Write Your CV

How to Write a Good CV?

2008-04-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

In CV heading you can write your general information:

Name
Surname
Local address
E-mail address
Phone number

(If applying for an overseas job, please remember to include your international dialling code.) Include your mobile/cell phone number if you are going to relocate soon.

CV Skills Summary
The Skills Summary section of your CV includes your main skills. You should only include keywords in his section, do not go into lengthy descriptions of your skills. The skill summary is also called personal profile.

CV Objective

The CV Objective, sometimes also referred to as CV Personal Profile states "What is my next step in my career?" This should be a short, concise statement that informs the employer what kind of position you are looking for. The type of position, the role (managerial, supervisor, contractor) should be included as well.

If you are job hunting it is a good idea to have several CV's with different profiles or objectives. For example, you can have a CV for a sales supervisor and the other for a shop floor manager. Your 'sales supervisor' CV can highlight achievements in this area, the CV would be tuned to that particular in terms of job descriptions and achievements.
Education on your CV

List all your qualifications in this section. Include all of your education including certifications from non-academic institutions, especially those that are related to this job vacancy. If you have more work experience than qualifications, put your work experience before your qualifications.
Tell me more about writing the Accomplishments & Work Experience in my CV.

Technical Cover Letter-Example

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Technical Resume-Example

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Technical Resume-Example

Technical Resume-Education Part

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You have a number of options regarding the information that you may want present. Usually, the further away from the college courses or degree the less information you present.

Experience is almost always a better seller than education, unless you are in an Academic field. Therefore as you gain more experience, focus less on your experience. With the exception of entry level professionals, the education section should fall below the experience section.

Information that is required:

The name of the degree or certification
The institution where you received the degree or training

Information that is ideal to include:

The date you received the degree, certification or training (unless you received the degree over 20 years ago)

The city, state and sometimes country of the institution.

Graduating with honors or Cum Laude

Information that you may include:

GPA. Make sure to also include the scale (3.5/4.0). Do not include if your GPA is B average or below. (mostly used for less experienced job seekers or students)

Other honors affiliated with your performance

Social, athletic and academic organizations

Scholarships and academic awards

Listing of key courses (only recommended for entry-level)

Other sections - You will often see a number of other sections within the resume. Of course some of those sections are reserved for specific fields and professions. For example, you will always see a list of publications in the resume of an Author or Writer. But for the IT resume here are a few sections that you may want to include IF they quality is of information presented is of a high degree.

Professional Affiliations - The Project Management Institute (PMI) is a good example of a high profile organization in the field of Project Management and membership is highly regarded. I would not recommend adding this section if the extent of your professional affiliations is something like.... Member of the South Orange Country Computer Users Club.

Publications - Again this is straightforward. Only provide this information if your work was published within well know publication in your field. If you are highly published, it is often a good idea to create a separate document as an addendum to your resume.

Volunteer Work - Sometimes IT professionals set up significant systems within local organizations. In this case, it may be a good idea to add this content, but it really depends on the extent of your career and the level of effort involved in your volunteer work.
Other options to be wary of:

Be careful when adding information about your race, religion or sexual orientation. For the most part they should play no bearing on your ability to perform the job. There are a few exceptions, such as if your experience was primarily setting up information systems for Christian Churches and you are a member of a Christian organization. By all means, you should include that information. In these situations, let common sense prevail.

In most cases, avoid adding the interests, sports and hobbies. If you are too the point of adding this information, you should seriously consider the detail in your work experience or the overall length of your resume. I know it sounds good to talk about how you were the golfing champion at your country club, but unless you are prepared to only accept jobs where you can be the star on the company golf team, you should probably leave that information out.

Overall length of the resume is a highly debated topic. It is very difficult to generally recommend a specific length for a resume without knowing anything about an individual's career. For people with limited experience, a 1-page resume is ideal. For those with substantial careers a 2-page resume is necessary to document experience. For IT Contractors its often ideal to break down details of each specific project and 3-4 pages are necessary. These days, it is more common to see longer resumes, especially in the complex IT industry and especially since it is much more common to electronically distribute resumes. You really need to weigh the positives of quality information vs. the negatives of excessive information.

