Creating the Perfect CV

Creating the perfect CV is the first step towards getting a good job. Your CV is the first thing that reaches the employer and it is vital in making the right impression on the prospective employer. Many people do not understand the importance of the CV and end up making casual mistakes on the resume which makes a poor impression on the employer and often he throws the CV into the waste basket rather than taking a second look.

There are many common mistakes which make a resume bad and ruin the first impression of the candidate. Some of these common mistakes are:

Lack of Focus:

Having a focus is very important element in any kind of resume. It is a commonly known fact that the employer scans an average resume for not more than 20 seconds, so it is important that a resume shows the main objective and the goal of the candidate at first glance. You need to highlight what you want from your professional career and what things are you good at. Most of the employers are looking for a match between the applicant’s capabilities and the specific job’s requirements for which they are going to hire the person. A vague resume that lacks all kinds of focus regarding the job requirements is not competitive and often fails to catch the employer’s eye.

A Duty Driven Resume:

When you create a resume that focuses on your duties and responsibilities at the last few jobs, you are not making a good impression on the employer. A good resumes or CV should consist of the accomplishments that you made at certain position in a company and it should sell the qualifications of the jobseeker putting him in the spotlight as the best candidate for a specific position. You should be careful not to use any phrases such as “duties included,” since this kind of language is used to give the job description rather than listing the accomplishments in the resume.

Neglecting To Mention Important Skills:

It is very important to make sure that you mention the important skills on a prominent place in the resume. The definition of important skills is also relevant to every job position and you need to know which skills are important for the current job opening. For instance, computer skills are very important in today’s world and age and hence no matter which job you are applying for, it is important that you mention all the skills that you have acquired. Similarly you should also mention the language and international personal skills that you possess as they are important in the type of job you are seeking. Make sure that you list these important skills in your Profile section, rather than adding a separate portion at the end of your CV.

Too Much Text:

It is very important that you use bulleted styles to create your resume as it will be easy to read and can catch the attention of the reader within a few seconds. However you have to remember to use the bullets very consistently in order to make sure that the overall format of the CV remains the same. You should use the same bullet style in the entire resume and make sure that you use it as often as you can to make your resume clear and concise.

Lack of Keywords:

The online job search process nowadays revolves around the keywords and the placement and usage of the keywords plays an important role in getting your resume all the way. More and more employers rely on keywords to find the best suited job candidates as they want to interview the person who is best suited for the job. When you write your resume, make sure that you include all the relevant keywords that the employer can use to search for a candidates. There are many examples on the internet on how to find the best suited keywords for your profession.

Listing Your References on the Resume:

Make sure that all the references are never listed directly on your resume. You should make the list on a separate sheet, and submit the references only when specifically asked to do so by the employer.

Using Untraditional Fonts:

Make sure that you stick to the normal and traditional fonts especially when you are applying online since the fonts can get mixed up and give errors when the employer opens your resume on his computer. If you use a different font and it gives an error on the employer’s computer, the CV will be immediately rejected as the employer is not going to spend time in trying to figure out what is wrong with the CV.

Lying on the CV:

Lying on the CV is obviously not a good idea, but still many people continue to lie on their resumes all the time. Admittedly, only a few companies do their homework and verify the candidates’ claims on their CVs, which is perhaps why most of the people keep trying to lie on the resume. However it is not a good idea to provide false information on the CV as you never know when the employer might check your credentials. If it is found out that you have been lying on your CV, you lose all your chances of getting a job at the company and you also earn a bad name. So avoid doing this at all costs.

A Never Ending CV:

Some people believe that the more they write the CV, the better impression they will make on the employer. However, this entirely wrong as the employers need to see what your qualifications and skills are, which can be easily mentioned within the span of a single page. If it is impossible to contain your CV on a single page, you can go use another one, but at no cost make your CV longer than 2 pages.

Reference: http:// blogs.rozee.pk