1211 Genève 23

Switzerlandcern.ch/gs-dep

InternetServices

GSAIS

[email protected]