In summary, the technical resume should accomplish these goals:

Introduce yourself with compelling, detailed information using brief statements that summarize your career.

Identify your key areas of technical expertise and IT skills sets.

Document the scope of your work experience.

Demonstrate your past success through statements of achievement.

Define your training and education.

Utilize action verbs and action oriented statements.

Above all else --- GENERATE INTERVIEWS.

It cannot be stressed enough. If your resume generates interviews, don't change it. The resume is a tool and these guidelines can help you build a more effective tool for generating interviews. However, there is no secret system or no 100% guarantees. These guidelines are based on research and personal experience of our technical resume writers, based on what has been successful for the majority of IT job seekers. And remember, the resume is not the only tool you have to generate interviews. You also need a good, aggressive job search plan along with a strong initiative to succeed.

IT Resume - IT Experience Section

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IT Resume - IT Experience Section

The experience section is made up of headings, statements of responsibility and statements of achievement.

The Heading - this should include at minimum:

Name of the Company you worked for
Location of the Company (City, ST) - Sometimes Country or Province
Your Job Title
Dates of Employment

Optionally, you could include multiple titles if applicable and also include a description of your company, which is highly recommended. It is acceptable to use only the year as the date and eliminate months. This is an effective way of hiding gaps in employment. If your work history is consistent then it is recommended to use months. If you have a number of jobs that lasted less than 1 year, it will be difficult to eliminate months without confusing the reader.

Statements of Responsibility - Much like the headline statement in the introduction and summary, you will want to build an opening statement that identifies the overall scope of your responsibilities. The following statements then support the opening statement and provide further details regarding your key duties. Example:

"Develop and implement financial software in support of company's flagship product. Coordinate with accounting staff to define requirements. Design software architecture. Develop software code using C, C++ and Java. Manage projects for implementation of applications. Train staff members on software utilization and provide ongoing software support."

For hands on IT professionals, you can also list key technologies that you worked with in the position, especially if those technologies are critical for obtaining your next job.

Achievements - After developing statements of responsibility, you should now document a few achievements. Your achievements are what set you apart from your competition. They help differentiate your resume from other applicants and they demonstrate that you have been successful in previous positions.

Ideally, statements of achievements should be written in the form of ACTION - RESULT. State the action, then state the positive result. If possible, try to quantify your results. Example:

* Developed application for accounting and reporting system that automated posting to the General Journal, saving $5 million in annual paper expense while increasing overall productivity.
Achievements don't always have to be in the form of action result. Other achievements can document awards, completion of training, promotions, or prominent roles (such as being selected as chair member of emerging technologies). Also, you can build statements to simply highlight key technologies or areas of technology.

Formatting duties and achievements can be done in several ways. The preferred style is to build a paragraph of duties and then bullet point the achievements below. This style really allows you to separate the 2 types of statements and helps to highlight the achievements.

Tips for developing your experience section:

1. Experience should be written in reverse-chronological format (most current job positions first). For the most part, order of items in the experience section reflect order of importance to the reader. The heading is necessary to identify critical job information. Then it is important to state your scope of work. Then highlight achievements. The order of statements within the paragraph of responsibilities should also be determined by importance. Therefore, build the opening statement and follow that statement with the next most important responsibility. Follow the same logic when listing statements of achievement.

2.. Try to start statements with action verbs (design, develop, implement, deploy, create, lead, manage, coordinate). Avoid using the same action verbs within each job, but if that is not possible, at least avoid using the same action verb in consecutive statements. Develop this, develop that, develop this, develop that.... its poor writing, reflects laziness and shows a lack of creativity. Also try to avoid the two dreaded vanilla statements (Duties included..... and Responsible for.....).

3. Make statements detailed, but don't go overboard. Brief and detailed is ideal. Even if you have 1 bullet point, don't be afraid to break it down into multiple sentences.

4. Avoid using first person pronouns (I, me, my). Also avoid using too many articles (a, an, the). The resume is not a novel or publication. Statements are meant to be quick and descriptive. This strategy really helps maintain attention of readers who quickly scan the resume. Imagine the statement above filled with articles and first person pronouns.

"I developed an application for the accounting and the reporting system that automated the posting to the General Journal, saving $5 million in annual paper expense while I increased the overall productivity."

