Posts Tagged ‘CV’

Resume help for making a good first impression

Monday, July 13th, 2009

A polished career and personal profile that attracts the definite attention of the HR officer can be noted as a fine resume. We provide basic resume help below to assist you in writing a targeted CV.

Numerous resumes draw a second glance, but not because the resumes are so great. Don’t allow yours to be less than perfect. Use our resume help to improve your CV.

Before posting your CV follow the resume help tips provided to verify whether your CV qualifies.

Adding a cover letter

What a waste of time and resources to post resumes to hiring managers without adding letters to introduce the CV. The accompanying letter is vital as it offers a preview of the CV and provides the explanation for sending it.

A CV is therefore always accompanied by a polished cover letter . The covering letter must briefly describe why you are the ideal person for the position and why the resume is submitted. Make sure the cover letter is free of errors to ensure a good first impression.

Resume help regarding the CV information

Ensure that listed info is applicable and the truth. Use bulleted points rather than paragraphs.

Grammar rules and technique

A good quality resume will have a formal tone and will be packed with relevant information. The CV must get the interest of the recruiting officer without appearing as a brag document. Make sure it is error free. Don’t rely on just the spell checker. Scan the resume a number of times and let a friend with first-rate language abilities proof read before faxing or delivering it.

Focus on accomplishments

A solid career history and perfect proficiency are great, but you require achievements in your work history and not simply a catalogue of precise task items. Indicate that you are the best person for the job. More significant - indicate relevance to the job by matching the abilities with the skills advertised in the advert to show relevancy to the employer.

Specific position

Basic resumes don’t stand out. The Recruitment officer can observe a poor attempt. Illustrate that you have done your research. Change the CV for each specific opening that you apply for.

Follow our resume help guidelines and you will be off to a good start.

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CV DVD for powerful presentation

Saturday, February 7th, 2009

We continue with our series of unconventional CVs, job applications, and ways to get job interviews. Everyone has a CV on paper, but not everyone has a CV DVD. You can create the cutting edge by also cutting a CV DVD.

What goes onto the CV DVD?

No use in duplicating the paper CV. You have an interactive environment, visuals and audio to play with. You can have a short two minute video showing the hiring manager what you can do. This will be like your first screening interview so do it well. Dress professional and speak well.  In addition you can have buttons to your references or testimonials which you obviously have prepared before loading unto the CV DVD. Have your letters of recommendation and then a sample or two of your best work. The CV DVD should flow well and must be done in such a manner that the hiring manager will be impressed.

When to use the CV DVD

It is the ideal tool for people applying for jobs where presentations will play a role. Advertising, writing, entertainment, tourism, design, public speakers, PRO,  media and even professional assistants will benefit from also having a profile on CV DVD. Even architects and engineers, lawyers, and lecturers can use the CV DVD in addition to their paper CV.

Do you still need the traditional paper CV?

Yes,  the CV DVD is the visual presentation and your own short interview to show off your abilities. Add it onto your CV when you hand deliver a paper CV to a prospective employer.  This in itself will make you stand out as a person that takes the extra steps and is original.

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Attention grabbing CV for job applications?

Saturday, February 7th, 2009

How do you grab the attention of the hiring manager when you compete against a hundred other job applications? For one it should have the correct format, but that will not be our focus today. CV branding is the answer.

CV branding should not be overused for job applications, but here is how you can make sure that the company sees how much you love them:

Show them that you are serious by embedding their logo as a watermark in your CV.  I bet few other CVs for job applications will have it. It will show them that you have written a targeted CV and that you are not afraid to show your loyalty to their brand. Don’t do it for all job applications as word will get around and you will lose your competitive edge. At least you know that if done well, your CV will not land in the dustbin with other sub-standard CVs for job applications.

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How to find the contact person for the cover letter and CV

Monday, January 5th, 2009

You most probably know by now that a cover letter and CV addressed to a specific person rather than the hiring manager, recruiter or HR officer will get more attention. The problem is that once you send out your CV to many companies or even as reply on job advertisements you may not know who the correct person to contact is.

How to find out who the contact person is

There are a few ways to get the details of the correct contact person. One is to find the telephone number of the company. Call the receptionist and be friendly. Ask her who the HR officer is or the head of the department where you would like to work. You can ask her to put you through to the secretary of the HR manager. Once through ask to whom your letter should be addressed. Ask the person to spell the name and repeat it to ensure that you don’t make a terrible spelling mistake.

Another way to find the contact details of the hiring manager for your cover letter and CV is to find the company’s web address by searching in Google. Once found visit their Contact Us page. Many websites list the divsions of their company and specific details of the managers.

By taking a few extra moments in finding the contact person you increase the chances of your cover letter and CV landing at the correct person, instead of floating around in the company and eventually landing up in the dustbin.

Improve your chances even further by sending the cover letter by post, email and doing a hand delivery. You may also want to follow-up to make sure it has been received. Just a note though- if they say that no phone calls will be accepted, adhere to the rule.

When it comes to electronic submission of the cover letter and CV you can contact the company and find out what the correct email address is of the contact person as well as the spelling. If however, the job ad gives an email in general, you will have to go through the normal channel and submit the cover letter and CV to that email address.

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