WHAT REALLY MATTERS

GIVE YOUR CV A NAME. Yes, YOUR NAME and nothing else. Iris.doc or Iris Tan.doc.  Your CV named correctly makes it easier and more effective for the interviewer to look up your profile and will help you to stand out in the search. It is simple as that.  Yet so many candidates make such a huge mistake of it.  

Many candidates spent hours and days preparing their CV. And only end up naming it…CV dot doc!  Can you imagine a company receiving dozens of CVs named CV.doc?  You either get replaced or you get lost in the race.

Well, some are slightly better and they call it by the initials of their names. There’s JT.doc or CKTan.doc. Unfortunately, nobody remembers your initials unless you are a rock star. And then there are candidates who systematically name their CVs with version numbers or dates, such as CK Lim - Version3.doc or Tan – Jan 2017.doc. One can’t help but wonder how many versions do you have? And why are you creating different versions? Your CV is personal, unique and represents you, the one and only you. Therefore, whilst you may have updated different versions in your system, keep it for your own reference only. No one else needs to know.  So, it is absolutely important to just put your name to it when you are sending it out to companies. All you want is for them to be able to find your CV when they want. Yes, that’s what really matters.

By Iris Tan | Senior Partner, CNA International Executive Search