5. Length is a matter of judgment. It really depends on how much experience you have, the level of detail involved in your job, and volume of achievements. But.... it would be highly recommended that you limit yourself to 5-10 statements of responsibility and 2-8 statements of achievement. As you start building descriptions of previous work history, you should start cutting back the level of detail. Each job should be progressively shorter as the you work your way from current to previous positions.

6. Consider dropping experience past 20 years and you should even consider just listing the headings (without descriptions) for "old" experience, especially if it has limited value.

This job is in technology, so it should be listed. But, why waste the space to build up a description of this job? For one, the job duration was only 1 year. For two, the job is not even within the field of Software Engineering. It's only significance is documenting career progression and overall length of IT experience. Most people do not have a career that is this straightforward, so the decision is much more difficult. Just ask yourself this --- "how much of an impact will this job have on my ability to market myself for a new position?" It just makes no sense to build up lengthy descriptions of previous somewhat insignificant jobs while cutting information from very significant current positions.

IT Resume - IT Skills Section

2008-02-28T22:12:00.000-08:00

IT Resume - IT Skills Section

The IT Skills section is something that you may not see in non-IT resumes, but is almost absolutely necessary in the technical resume, with exception of executives or high level managers who may choose to leave this section out.

For hands-on IT professionals this is critical. For example lets look at a software engineer. There is a major difference between the type of jobs available for a software developer OOAD engineers, database developers and firmware developers are all very different jobs using different technologies. We need to make that clear to employers that you possess a knowledge of specific technologies.

The goal is to develop a detailed outline of your technical skills and break it down into subcategories. This will make it easier for the reader to pick up the specific skills they are looking for.

A good general breakdown would include 5 categories of skills sets: Operating Systems, Hardware, Software, Networking and Programming Languages. A basic example of an IT Resume Technical Skills Section:

Systems: Windows (2000, 2003), UNIX, Linux

Hardware: Servers, Hubs, Routers, Switches, PC's

Software: MS Office Suite, MS SQL Server, Visio

Networking: TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, WINS, Ethernet, Token Ring

Languages: Visual Basic, C, C++, HTML, JavaScript

Of course the subheadings that you choose should reflect the key areas of your field. Often times, network engineers will not have a languages section and software engineers won't have a networking section.

Also, its a good idea to break down the IT skills section into more than just 5 subsections. I have seen this done effectively with up to 10 subsections, although I think going above 10 is overdoing it. For example, a specialized software engineer could build an IT skills section using these subcategories: Programming Languages, Operating Environments, Hardware,

API's/Frameworks, Databases, Development Utilities and Applications.

Tips for building the IT Skills Section

1. Be reasonable about the subcategories and don't build so many that you have only 1 or 2 skill sets listed in the subcategory. For one, it tends to make you look weak in that category. For two, it tends to take up too much space and may be forcing you to cut quality information from other portions of the resume.

2. Be reasonable about what you are listing. I have seen resumes with an entire page full of technical skills. This is counterproductive as it makes it extremely difficult for the reader to find what they are looking for. Stick the key technologies and eliminate skills sets that are either insignificant or so old that no one uses the technology anymore. That's not to say that you should eliminate ALL legacy technologies as sometimes they may be beneficial if the company is planning to migrate to a newer technology. Use logic and your better judgment to decide. 25-30% of the page is an ideal length for the IT skills section.

3. There are multiple options for formatting the IT skills section. The style above is popular and takes up less room. You can also list the headings on top and the skills below. Use the style that you prefer

IT Resume-Summary

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IT Resume Writing Guide outlines the concept of building a summary.

In this section we will go over the types of statements that can be used in the IT Resume Summary; provide examples of statements that can be used in the IT Resume Summary; and describe how the summary can be used to quickly grab the readers attention and help promote the reader to call you for a job interview.

IT Resume - Summary

The summary will follow the introductory statement. The summary will consist of anywhere from 3 to 10 supporting statements that provide more details about your experience and/or training. These statements should reflect key areas that you feel are strong requirements for the job position. The statements should be compelling, detailed, yet easy to follow.

Let us take a look at some statements that we may want to include in our example:

Over 20 years of experience developing software for large multi-national financial organizations, credit card corporations and banking institutions.

