How To Prepare Your Curriculum Vitae

Your CV  is the first impression your prospective employers get of you.

The goal of your CV is to secure an interview so it should accurately describe yourself and  market yourself to a prospective employer. Use your CV as a tool to secure an interview. A good CV alone won't get you a job. However a bad CV will prevent you from getting an interview. Use short sentences and plain English – KISS – Keep it short and simple. Here are some useful tips.

Presentation
Always type your CV on good quality white paper, avoid using computer graphics. Make your CV professional, business-like style and a focus on key achievements. Check for spelling and grammar. Spelling mistakes can show a lack of attention to detail and create a negative impression .Use short paragraphs include your contributions at each one of your jobs. Dates are important - double check all dates and qualifications. Use small paragraphs and keep it simple. Use bullets, tabs and bold to make it easy to read. Limit your CV to two pages. Jarring colours and overdone designs can take the attention away from the main content.

Personal details
These should include your: Name, address and contact telephone numbers .Date of birth. Nationality.

Education qualifications
Education and career history should be in reverse chronological order – most recent first. Include the dates and grades of your exams. Give details of  all professional qualifications or relevant and recent courses attended. Include school and university/college qualifications, start with the most recent and include grades and dates

Employment history
Allocate the largest amount of space to your most recent job. Include your contributions at each one of your jobs. Keep descriptions of previous roles brief. Don't leave any gaps in your employment history.

Personal interests
Your personal interests are often as important as qualifications and work history so think carefully about what you put, but be honest. Be specific. Your interests can reveal a lot about you. Don't list things for the sake of it! Be prepared to answer questions about your interests. If you like reading books be prepared to answer about the book you have last read.


References
References will be checked before a job offer is made. There is no need to include details of referees on your CV now. Simply write 'references available on request'. Be prepared to give two or three references, if you are selected ,they must not be related to you.

Checking your CV is possibly the most important part of the entire process. A small error, or misleading information, can seriously undermine all your effort. Your resume should speak for itself in terms of credentials. Of course, you can use the interview to elaborate or fill in the blanks on your expertise.