Is your resume making a favourable impression or is it perhaps a cause for severe depression?
Research has shown that the daunting task of compiling a CV is listed as one of the main challenges job seekers encounter during the career hunting process. Curriculum Vitae, CV, Resume, Profile. Call it what you like, but one thing remains certain: finding a job without submitting a document containing information about your qualifications, skills and work history is nearly impossible. Your CV is, in fact, the first opportunity you get to attract the interest of potential hiring managers and recruiters to your ‘’brand’’ as a prospective employee for their organizations or clients. A stellar resume,also serves as the foundation document to use when designing your professional social media profiles with the aim to promote your ‘’brand” further via your digital networks, to secure that dream opportunity in future.
Basics before Graphics
Writing a 10-page document focused on title, duties, and money with an appendix containing copies of all the courses, workshops and conferences you have attended since 1992, is not an option anymore. Innovative CV templates, quirky diagrams, holographic profile summaries, video resumes, personalised candidate meme’s and professional Facebook employment albums, are some of the graphic tools available to transition a resume from boring to scoring. However, before hitting the record button or subscribing to the hippest website for CV templates, be mindful of the basic rules and standards of CV crafting.A CV conforming to generally accepted basic standards will not necessarily secure your application a place in the shortlisting pile yet, but “oh boy!”,getting the basics wrong is a guarantee to regret, decline, unsuccessful or complete radio silence in terms of application feedback.
The CV Cheat Sheet below provides guidance on navigating through the basics:
| GRAMMAR | · Sentence Construction should be in professional UK English, no slang or texting type language.
· Refrain from using the first-person narrative style: Too much of “Me, Myself and I” creates the wrong impression |
| SPELLING | · Nothing less than perfect is acceptable.
· Use free spell checkers like Grammarly or Thesaurus options to eliminate any spelling errors and correct tenses. |
| FORMAT | · Consistency in paragraph spacing and layout is crucial.
· Always use the preview tools to ensure your document reflects well in any type of document viewer. · Make sure of font sizes and font type uniformity throughout. · If you include headers, footers, columns, and tables pay special attention outline sizing. |
| LENGTH | · Maximum 4 pages. Ideally 3 pages. |
| PERSONAL PARTICULARS | · Include full name, surname, ID number and your nickname if applicable.
· Please check your spelling (Yes, of your own name too) |
| CONTACT DETAILS | · Provide more than one contact number and make sure you type in all the digits of your cell number.
· Add your Linkedin URLif you have one, some companies prefer to make contact via Linkedin messaging. · Your email address should be a professional one: lovemachine-happygirl-sexysandy @gmail is not on point! · If you have to, perhaps create a separate email address via Google, specifically for your job search, application, and feedback correspondence. |
| LOCATION | · No need to provide a detailed location pin. The general area or province you reside in, will be sufficient.
· If you are willing to relocate, state the areas in order of preference. |
| COMPANY NAMES | · Include full company names in your career history as opposed to abbreviations
· Verify the correct spelling and if the company name has changed since you last worked there, include the historical as well as the current name. |
| DATES | · Dates of employment should be typed out in full, with the exact date, month and years reflecting. For instance: 05 December 2016 – 10 November 2017.
· Make sure you get these correct as any errors will lead to questions later during the referencing process. · If you were unemployed, on maternity leave or a sabbatical, state these events clearly with corresponding time frames, as to avoid “time gaps” in your CV. · The general accepted chronological order of employment is from current position backwards to the first position. |
| JOB DESCRIPTIONS | · Concentrate on the essence of your job functions. What is the purpose of your role in the company?
· You are not writing a book, but do not be skimpy with information either. · Google similar job description relating to your current position as a guideline for verbiage. · If you held more than one position where the job descriptions are similar, do not copy and paste the job description over and over again. Rather use “refer to description at X company” and add the full job description only to the most recent organization of relevance. |
| REASONS FOR LEAVING | · Career growth is not a valid enough reason for leaving.