The above statement would further document your experience by identifying your years of experience and industry expertise.

Sun Java 2 Certified professional with deep understanding of object-oriented design and extensive experience building software in C++ and Java.

The above statement would highlight a key certification and highlight your areas of expertise within your field.

Proven ability to lead and motivate high performance teams.

This would be considered a statement of personal strength. In this statement you are informing the reader that you can lead teams and you have had success doing so in the past.

History of building software systems with improved functionality and productivity, consistently meeting critical requirements.

This is a good example of a strong closing statement that documents that you have achieved success in your field in previous positions.

Format - Generally, there a number of ways to format the summary, but in this guide we will talk about 2 formats, general format and executive format. First the general format, which tends to be less formal and easier to read.

A results-driven Developer with demonstrated success in the design, development and deployment of large-scale enterprise applications for the financial industry.

Over 20 years of experience developing software for large multi-national financial organizations, credit card corporations and banking institutions.

Sun Java 2 Certified professional with deep understanding of object-oriented analysis and design with extensive experience building software in C++ and Java.

Proven ability to lead and motivate high performance teams.

History of building software systems with improved functionality and productivity, consistently meeting critical requirements.

Secondly, the executive format, which is commonly used by professionals targeting leadership positions. In this format, the summary statements will follow the headline in a paragraph.

A results-driven Software Developer with demonstrated success in the design, development and deployment of large-scale enterprise applications for the financial industry. Over 20 years of experience developing software for large multi-national financial organizations, credit card corporations and banking institutions. Sun Java 2 Certified professional with deep understanding of object-oriented analysis and design with extensive experience building software in C++ and Java. Proven ability to lead and motivate high performance teams. History of building software systems with improved functionality and productivity, consistently meeting critical requirements.

Technical Resume Writing

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Technical Resume Writing

This site is designed to provide free helpful information on resume writing in the Information Technology industry. The site information, articles, guides, resume examples and cover letter samples have been prepared by professional resume writers that specialize in IT resume writing.

The free Technical Resume Writing Guide is designed to help you develop a professional quality technical resume. The guide includes strategies that are specific to the IT job sector, tips for hands-on IT professionals and ideas for structuring the resume. The specialized technical resume is designed to help you market yourself to employers an d generate more job interviews. General IT Resumes are for professionals in:

*Software Engineering, Programming, Software Development
*Network Engineering, Hardware Design, Network Administration
*IT Consulting, Project Management, Project Lead
*Technology Executive Management, Program Management
*Systems Analysis, Systems Design
*Technical Support, PC Tech, Help Desk
*Database Design, Database Adminstration
*Web Development, Graphic Design

In the Technical Resume Samples section you will find posted copies of professionally written technical resume examples and technical cover letter examples. You can use the examples to generate ideas on phrasing statements in the summary or body of the resume; using statements with power verbs; or even just learning the outline. You can also use the technical resume examples as a guideline for structuring your IT resume.

Job Specific Resume

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Job Specific Resumes

Your resume is like a 30 second commercial—you need to convince a hiring manager to “buy” you and your future potential, and 30 seconds is about how long it takes to say “yes” or “no” to your resume—and to you. To get help creating your 30-second chance at being hired, click on the links below to see suggestions about writing resumes for specific industries. If the job you’re looking for is not in the list below, select something close and use a similar format. You can also consult the many sample resumes and found throughout this site.

All job-specific resumes should follow the general guidelines for resume writing provided in this site. Select Resume Articles for “Six Steps to a Blockbuster Resume.” In this article you’ll read about a proven process for creating any resume. You will see a variety of resume articles listed on that page. And on the pages below, read abut why creating job-specific resumes is so important to landing that interview you want.

And don’t forget about cover letters for your resume. There are lots of cover letter tips and cover letter samples available to help you make sure your letter and resume will get noticed.

Resume

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Resumes

On this site you'll find all you need to know about writing and distributing resumes and cover letters that will knock the socks off the recruiters, HR people and computers (yes, computers!) that read your resume. We'll tell you something about job searches and job interviews, a lot about tools and resources for resume-writing, and we'll give you criteria for selecting someone to help you write a great resume.

