TIPS OF HOW TO CONSTRUCT A PROFESSIONAL WINNING CV

When you set out to construct your C.V, always remember a C.V is meant to secure you an appointment with the interviewer to enable you expound your abilities in relation to the available vacancy. To catch the eyes of the shortlisting person, you must always ensure key shortlist information is highly visible on the C.V. Remember, however qualified; jobs will remain elusive unless you secure an appointment with the interviewer to impress him.

The following captions forms part of a winning C.V

a. Name - Clearly print your names as they appear on your documents

b. Age - Either date of birth or the number of years. Remember some jobs have age limit and any C.V that doesn't disclose age is disregarded.

c. Contact Information
- Post Box
- Telephone
- E- mail
Make it easy for the interviewer to contact you. Always provide an alternative telephone number especially a close associate incase your usual phone is out of reach at that critical moment when you are required for an interview.

d. Gender/Sex - Though not common, potential employer may have preference of certain gender.

e. Current Residence town - Some jobs require candidates familiar with certain regions.

f. Languages - State all languages spoken and written other than your mother tongue.

A key shortlist criteria is how your current renumeration package relates to the potential employer's budget for the available position. Contrary to popular belief, indicating your current or last renumeration package never compromises your competitiveness. The figures enables the shortlisting person rapidly match you with the available range of vacancies especially where the assignment is being handled by a recruitment firm. Always clearly state your current / last gross salary + benefits if any.

Academic: Start with the highest level attained and list all your academic qualifications. You may choose to indicate the examining body and institutions where you studied.

Professional: List starting with the highest. Include year of qualification and examining body.

Other relevant qualifications: Especially those related to area of qualification e.g. an Accountant may need to indicate Accounting softwares he / she is good at.

- While laying out your experience, remember most employers are looking for transferable skills. Therefore give as much details as possible in this caption.
- List all the companies you have worked for starting with the current employer or last. Include a brief explanation on the business they (various companies worked for) are in (e.g. Skills Geographic (K) Limited – a leading regional Staff recruitment firm)
- Always indicate the period worked for each employer and the position held. If you have held more than one position, show the progression i.e. period spent in each position. Ensure that the position occupied is clearly stated e.g. Accountant – payables. Avoid generalized position. The interviewer need to understand exactly what position you held.
- For each position, detail duties and responsibilities discharged.

Always provide three referees on your C.V. The referees should be people who who know you very well; especially those you have worked with. For every referee give their Address, telephone contacts and email Addresses.

Information relating to captions below is not absolutely necessary for shortlist but can be useful in other stages after first interview.
- Hobbies
- Religion
- Expected renumeration package
- Personal mission
- Photograph

Write your C.V using standard fonts and styles to make the C.V eye friendly. Unless requested avoid sending scanned documents including certificates especially if the C.V is to be send through email. Use widely available programmes to prepare the C.V to make it easy for the interviewer to open/download the C.V. MS Word and Adobe reader are the most widely used programmes.

If you are unsure of the quality of your C.V, always seek the service of a professional C.V writer. Remember just like any product package which varies with targeted market segment, each C.V must be customized to meet the requirements of the available job