PART V: Different CV types
Universally there are three recognized formats you can choose from:
1. Chronological format
2. Functional format
3. Targeted format
The chronological CV
This is the most frequently used format. It is used when your career progression is stable and your professional growth is consistent.
Used when you are;
- Staying in the same field of work
- You have worked for well reputed companies
It follows your career progression backwards starting with the most current job which should include more information about your responsibilities, skills and achievements than previous jobs.
Point to note; Avoid it if
- You have experienced performance problems
- You have not grown professionally
- You have made frequent job changes because all these problems will show glaring fashion.
The Functional CV
The main highlights in this format are your key skills and strengths and do not emphasize who you worked for and job titles.
It is useful when;
- You have been unemployed for long periods or have jumped jobs too frequently
- Have been stagnant to jump start your career
- Your current responsibilities do not relate to the job you want
- You are entering the job market after a break
- Your career to date consists of a number of jobs, most of which are unrelated
- You are fresh from college and want to emphasize skills and strengths not necessarily acquired through paid employment
- You have worked on internship or temporary jobs
It is written with the most relevant experience to the job you are seeking placed first and de-emphasizes jobs, employment dates and job titles by placing them at the end.
Allows you to promote specific job skills without emphasizing where or when you developed these skills.
The style is best when sending your CV on speculative basis.
The Targeted CV
Use this format when targeting a specific type of job. The job may be an advertisement showing specific requirements. In this case you can tailor your CV to highlight your skills and strengths to match specific job requirements.
The content of the CV is usually the same as used in the previous styles. Therefore it combines both the chronological and functional CV.
Adopting this format means you can have several versions of your CV.
CV length
Most people agree that a 2 to 3 page CV is enough. The bottom line is what you want to sell to the reader is what will determine the length of your CV.
CV Layout
These tips will make your CV easier to read and/or scan into an employer’s database.
- Use white or off white paper
- Use 8-1/2 x 11 inch paper
- Print on one side of the paper
- Use non-decorative, large and clear typefaces
- Choose one typeface and stick to it
- Avoid italics, script and underlined words
- Do not use horizontal or vertical lines, graphics, borders or shadings
- Do not fold or staple your resume
- If you must main your CV, put it in a large envelope
Next I’ll give you samples of the three formats of CV.
PART IV: What Do Employers Really Want?
Employers have limited interests. To hire someone who has what it takes to solve their problem or need. some one will demonstrate skills-clearly evident or capable of being proven.
Here is a typical scenario that informs an employer's decision to advertising for a position in company Y.
Company Y receiver 3000 phone calls in the last three months. 95% of the calls (2850) were inquiries about the company products, only 200 of the call-in customers actually bought the products. This translates to 7% of the total inquiries.
The management company Y wants to know why the conversion rate is so low. On investigating, the following truths emerged:
1. There were only 4 sales staff who could handle call-in clients and the callers stayed on hold for very long (over 1 minute) and dropped the calls;
2. Some calls were received by non sales staff and did not translate to sales.
Company Y then resolved to hire 8 more sales staff to handle call in customers. The Human Resource Manager and the Sales Manager and the sales manager were tasked with completing the hiring assignment. Below is the job profile requirement that they came up with for the new sales staff:
- Age limit - 30 years old
- Minimum Education - Business Degree
- Sales Experience - 2 years
- Specific skills- Language skills; Eloquent and good spoken English/Kiswahili, Excellent interpersonal and rapport building skills, Ability to ask high values sales questions, ability to listen, clues, cues and respond accordingly, objection handling skills, persistent, organizational skills, focused.
Therefore, if you take time to understand the underlying reasons for a job opening, then you will have gone a long way in isolating the important things you will need to work on to build a compelling curriculum vitae.
Your Achievement Profile
Company's have limited interests; making money, saving money and saving time. Projecting your achievement profile in whatever humble way is key to winning a job interview.
When applying for a job, list at least three to six major achievements that are directly related to the job you are applying for in your CV. It is important to pick achievements that are relevant as this shows that you have understood what the recruiter is looking for. Use numbers, percentages to show how this achievement has helped the company for example 'after training my team on a period of 3 months'. This achievements ties in the element of numbers and time. If for example the 15% increase happened after 24 months would it be worth mentioning?
In your achievements list, are the following areas projected?
- Money saved: Every penny saved by your thought and efficiency is a penny earned for the company.
- Time saved: Every moment saved by your thought and efficiency enables your company to make more money by making use of the additional time.
