How to Write a CV

It is really important to write a good C.V. It is not only a good exercise in self-analysis and presentation but also a C.V. is a passport to getting a meeting or interview. You can find any answers to your difficult 'How to Write a CV', questions on our CV forum - Every Thursday we have a 'live' session between 12 and 1pm, hosted by Margaret Stead and accompanied by a jamming bunch of expert career coaches.

If you'd like a f/ree copy of our report - 'Seven Reasons Why Recruiters Reject Your CV' - all you have to do is send us a copy of your CV and we'll dispatch a copy AND you will receive our f/ree 'How to write a CV' assessment.

When you have mastered the art of self promotion and become a Master Networker then you may even find that you can do without a CV!

A C.V. should:

• Fix in your mind your skills, achievements, work history and education.
  (You must have your achievements at your fingertips for any encounter)
  
• Assist you in networking and getting referrals
  
• Provoke interest and get an interview/meeting
  
• Facilitate a face-to-face presentation
  
• Allow you to prospect outside your geographical area and generate interviews

....and remember:

• Think through the problems that your chosen industry is currently facing, ensure that you demonstrate in your C.V. how you can help solve those problems.
  
• A C.V. is NOT an opportunity to retell your life history or reveal any little known facts about the workings of the local Rotary club. If you put down everything about yourself on a C.V. - why should the potential employer want to see you?
  
• Sexism, racism, ageism, heightism and similar irrational prejudices are all rife in the job market, perhaps more so here than in any other. You can avoid arousing prejudice by omitting unnecessary detail in your C.V. or by reducing its prominence. For instance if you are worried about the effect your age may have on a prospective employer and you feel you ought to include it - put it at the end of your C.V. By the time they reach the end of your C.V. they will be so interested in meeting you that your age will not be a deciding factor.
  
• When you attend networking meetings you will find that attributes such as age, colour, sex and so on tend to diminish in importance anyway. If you can contribute to the organisation and they like you - what you look like pales into insignificance. Leave a one page C.V. as a 'calling card,' it will be very welcome.

It is a calling card, a means of ‘whetting the appetite’ of the interviewer - so interesting and attractive that s/he has to see you.

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