You'll read about free sample resumes and professional resume examples, resume cover letters, templates and formats; resume posting and resume blasting -- all the resume help and tips you will need to design, write, post and distribute professional or professional-quality resumes and cover letters. All of this is designed for one purpose -- to help you develop a resume that will make you stand out from that crowd of other job seekers.

What's This About eResumes?So why are we called eResumes.com? ("e," by the way, stands for "electronic" in Internet lingo). Because (almost) all resumes are now e-resumes. Employers expect to get your resume via email, or from an electronic bulletin board, or through use of an electronic form (where you paste your resume after answering endless questions and hope that the resume's formatting will still be there). Or they might even go to your web page to see your e-portfolio that contains video clips and photos of your most recent work-related project.

Appearance

Along with effective organization, appearance can make or break your resume. When creating a super resume, keep these points in mind:

Fonts. Whether you e-mail, fax, or mail your resume to prospective employers, you should try to keep your font plain and easy to read. And select a reasonable size--anywhere between 9 and 12 points should be acceptable. We suggest using a sans serif font like Arial or Verdana, not Times New Roman. These will come out much clearer in faxes.

Formatting. Just because you have Microsoft Word and all of its formatting capabilities, your resume doesn't have to look like a Caribbean vacation brochure. Myriad fonts, colors, and graphic embellishments don't really help, so use minimal and purposeful formatting. Simple bullets will best separate your duties and skills; use bolding and italics sparingly. Formatting should highlight your accomplishments, not draw attention away from them. Less, in this case, is definitely more.

Paper. Even if you don't snail-mail your resume to employers, you should have hard copies on hand to bring to interviews. These copies should be on tasteful resume-quality paper. White, off-white, cream, and gray are the easiest to read. Just like your socks, your cover letters, mailing envelopes, and resumes should all match.

Content

Now that you know how to organize your resume and what it should look like, you need to know what to put in it. Click on action verbs to see a list.

Action words. When describing your prior job experience and duties, use active language. Instead of starting your sentence with a noun, start with an active, descriptive, impressive verb. For example: "Customer Service Representative. Assisted customers with product selection, trained and supervised 15 new employees, organized special promotional events." Don't think of this as a term paper--action verbs and flowery language required.

Numbers. That's right, we said numbers. Always include numbers, percentages, and dollar amounts in your job descriptions to back up your achievements. How many people did you supervise? How much money did you raise? How many wild bears did you feed during your stint at the zoo? How much did party favor sales increase under your direction? This approach immediately highlights the kind of impact you've made Length. Keep it to one page. No one wants to scan through two or more pages of your long-winded accomplishments and experience. If it doesn't all fit--which it won't, unless you're a recent college grad with no experience--cut it down to the most relevant and impressive items. You should tailor your resume to match the job description, so be sure to cut and paste accordingly.

CV Posting Tips

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Short sentences are easy to scan, especially given many recruiters have just 10 seconds to read it.

Use standard typefaces such as Arial, 11 or 12 points.

Check and re-check spelling in your resume / CV Text. .

Ensure your personal details are printed by all printers ? not in the header/footer.

Dates and employment should be easily found and consistent in resume.

Lead with achievements, use active verbs and positive language.

Follow up all claims with proven examples, be quantitative as well as qualitative.

Use email addresses where referees are abroad.

Include awards or recognition received for work well done, together with professional memberships and relevant training.

Keep your CV honest and factual.

Ensure every line sells you at your best.

Prioritise relevant content in your resume.

Focus on what you have to offer the employer rather than listing what you have done.

Ask trusted colleagues and friends if this is an accurate representation of you.

Do not

Date your CV.

Put your irrelevant personal details first i.e date of birth and nationality.

Mention Salaries.

It is not necessary to put reason for leaving.

Include negative or irrelevant information.

Lie.

Use Reverse Chronological format if you have many gaps between employment.

Put education first if its 10 years out of date.

List every employer if you have been working.

Allocate the same space to all positions, prioritise the content.

Quote unsubstantiated superlatives.

Modify your CV for every application unless you have a foolproof method of remembering to whom you sent which edition.

Who needs CV ?

2008-02-26T02:52:00.000-08:00

Who Needs A Curriculum Vitae?

