The Elements of an Effective Resume Cv Curriculum Vitae
A resume is your calling card. It gives an overview of your professional, educational and academic qualifications. What a resume (or CV – curriculum vitae) is designed to do, is to get you an interview with a potential employer. To be effective it should be short, compact, accurate, and relevant. A resume will only be briefly scanned by an employee. Therefore, it needs to be formatted and structured as well as possible, giving you the best employment chance and making easy reading for your employer.
Your resume must be one to two pages in length.
Contact details and name
This will include your name address and contact details. It is not necessary to reveal your age, gender, or even marital status. This is not to say that an employer can work this out from other information you provide, it is that often even unconsciously people pre-judge. Leave this information out and you reduce the chance your resume will be put on the “no” pile. Remember to be effective you need to reduce the chances of an employer saying no to your resume.
Your profile
This element of your resume will include your accomplishments, plus a brief summary of you. Be positive and use simple effective words. Not many people have time to read convoluted profiles. It should be short 6-7 lines at most.
Education, skills, and other skills
The idea of putting this part of your resume near to the top is that an employer scanning over your resume quickly can ascertain your academic levels. Indicating your computer knowledge, other skills, and education here will illustrate how you can bring value and benefit to the company. You have to think what you can offer the company so they are getting the best package by employing you. Making it easy to read is increasing efficiency.
Career history
List your previous employment in chronological order with your most recent job first. You should include dates of employment, names and location. Outline what your duties were and what you accomplished. It is best to use bullet-points or a numbered list so your employer can scan quickly to the salient points. Single lines are perfect here.
Other interests
Include your hobbies and interests and think how they can be developed to offer your employer better value. If you are a swimming instructor use this for an example of how you enjoy leading and developing people. Often employees will find your additional skills of benefit. If you are a first-aider show how you accept responsibility is another prime example.
Gaps in your resume
The dreaded missing gaps in your resume may seem like an obstacle, but there is a way to effectively deal with these worries. During your breaks in employment you need to include what you did in a positive way. If you worked as a volunteer then show this. It can be a one line statement to save space. If you traveled then say this, and how you enjoyed mixing and communicating with other cultures. It can be a positive impression. There is no need to automatically think your employer will think the worst.
By writing your resume or CV and paying attention to how it needs to be effective, you can ensure you are ready to meet the expectations of a potential employer. Make your resume easy to read and use bold formatting for headers, to clearly indicate where each section stops and starts. Use simple words and avoid unnecessary ramblings. Short and succinct is highly effective for your resumes presentation.
