Tips and advice

• Always target your CV relative to the job you are applying for
• Personal and professional description must be chronologically organised
• Never attach extra documents, letters or certificates - save these for the interview
• Be specific and quantitative - ensuring optimum credibility
• Choose a presentation format that allows you to headline key skills, key achievements or key attributes
• Leave out irrelevant or negative information
• Give an emphasis to the transferable skills and experience gained, avoiding any reliance on work in date order
• Make sure that there are no spelling errors or coffee stains. The result would be fatal for your application
• Follow all instructions on the job advert
• If the job opening requires four copies of your CV, it is compulsory to send the number demanded. It is also vital to send them in time
• Keep copies of all letters, applications forms, and CVs sent, and records of telephone calls and contact names
• All your documents must be numbered
• As a rule, send all your documents in word format (Microsoft Word), especially to Recruitment agencies. Skip PDF files
• Keep copies of all applications forms, covering letters and CVs sent
• Records of telephone calls and contact names must be noted for future reference

Application forms

• Some jobs require that you apply via an application form. However, you should still insert a covering letter and your CV, unless told not to
• Application forms require your attention and care as much as your CV. The following are some guidelines:
• Prepare and write your thoughts on a separate piece of paper, or make a photocopy of the mentioned form and practice by completing it first
• Complete only the original form when you are certain of yourself
• The form must be very neat and clear
• Write the form in black on white so to be easily photocopied
• All answers found in the form must be oriented relative to the job opening and in parallel to your CV and covering letter contents
• All answers found in the form must be self-sufficient and enough for the reader to have an idea of your profile. As such, avoid using remarks like ‘refer to CV’. The reader may be not interested to read further your CV
• Finally, make a photocopy the form so as to remember the exact answers
• If an interview will take place, bring along the answered form’s copy with you into the interview

Your CV content

1. Contact details
2. Spoken languages
3. Profile
4. Skills and strengths
5. Career history
6. Academic qualifications
7. Awards and achievements
8. Computer skills
9. General interest
10. Your personal detail
11. References
12. Covering letter

1. Contact details
   1. The first page should contain enough contact details for a recruitment consultant or potential employer to contact you easily. The following information must be included:
   2. Name and home address, phone numbers, mobile numbers, email address, sex, name, home address. Also, if any:
   3. Current job and title
   4. Personal own website, if any
   5. A good photo of yourself in colour, however not compusory
   6. Availability: From when are you available to start the job

2. Spoken languages

·         Add your languages capabilities. This may include the following:

·         First language:Mother tongue

·         Second/third/ language: Fluent in languages(s); written and verbal

·         Basic knowledge (languages); written and verbal

3. Profile

It is always advantageous to add a positive description of yourself at the top of your CV. This will assist the reader to identify your personality, background and your professional objective(s). In addition, make sure that the information you state is honest and is relative to your professional experiences.

Other tips and advice:

• Keep your profile short; maximum 6-7 lines
• Your profile must project a confident, polished and professional image
• Mention your professional expertise (example: Ten years of Direct Marketing,etc)
• Mention your title (example: a Sales Professional)
• Mention the sector (s) of your expertise (example: Telecommunication or Tourism)
• Mention the country (s) you have been working
• Mention your reputation (generally good) and satisfaction from employer(s) and colleagues alike
• Mention your professional objective and what your can accomplish for the Company your are applying to
• Position yourself as being the right candidate for the job and why you should be considered for this role

4.  Skills and strengths

·         Be explicitly informative and relevant to the present job requirement. Also:

                                                               i.      Keep it short: max 5-6 lines

                                                             ii.      Your skills must be relative to the present job requirement

                                                            iii.      Key achievement. Some company names you have been working with, what you have achieve there, for them

                                                            iv.      Include details of recent training or skills development events you have attended which could be relevant

                                                              v.      Your capacity of coping with multi tasks situations

                                                            vi.      Your efficiency and open minded when dealing with people

                                                           vii.      You can work independently, etc

                                                         viii.      Can work in a stress atmosphere

                                                           ix.      Your capacity to be social, etc

                                                             x.      Can delegate responsibility and tasks

                                                           xi.      Can work overtime

5. Career history

·         Key skills and experiences should be directed to the specific requirements of the advertised job

·         Work experience must be organised in date order from recent/to date to remote ones

·          All jobs after ten years must be only mentioned with brief descriptions of your responsibilities and achievements

·         Achievements should be short, bullet-pointed statements and include your role, the action you took and a comment on the result of your action

·         Be objective

·          Give the name of employers, job title(s), and what you did and achieved

·         Never try to smudge dates and jobs to hide periods of unemployment. The most basic of checks will expose your deceit and ruin any chance of getting the job

·         Leave out unnecessary information

·         Highlight your skills and experience relative to the post

·         Part-time work should be included

·         If you have been involved in any type of volunteer work, do give details

·         If you have published any articles, jointly or by yourself, give details

·         Please mention if you have had any leadership or responsibility position(s)

·         All dates must be tied-up

·         You do not have to state your reasons for leaving a position, this can be discussed at the interview  

6. Academic qualifications

• When listing your education please state the establishment and dates. Detail grades could be irrelevant
• Give places of education where you have studied - most recent education first
• Include subject options taken in each year of your course
• Include any special project, thesis, or dissertation work
• Pre-college courses (high school, etc.) should be included (grades)
• Subjects taken and passed just before college will be of most interest. Earlier courses are irrelevant
• Include any academic prizes and give further detail to higher qualifications and degrees / university study

7. Computer and IT skills

·         Include all computing experience (programs, softwares, etc)

8. Awards and achievements

·     Include all your awards and achievements received and done the last ten years

9. general interest

·     Include briefly your general interest like reading, swimming, socialising, etc 

10. Your personal detail

·     State your age, date of birth, social status, driving licence, etc

11. Job references

·     List all your professional memberships and relevant qualifications. Usually give two names of your previous employers