- Money earned: Generating revenue is the business of every company.
PART III: Creating your personal profile
Professional
All
companies seek employees who respect their profession, colleagues and the
procedures. When you project these traits you identify yourself as reliable and
trustworthy.
Reliability: Always
follow up on your tasks without waiting on someone else to get the job done. Keeping
management informed all the way.
Honesty/Integrity/Accountability: Taking responsibility for your actions whether good
or bad and not passing the buck. Are you above the blame culture?
Pride: Taking pride for a job well done.
Dedication: Whatever it takes in time and effort to see a task
through from conception to completion.
Analytical skills: Ability to make informed decisions. Ability to weigh
the pros and cons of a situation and not jumping into conclusions.
Adaptability: Ability to
quickly change with the changing environment both internal and external.
Business
These
demonstrate that you are always on the lookout for opportunities.
Efficiency: Always on
the look out to maximize resource utilization be it time, effort or money.
Economy: The realization
that there are always two sides to a problem. An expensive to implement
solution and one that makes economic sense.
Procedures: The
realization that company protocols are what keep the company in existence. Don’t
work around them.
Profit: That to embrace
all of the above traits means profitability for the company.
A profile is a banner headline of your main selling points. This is a short summary highlighting your key skills and attributes relevant to the position you are applying for. It should paint a highly favorable picture of you and indicate your strengths. Your summary must be completely truthful and should;
- Give a brief of who you are
- Highlight your main skills and experience
- Communicate personal attributes
- Motivate the reader to want to know you
Sell yourself in 30 seconds
A profile sets the pace for the rest of the CV and preconditions the reader. There are 20 universally admired personality traits. The reader of your profile searches your personal profile to determine what kind of a person you really are. the presence of these keys tells the reader how you feel about yourself.
The following phrases therefore project your identity to the reader.
Personal
Drive/Aggressive: A desire to get things done
Motivation: Enthusiasm. A motivated person savages challenges and will go that extra mile to get things done.
Communication Skills: Your ability to talk and write effectively to people at all levels in an organization is the key to success. Ability to listen and understand.
Chemistry: Are you at ease with yourself and everyone else in the company? Do you always wear a smile and don't easily get rattled? Are you a team player? well point is, Chemistry can take you places!
Energy: Do you give that extra effort in the little things and important ones?
Determination: Despite the going getting tough, do you have the knack of moving on?
Confidence: Gracefulness, friendly, honest, and open to all high and below? do you get intimidated
In PART III we'll look at the professional phrases to project your identity.
Keep locked!
Most people do not believe they have attained anything in life. We take ourselves, our abilities, qualities, attributes and strengths for granted. This part however intends to analyse our worthiness and what we can do. If you think of your CV as your sales documents, then you need to search for the attributes that you have to sell from within 'yourself' and present them in a manner that will interest the buyer (potential employer).
1. Personal Evaluation
In personal evaluation you shall stock of your transferable skills, personality traits and achievement profile. Personal Evaluation exercise This process involves asking and answering questions about your life/career past, present and future. When evaluating yourself it will be helpful to ask someone who knows you well to assist you. Answer the questions as honestly as possible.
2. Skills and Achievements evaluation
Now evaluate the skills and achievements you attained in school/college, at home, during your leisure or pass time, in any non-paid work environment.
What is a CV
First we define what CV is? a CV is a sales document that highlights your skills, achievements and experience in such a way that the reader will be interested to meet you.
its main purpose it to inform others about you and also helps provide you with a personal insight.
There is a difference between a CV and a Resume. In simple terms, a CV is a long (two or more pages), more detailed synopsis of your background skills.
A CV should include your name, contact information, education skills and experience. Also include a summary of your educational and academic backgrounds as well as research and teaching experience, publications, professional associations and awards and any other relevant information.
More and more employers today look for skills that will help the company save time, save money or earn more money all of which translate to profits for the company. These skills if properly highlighted in a CV offer the best selling point and can help open doors to interviews.
When writing your CV you should ALWAYS bear in mind that it should be
- Selling your achievements
- Selling your personality traits and business profile
- Relevant
- Easy to read and follow
-Truthful
- Highlights skills you have developed both in and outside work
- Detailed and accurate
Not forgetting the Don'ts. It should not be
- Full of irrelevant information
- A list of job titles and duties
- Dishonest
- Jumbled
- Vague and lacking in detail
-Full of information overload
WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO SELL? next post will be telling you exactly what is needed.!!!
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