CV Secrets: A Brutally Honest CV Writer & Career Coach Speaks

What Are These CV Secrets?

My CV secrets should really be obvious to most people, yet too many people fall in love with their version of a CV which is like a child whose faults you can't see because its your own. Trying to be objective about your own CV writing can be very difficult.

In this article I'm going to be brutally honest and say that most people would be better off allowing a professional to write their CV than trying to do it themselves. A professional CV writer can bring focus and objectivity to the document as well as knowing what recruiters and employers expect to see when they read a CV. And because I am an expert CV Writer, you can be confident that I'm telling you the truth for your own sake.

CV Secrets You Need to Know

Spending so much of my time reviewing CVs from people who are clearly in need of guidance is very frustrating. I ask myself why isn't it obvious to them that their CV doesn't work? Can't they see it's too long winded and boring?

Of course the answer lies in the fact that they only have their own CV to consider and it's a matter of pride - and quite fascinating to them - to be able to fill 7 pages all about themselves.

But does anyone else really care? Who needs that level of detail to decide whether an interview should be offered? My own tolerance of unnecessary detail is very limited and confronted by lots of stuff I don't want or need to know, I generally switch off.

What people are missing is in the fact that the CV is not there to GET you the job, but only to create enough interest to get you an interview. That's when you have a chance to GET the job.

1. Make your CV easy to read by having lots of white space, no fancy fonts and 10 - 12 point size.

2. Every CV should be individual and customised to the job advert.

3. Use the same language as the job ad to match your style and theirs.

4. Include specific accomplishments (achievements) that are relevant and include numbers: people, pounds, percentages and prices are a good place to start.

So what CV Secrets need learning?

Concentrate on the readers' needs; what do they absolutely need to know and what can be left out. If you are applying in response to an advertised vacancy, then the advert itself has all the clues you need, use the requirements they describe as a checklist and show in your response how you meet their needs.

When you send your CV to someone who hasn't advertised it's just as important to avoid overwhelming the eventual reader because you are imposing on their time. You should keep it to the minimum and focused entirely on how you can contribute specifically to their business needs.

When a prospective employer goes through a stack of applications, what do they use to cut that stack down? Your CV of course, so it follows that your CV is more likely to work against you than for you!

Provide too much information and one of two things happens:

• the salient points are lost or are unseen amongst all that detail or
• they think that's all there is and don't consider the point you might have omitted.

Just about everybody can get a really good CV on two pages of A4 if they keep it to the point i.e. repeatable, relevant achievements with clear chronology.

Keep it free from jargon as you never know who will do the first sift and use job titles that are descriptive and understandable. When you get there, you can always say at interview "my actual job title was..."

Make sure you can be contacted easily, don't leave them having to search for your contact details - address, telephone and email should all be at the top of your document.

Peter Fisher is an established Career Coach, CV Writer and prolific Author. Over 25 years he has helped thousands of people to career success. Read more CV writing advice at www.your-career-change.com/cv-writing.html where you could pick up everything you need to create the best CV ever.

For specific help with writing a CV, hire me to write it for you - just visit my CV Writing Services page.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/Peter_Fisher

I truly believe that my CV secrets should really be obvious to most people, yet too many people fall in love with their own version of the CV which you like because its your own. Being brutally honest with you, you are just too close to it to judge it fairly. Apart from that, do you really know what standards employers and recruiters are expecting?

Have you ever found an error in somebody else's writing that they simply couldn't see?

In this article I've been honest about the mistakes that are too easily made and in fact are frequently made. Believe me when I say that most people would be better off allowing a professional, like me, to write their CV rather than trying to do it themselves.

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