· Be more specific in describing your decisions regarding previous resignations, as well as your current motivations for moving. · Keep explanations brief and to the point. This is not an Agony Auntie Column. |
| COMPUTER LITERACY | · A significant section of your cv.
· Include as many programmes as you can and rate them according to your competency level where 1 is Expert, 2 is Intermediate, and 3 is Basic. · If you are an IT Professional these should form part of a Skills Matrix. |
| QUALIFICATIONS | · Completed Secondary and Tertiary Education can be listed as follows: Name of Qualification, Institution, Commencement Date and Completion Date.
· Furthermore, include any current qualifications you are busy pursuing as well. · Use your discretion and only include relevant qualifications which carry weight in your industry. · A cooking course in France, when you are applying for an Engineering Job won’t be appropriate. |
| AVAILABILITY | · There is a significant difference between a 30 day and a calendar month notice period. Look at your current employment contract to verify resignation conditions.
· Are you getting married in a month or going on a trip to Bali in the next few weeks? State any major life events that may impact on your availability to attend interviews or commence a new position. |
| SALARY | · Unless you are 100% sure of exactly what your current cost to companyis and the expectations you have regarding a remuneration increase required to move, rather omit these details for now. |
| REFERENCES | · Only supply references if you are comfortable with them being contacted without getting your permission first.
· Make sure to include their most recent contact details, currentcompanies they’re working forandtheir updated job titles. |
| APPENDIX DOCUMENTS | · Now is the time to find your Matric, Degree and Diploma Certificates or any relevant Industry Certifications completed outside of your tertiary education.
· Request Academic Transcripts as well reflecting your marks and results. · Make a copy of your ID document. · Request a free credit check · These documents do not have to accompany your first-time application, but ensure that you have them on hand to submit when requested. |
Examples of WOW Factors: Adding the Bells & Whistles
Now that the foundation is set, it is time to move into second gear and add the bells and whistles to make your resume stand out from the crowd. Using resume tools like Visualize.me, Resumeup.com or Slashcv.com will enable you to create a visually appealing profile in a few minutes. These tools are free to use, but only works when you have created sufficient content in your basic CV draft. Adding WOW Factors (Works of Wonder/World outside of Work), should be approached with caution, including too many and you may seem overconfident, including too little creates questions regarding your self-esteem.
- Extra – Curricular Activities: These provide insight into your personality traits, level of commitment, drive, and determination. What do you like to do in your leisure time and what kind of activities did you engage in previously? Types of activities to include here would be sports, cultural, hobbies, event participation and volunteering or community projects you were or are currently involved in.
- Leadership: If you were, for example, part of the Student Council at University, Captain of the U/21 Rugby Squad or Head Scholar in High School, feel free to include these in your resume. Please use your discretion though: Class Captain in Grade One, does not hit the mark in proving your leadership attributes.
- Creativity:Use Pie Charts, Graphs, and Venn Diagrams to creatively display your personality type, communication style, and soft skills strengths. Add striking colours, but remember this is a CV, not a Christmas Tree.
- Photo: Add a nice picture, however, not that one of you dancing on the table at the local pub or sunbathing on the beach.
- Achievements & Awards: Common sense is essential in this case. Receiving National Colours for Athletics is in, but being employee of the week back in 2005 is out.
- Proving Value Added: What are you most proud of in accomplishing during your career thus far? Include examples of projects you have been involved with, articles you have written and even research papers done during your time at university for example.
Return on Effort
Whether you are applying for your first job, a new position at another organisation or a promotion at your current company, the importance of presenting a well-structured resume is undeniable. That PDF, Word or Excel document is your showcase to potential employers and can either make or break your chances of landing your dream job. Expect not to produce a ready to submit version of your CV on the first attempt. Creating a proper resume will require time, effort and quite a few “do-overs” initially, but the rewards may be well worth it when the interview invites start hitting your Inbox.
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