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I wonder sometimes whether we appreciate the importance of having a professional and well-written CV. Do we really appreciate the time and resources that are required to build our career? Are we willing to invest the necessary resources to increase our chances of obtaining that perfect job? The reality is that not everyone will start their own business! Not everyone wants to start their own business and be their own boss! Most of us will continue working or someone else for most of our lives! Why is it then that in realising this, we don’t ensure that we have all the means necessary to assist us to “market” our full potential?

It amazes me that there are still job applicants that think it is okay to just send the standard old CV to each and every job they apply for. Out of all the CV’s that pass my desk, 99% of them are usually written in the same old conventional way with the same four headers/categories: Personal Details, Education, Work Experience, and Hobbies. Who has time to carefully scrutinise hundreds of CV’s if they all look like they have been mass-produced according to this same conventional standard. People still ask me to this day why they aren’t invited to interviews even though they have excellent credentials. The answer is simple! 

If I am looking to fill a vacancy and I need to look at every CV, chances are that I will discard all those that don’t grasp my attention in the first 5 seconds. In all probability I will bin yours as well, because I don’t have time to look through your CV in the hope that you have something special to offer. Your CV is the only tool that will “market” you and it is the only key that will open the door to that first interview. If it is not professionally presented whilst at the same time clearly distinguishing you from the other applicants you are in all probability wasting your time in applying.

You can’t rely on a third-party to “market” you. You can’t rely on a generic and dare I say boring CV to “market” you. You need to clearly understand your audience (the reader), the position you are applying for and have a definite appreciation of what you can offer that others can’t. What is your WOW factor?

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The Do’s of Writing a CV:

• Always include a personal profile.
• Emphasise your skills and qualities. 
• Correct all typographical, grammatical and spelling errors.
• Target your qualifications. 
• Include your employment-related accomplishments. 
• Clearly communicate your purpose, value offering, and career objective to prospective employers. 
• Maintain eye-appealing visual appearance. 
• Use basic fonts such as Arial or Calibri.
• Always include a cover letter when mailing or emailing a CV. 
• K – I – S – S  (Keep It Simple and Smile).
• Use a professional email address and remember to include your contact details. Do not use the email address that you created when you were in Varsity, e.g. 2sexy@yahoo.com or manofthehour5@gmail.com).

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The Don’t of Writing a CV:

• Don’t staple of fold you CV.
• Don’t eat or drink over your CV.
• Don’t use abbreviations or industry “jargon”.
• Don’t use personal pronouns such as “I” to refer to yourself.
• Don’t use fancy binders or exotic paper. 
• Don’t mention salary expectations. 
• Don’t use the title “resume”. 
• Don’t include references on your CV. 
• Don’t include hobbies or social interests unless they contribute to your career objective. 
• Don’t use repetitive statements.

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