My First CV
I put together my first CV in 2002, just when i started my University. This wasn't for any job, but it was mainly because i had time on my hands. My CV has seen many changes, some of which i am too embarrassed to talk about. I must however admit that google and Yahoo were the best sources of most of those changes. I was not afraid to search for different formats online in order to look like i knew what i was doing. My first CV was about 5 pages long even though i had no experience whatsoever.
Contact Details
This changed as i got wiser. The one thing i knew then which is still very important now, was making sure that my contact details were very visible. A lot of people tend to send out CVs with no contact details, which makes it very hard for recruiters to get hold of them. The truth is, if i have more than 5 people i could interview for the same role, i will not bother chasing after those contact details. It is also very important to understand that recruiters are normally juggling a few roles on their plate, so searching through the net to find one candidate that has already sent their CV is not a top priority. Before i forget, it is very important that your contact details are at the top of the CV, not on the last page.
Qualifications
Once the contact details are out of the way, qualifications follow next. Remember, to always put the latest qualifications first. There is nothing worse than going through two pages of the CV trying to understand what the person's latest qualifications are. While we are still talking about qualifications, remove all subjects studied. We will always get the transcripts, so there is no need in making your CV longer. Short and straight to the point.
General
There are some things that should be considered TABOO when compiling CVs. Some of those are:
- Marital status
- Health
- Smoking/ Non smoker
- PICTURES/ Selfies
- Curriculum Vitae of ... (This page is a waste of space, so people should stop adding it. Unfortunately people tend to waste space with this page.)
- Dependents (This could make people discriminate against you
- Funny fonts
- Criminal Record Status. (Truth is, even if you were a criminal, you will never put that you are one.)
- Postal Address
The rest of your CV should be a reflection of your skills and ability to do the job.
Be gentle, this is my first Blog/ Opinion Piece.
| AWS - SysyOps Admin, Security, Solution Architect | Cisco - Enterprise Core | CCNA - R&S | CCNA - Security | Fortinet - NSE 1-3| Mikrotik - MTCNA | Forcepoint | Cambium Networks | Dip BA (ZIM) |
3 年Thanks Tshidi. Very well said in plain simple English, yet its the chasm between many of us and our dream jobs/opportunities. Keep posting stuff like this. I have "followed" you. Regards
A problem solver.
9 年I have this one down pat as well with your help. Thanks again. Literally, immediately after i fixed it, I got to go to interviews when i did not before.
Entrepreneurship Development Expert : Educator | Trainer | Consultant | Program Manager
10 年Nowadays, huge corporations request for CV to be on a single page. Although challenging to accomplish this at first try, it is possible. Even seniors with 10 - 25 years of experience are able to do this. I am not an HR practitioner but being a global intern for a Multinational Corporation, I came to discover and appreciate the logic behind this new trend of CV; which are to reduce the amount of paper work and the time that recruiters spend skimming and searching for Key information about applicants. With unemployment being considerably high nowadays, companies receive hundreds of applications each time and according to my observation, a winning CV is one that highlights ONLY key points and qualities of the candidate without requiring the recruiter to study the CV. Any clarifications that will follow the CV stage will be sought after at the interview. Just my 2 cents :)
Senior Regional Manager at BETSA
10 年Guess its time I review that CV of mine again thanks Tshidi