A winning CV – your passport to getting in front of a prospective employer ?

Posted on January 18, 2010 by Ann-Marie Docherty, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.

“A winning CV – your passport to getting in front of a prospective employer” ?

Passports open the door for us to take new and exciting travel journeys, So too is the power of a winning CV. (Curriculum Vitae, also referred to as a Resume) Just like customs are doing the first part of their job in looking for the authenticity of your personal identity. So too are employers.

What do you need to ensure a winning CV?

Firstly understand that this document is representing you as a unique and individual person, but even more importantly, it represents you as a ‘potential new employee’. From the time an employer receives it, they are looking to see if you ‘fit’ their needs. Your CV is also a reflection of your professional presentation standards, and your personality.

7 Other winning factors:

1. Know how much you really want this job!

2. Rewrite your résumé for each job application. If you really want this job, adjust your CV to meet their needs. Highlight the top 3 to 7 things you’ve done that match up with the requirements.

3. Professional Appearance: No typos and consistency in formatting is critical. Employers make assumptions about your ‘other’ skills that have nothing to do with what you can do on the job. If your CV is sloppy are you?

4. Ensure dates flow from one job to another: If you’ve got a gap, explain it in your cover letter. But don’t leave the dates off, trained assessors will pick it up in a flash.

5. Use their ‘key’ Ad words: You have to get past the first stage where they are screening for matches with the words in the job description. Align your experience to the key areas.

6. Descriptive words: Use them to describe the capacity of your job, for example: “Designed,” Managed or “Implemented.”

7. Career objectives or outside interests —be careful with this one, make sure there is alignment between your interests and that of the company.

8. More recent/relevant jobs. Most employers are looking for the key responsibilities and achievements from the last 5/10 years.

9 Give them what they ask for. Ensure you follow the instructions from the employer to the letter!
Finally, the most important piece of information I can give you is to remember that your winning CV need only ‘get you in’ to gain an interview! The rest is down to you!

Ann-Marie Docherty
Managing Director
Australasian Executive Coaching
mail@australasianexecutivecoaching.com
www.australasianexecutivecoaching.com
+61411153972

July 2009