A curriculum vitae is often required for those applying to graduate or professional programs, employment with international firms, or when promoting oneself within professional and academic fields.

How Does a Curriculum Vitae Differ From A Regular Resume?A curriculum vitae is longer than the average 1-2 page resume because it provides a greater range of information which can include:

Professional, Vocational or Research Objective

Summary of Qualifications

Professional Licenses or Certifications

Education including Post Graduate, Graduate and Undergraduate Degrees and Studies

Listing of Relevant Course work to Match Career or Academic Objective

Educational or Professional Honors or Awards

Scientific or Academic Research, Laboratory Experience and Related Skills

Description of Thesis or Dissertation, Papers Written, Publications

Academic or Professional Presentations

Related Extracurricular Activities, Professional and Association Memberships

Community Involvement

Work Experience - Paid or Volunteer

Technical and Specialized Skills such as Computer Progamming or Laboratory Instrumentation

Interests - Future Academic or Professional Goals

Travel / Exposure to Cultural Experiences

Foreign Language Skills

Additional Information that May Support Objective or Qualifications

How Do I Get Started?

Writing a curriculum vitae can seem overwhelming but can be made easier by organizing your background. To begin, put each of the headings listed above--and any others that are relevant--at the top of several sheets of paper (using a computer makes this even easier). Once you've done that then begin filling in your information for topics such as those listed above.

CV Writing Mistakes

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Spelling mistakes: It is a proven fact that around 50% of CVs contain spelling mistakes. This easy mistake will make you seem careless and could also distract the reader's attention from the content. It may be worth considering asking a family member or a friend to read your CV and check for mistakes.

Jargon: When writing your CV you may believe that using industry-specific jargon is a good idea and that the person reading your CV will understand it but using acronyms without explaining them can be confusing to the reader and may deter someone who is not familiar with them.

Qualifications: A common mistake in a CV is to detail all your academic history - even from 10-20 years ago whilst also listing all your grades! This is not necessary. On a graduate CV or someone with limited employment history it may be useful, but for others, just briefly cover your qualifications - detailing your most recent achievement and list older ones. If you have vast employment experience spanning many years, the chances are a recruiter will not even read your qualifications.

Employment: When compiling your employment history there is no need to provide the address of your employer - all you need is the company name, your job title and the date you started and finished employment with them. Then, you can talk about your duties and achievements in each position.

Hobbies: Your CV is a personal sales tool. Any available space on a CV is limited and you want to use it to sell your skills and experience effectively. Everyone likes reading, listening to music, keeping fit and socialising with friends, so unless you have done something special - and relevant to the job you are applying for - leave it out!

Too many pages: All too often, employers will receive CVs that are too long! A good CV should be no more than around 2-3 pages (for graduate or more executive positions this may vary). The more there is to read, the less likely it is that all your skills and qualities will be noticed. Try to decipher between what information is relevant to the job you're applying for and what is not.

Unnecessary information: As stressed in the facts above - when compiling your CV, try to keep all the information relevant to the job you are applying for. Unnecessary information will take up much needed space which can otherwise be used to help persuade the reader to continue with your application. Another common mistake people make when writing their CV is including their reason behind leaving previous jobs. Examples of these can be, "I got bored" or "I didn't get on with the Manager". Obviously, this is not necessary, will make you look negative and will decrease your chances of being included on the shortlist.

What is a CV or Curriculum Vitae?

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What is a CV or Curriculum Vitae?

A CV or Curriculum Vitae is a document used to show a persons educational achievements , key skills and work experience. There are a number of standard methods of writing a CV, but basically they contain the same information, just in a different order.

We have several CV layouts to choose from, and these are exclusive to our site. Choose one, choose them all - its all included!

The main reason people write a CV is to get a job, but that's not the only reason. Other reasons include:

Getting into college
Obtaining finance for a new business
Joining a professional association

Whatever reason you have for writing a CV, its important to keep it up to date and also to tailor it for the purpose. Don't forget that a CV will not get you a job. No CV will do that. If you are using your CV to find a new job, a CVs role is to get you to an interview. You can discover more cv tips on this site.

