Importance of a CV – Types of CVs

A CV is a Marketing Tool. . .

1. Summarizes your experiences that are of interest to potential employers.
2. Shows relevance of qualifications.
3. Establishes enough interest to land an interview.

Building a great CV is the single most important thing you can do when searching for a new job.

1. Employers only spend 20 seconds per resume
2. Recruitment is not like ‘Indian Idol’ – everyone is NOT invited for an audition. Only 10-20 applicants make it after the first cut.
3. CV becomes the basis for the interview
4. Reminder of the impression you made during the interview

Types of CVs

There are basically two types of CVs:

Chronological: A CV written in a chronological order – by time.

Functional:   A CV that groups skills and experience in a way to best demonstrate a person’s match for a particular job.

We will focus on the chronological CV because…

• The chronological CV is a good format
• Easy to read by the recruiter
• Less time consuming to prepare

Suggested elements of a CV

1. Identifying Information
2. Objective
3. Education
4. Relevant Coursework / Academic Projects
5. Work Experience
6. Skills
7. Activities, Leadership, and Service
8. Awards /Honors
9. Publications / Conferences
10. References (separate page)

Identifying Information

1. Name
2. Present and Permanent Address
3. Telephone Numbers
4. Email Address – make it professional!
5. Web Page (if appropriate)

Example – Identifying Information

FARZANA SHAFIQUE

22-B, DHA Phase IV, Lahore, Pakistan

Ph: +92 42 1234567 / Cell: +92 3** 1234567

PakEducators2011@gmail.com

Objective

1. A statement that indicates to an employer the type of position you are interested in pursuing.
2. One sentence that describes your employment goals clearly and concisely.
3. Not what the employer can do for you, but what you can do for the employer.
4. Avoid vague phrases that focus on what you will gain from the experience.
5. Do not use “I”

Examples – Objective

• A seasoned academician with vast training, high motivation and well educated seeking to excel in a career teaching the future generation.
• A human resources expert, with three years experience looking to apply knowledge and social skills into a management role
• A commercially minded recent business graduate with experience of a sales internship is seeking a career in management of sales in a large organization

Education

1. List the name and location (city, country) of your college/university.
2. List newest degree first.
3. GPA or % – only if it is 3.0 or higher (more than 60%)
4. Year of graduation
5. Do not list future educational plans in this section
6. Continuing educational programmes should be mentioned as ‘Ongoing’

Example – Education

PakEducators Business School & College, Pakistan

BBA in Finance, July2011

GPA: 3.7

Or you can also write

MBA, Human Resources, July 2011

Punjab University, Lahore

GPA: 3.1

  Experience

• List your job title, name of department, name of organization, city, and dates of employment.
• Use action verbs to start each responsibility.
• Avoid pronouns – incomplete sentences are OKAY! Ah! Hmn!
• Can be listed as Internship, Volunteer, Work, Relevant, Additional or Leadership Experience.
• List experiences in reverse chronological order

• May create a separate section,  ‘Leadership Experience’
• List each experience separately.
• List relevant projects and its results.
• Remember:

1. Quantify
2. Use action verbs
3. Brag – do not downplay but do not exaggerate either

Example – Work Experience

PakEducators Public School, Islamabad Jan  2009 – June 2010

Coordinator, Math

• Ensured that the learning objectives set for Science Teachers were met for all 300 students
• Trained 50 teachers in learning techniques
• Coordinated daily activities and special events for students
• Tutored students with learning disabilities

Example – Leadership Experience

Institute of Business Administration- Multan

Project Leader          Mar 201o – Aug 2011

Led a team of 11 faculty members to analyze the nature of problems faced by students living in hostels

• Organized 6 student discussion sessions
• Presented suggestions for implementation of a new residential plan for students
• Reduced student dissatisfaction by 17%

Skills

• Communication, verbal and written
• Honesty/integrity
• Interpersonal skills
• Motivation
• Initiative
• Strong work ethic
• Teamwork
• Analytical
• Flexibility
• Adaptability

•  Laboratory/Instrumentation

•  Spoken Languages

 Activities

• List organizations that you belong to.
• List professional memberships.
• May include year(s) that you participated in each activity.

References

• Have a separate page of References.
• Create a list of references including name, title, business address, phone number, and email.
• Choose mostly employment references.
• Always ask permission from individuals before listing them as references.

Additional Tips

Do’s

• Check thoroughly for spelling mistakes & formatting errors
• Use short sentences.
• Ensure all dates are correct
• Use good quality plain white A4 paper if you are printing your CV.
• Use bullet points.
• Try to stick to 2-3 pages.
• Go for eye appeal
• List strong area firstPGet feedback on your final product

Don’ts

• Use pictures or photos on CV
• State any personal information
• (age, marital status, height / weight, Number of children etc.)
• List salary requirement
• Try and be humorous (recruitment is serious)
• Leave gaps in employment
• Use fancy fonts and borders
• Lie or exaggerate about anything on your CV
• Offer any negative information
• Provide reasons for leaving last employers