How to Write C.V.

How to write your C.V... From the BBC News !!

BBC News explains how to get a head start in the job hunting race and make sure your CV is up to scratch.

Your Curriculum Vitae is the single most important weapon in your armoury when it comes to job hunting.

A prospective employer will often make a snap judgement the second they read it and even the most qualified people on the planet can find themselves rejected if the resume fails to come up to scratch. So how can you give yours the edge?

Avoid making it too fancy and complicated. You only have about five seconds to grab the attention - if it is too clever and unreadable it will go in the bin.

Don’t try to make jokes and never slag off previous employers.

CV length
There are no set rules governing the length of your CV - this will be decided on your career history, education and achievements. If possible try to keep it to one page, but if this looks too cramped then feel free to spread it out over two sheets.

Everyone has a different theory when it comes to CV design. Don`t get too bogged down over this, just make sure everything is clearly marked. Include your career progression, education and achievements prominently so your prospective employer doesn`t have to search.

Here is a basic format: Start off with your name, address and contact details clearly listed at the top of the page. Follow this with a profile of yourself which should include an outline of your skills, experience and immediate career goals.

After this you can put in your career history - in reverse chronological order over the past 10 years - with brief descriptions of your responsibilities and achievements. Then comes education, interests/personal details and references.

Stick to the truth
Make sure it is printed on good quality A4 size paper and never attach extra documents, letters or certificates - save these for the interview. Read and re-read your CV, and then ask a friend or family member to read it as well.

Make sure there are no spelling errors or coffee stains as these will be fatal.

It might sound obvious, but be truthful. Never try to smudge dates and jobs to hide periods of unemployment. The most basic of checks will expose your deceit and ruin any chance of getting the job.

Follow all instructions on the job advert. If they want four copies of your CV then you should send four. It is also vital to get it in on time. The covering letter should be customised for each job you apply for as this is your chance to tailor your skills to the demands required.

Cover Letters Resumes and the Job Hunter... Whats it all about?



By: Heather Eager
Any good job hunter needs a resume package. The cover letter and resume always go together and do the same basic thing in slightly different ways. A job hunter without both of them will probably not get very far in the search for a good career position.

With that in mind, let's take a look at what these crucial documents should do for you. The first part, the cover letter, is a short one page letter consisting of three or four paragraphs. It serves as an introduction to the resume. It is the part that will always be seen by the gatekeeper.

The second part is the resume itself. Many job hunters make the mistake of thinking they can just leave a resume without a cover letter. That is like putting on a suit and tie, but forgetting the shirt or the pants. They are a package and they go together.

The resume itself may be in either functional or chronological format. The functional format concentrates on skills. The chronological format concentrates on employment listings. The most effective resumes use elements of both formats to create a combination resume that gets results. It should be laid out in a graphically appealing style, with adequate use of white space, bullet points to draw attention to important parts, and conservative fonts used. While you will occasionally bold face or italicize a font to draw attention to a point or break up a large section of type, changing fonts often makes it hard to read, so stick with one basic font. Also never go smaller than ten point type, and if possible stick with twelve or eleven point. Those sizes are easier to read. If your cover letter and resume are in a small type and hard to read, they simply will not be read, and will not help you.

Many job seekers wonder how they should present the resume package to the decision maker. There are several acceptable methods. If mailing it, use a large nine by twelve white envelope to avoid folding your materials. The white envelopes look nicer than the tan manila commonly used in business. Also large envelopes are generally the first thing people open when they get their mail. If not the first then they may save the large envelope for last. Since people tend to remember the first and the last - the alpha and the omega - while forgetting much of what is in the middle, either first or last is a good thing.