How to Craft a Standout CV: Insights from a Career Expert on Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Hi Pals, I have been associated with an international firm as a Senior Contributing Member, assisting its clients by conducting Job Market Research, Job Application Management, Interviews, and Writing CVs. Prior to this, my focus was in Recruitment, Training, and Career Counseling. By virtue of this, I have acquired a few good insights to write an effective CV.

Let's Decipher Some Details on Writing a Professional CV/Resume:

1. Curriculum Vitae, Resume, Bio Data, Profile, Biography, and many more documents likewise are not the same but different, with different purposes.

2. A CV is marketing material; here, the product is the candidate.

3. A person can have multiple CVs based on what he/she would like to project for that target job, yet can be honest without bloating details.

4. Since it's better to stick to precise information in the CV, generally a short document is preferred. But the best CVs should be able to strike a balance between the size and content.

5. No repeated information.

6. No copy-pasting from anyone else's document.

Hope the strings would have helped a bit. Await to hear from you.

Thanks.

Excited to receive your response. A sample CV is the last thing I would think about giving to anyone (exceptions!). People tend to edit, copy, paste, and reuse the same content, which is no fun (I know you wouldn't!). Why follow a conventional path when you can create exciting documents yourself? The concept is simple:

Ask Yourself:

- Who am I?
- Who will be reading it?
- What do I want to project?
- What qualities do I possess that the prospective employer would find valuable?

Once you have answered these questions, if you are already employed, please consider the following:

1. The reader should be intrigued to read the entire document. To achieve this, the document should have engaging features, titles, and subtitles. You could start with an intriguing opening paragraph or a set of bullet points highlighting your key strengths or unique selling points (USP).

2. Since most readers have short attention spans and are in a hurry, provide key highlight areas and focus areas, along with a set of keywords summarizing your profile concisely.

3. Highlight your accomplishments and achievements that are relevant to the target job and can differentiate you from your competitors.

4. Present your recent career history in reverse chronological order (latest first) covering the past 6-10 years.

5. Include your previous career history, especially if it spans over 10 years.

6. List your professional credentials.

7. Provide details of your academic and training background.

8. Conclude with brief personal details.

Remember to include your contact details at the top, reference numbers at the bottom of each page, and maintain an engaging, simple, and readable language throughout.

That should cover the essentials. If you are a fresher, there will be a few modifications in the CV. Let's discuss that later.

Thanks for your time.