Follow These Simple Tips For More Successful Resume Creation

By Michelle Howe


All of us at some stage will have to go through the process of resume creation, when we create a 'curriculum vitae', or CV, of our accomplishments and qualifications. Job hunting is a challenging enough experience without you being handicapped by having a sub-quality CV, so it is important that you get it right. A resume is not simply a list though, it needs to be properly formatted, proofread for spelling and punctuation mistakes, and be in a legible font.

Firstly, always remember that though gaining a job is the ultimate aim of creating a CV, its primary purpose is to secure you an interview. This is why it is best to keep the CV succinct and to the point. Do not make long lists of everything you have done at work, as this is not only boring but also indicates a mind which cannot filter what is important. The list of experience should be short and to the point, with examples of what you have done much more important than listing qualities which you think you possess.

Using bullet points is therefore a very good idea indeed. Very few employers will have the time or the urge to sift through pages and pages of detail. So use bullet points for each of your sections, breaking down your skills and experience into more easily digestible chunks. This will help your positive qualities to stand out more and be more easily grasped by an employer.

The document as a whole should be kept to its barest minimum in terms of length too. Important details such as your name, date of birth and contact details, as well as your education, needs to be at the beginning of the first page. If you can keep the entire document to just two pages, then that can work very well, as long documents with many pages can often fall apart, with vital sections becoming lost.

Proofreading is vital, as it is for any professional document, but especially a CV. Spelling and punctuation give a much more complete picture of your ability level than you might realise, especially if a potential employer is a stickler for grammar. If you do not know the difference between it's and its, or where to put the apostrophe after a plural, then it is time that you found out, as poor grammar and punctuation can make you look very unintelligent indeed.

The CV also needs to be formatted in such a way that it is straightforward for the potential employer to read. Use bold text and headings to help clearly delineate which sections of the CV refer to which events and skills in your career. Avoid fancy fonts; the aim of a CV is to get you a job interview, not look nice.

Pictures are also something which you should never include in a CV. You should not have to include images of what you have achieved, unless they are specifically requested as proof of some technical ability. Pictures of yourself are simply irrelevant, and make a CV look childish.

A good CV is clear, succinctly written and well-formatted. It uses a clear font, bullet points and has no pictures included. Always proofread it very carefully before sending it away, and your resume creation process has a much better chance of being successful.




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