It is important that the CV you write is a truthful representation of your achievements. While some facts may be difficult to validate, things like current salary will be revealed if you join a company, as the HR dept will get a copy of your P60 which shows your earnings to date.

Make sure you can spell CV correctly too! Many common mistakes include:

cirriculum vitae
curriculam vitae
carriculum vitae

curiculum vitae The correct spelling is Curriculum Vitae !

E-Mail Cover Letter-Tips

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Just as certain secrets can help you write a dynamic cover letter, there are also key strategies for sending email cover letters. Here are those strategies.

Don't waste your subject line. Don't ever leave the subject line of your email blank, but don't waste it by just inserting the job number. Instead, use the subject line to entice the reader into your cover letter. For example, for a director of nursing position, say something such as: "experienced nurse for director of nursing position."

Your opening paragraph is critical. More than ever, your first paragraph has to be dynamic; you need to both hook the reader and then sell him or her on your abilities in that first paragraph. See the sample letter (see link below) for a dynamic email opening paragraph.

Keep your cover letter short. Brevity is critical with an email cover letter. Focus on your key selling points. Most experts say that at most, your cover letter should be two to three paragraphs -- and under 150 words. The idea is that your cover letter should not be any longer than one screen in length.

Take advantage of keywords. Use keywords pertinent to the job you are seeking, and focus on key industry buzzwords and critical skills sets. Noun phrases become more important than action verbs. Because your cover letter may be filed into a database, using critical keywords will enhance the likelihood that your cover letter and resume will be retrieved in a future search.

Check your line length. Make sure your lines are no more than 60 characters in length. Some email packages automatically do word wrap for you (much like word processing software), but you should check. You don't want your cover letter to arrive fragmented on multiple lines.

Always use standard cover letter protocol. Just because it's an email, doesn't mean you should abandon standard business letter writing guidelines. Thus, make sure to include a salutation (Dear Ms. Smith) and a standard closing (such as "sincerely"). Leave blank lines between paragraphs. And avoid the use of emoticons, abbreviations, wild colors, and other cool techniques and shortcuts used in everyday emails.

Don't bother with attachments (unless requested to do so). Some companies actually block all emails with attachments; thus, your email would never even be received if you used an attachment.

Technical Resume Writing for Technology Professionals

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Technical Resume Writing for Technology Professionals

The competition for technical jobs is tough. Can your technical resume beat 95% of the competition? Does your resume sell your technical ability effectively? Many technical professionals develop their resume with the help of professional resume writers. If you write your own technical resume, you could be at a disadvantage.Although we have written resumes for technology professionals in a wide variety of specialties, our primary area of technical resume writing is information technology. We understand information technology and believe that we are better qualified to prepare IT resumes and cover letters than most resume writers.

Our certified technical resume writer specializes in writing resumes for software engineers; systems, network, and database administrators; IT managers and executives; voice and data communications engineers; and other technology professionals.

Although our work is backed by the best guarantee in the industry, we have never had to honor the terms of the guarantee because we take a proactive approach to helping our clients obtain technical employment. We provide job search tips and resources, including a list of niche technical job boards most technical professionals have never heard of.

Our technical resumes consistently produce promising interviews within two weeks of use.

Effective Cover Letter

2008-02-26T02:32:00.000-08:00

A few tips to help you produce a superior cover letter:

Just the facts
A cover letter is not an autobiography. It should be short and sweet, brief and to the point. The cover letter and resume should demonstrate that you meet or exceed the requirements listed in the job description, that you are interested in the position, and that you are available. Any additional information is superfluous and can be counterproductive.

Avoid negatives
It’s been said that no politician ever lost an election over a speech that wasn't made. Don't lose the election. This is not the place to explain why you left or are leaving an employer. Negatives are best delivered in person so that your personality and humanity can counter them. If a recruiter or hiring manager likes your resume and wants additional information, she'll schedule an interview.

Avoid providing a salary history
A salary history is more likely to cost you a job than not. If the job ad says that resumes without a salary history will not be considered, give a historical salary range and state that your salary requirements are flexible.

Make your cover letter easy on the eyes
It should be easy to scan and have a logical progression. Bunched up text in long paragraphs will frustrate anyone who has to review hundreds of resumes and cover letters a week. Don't repeat your resume. Your cover letter is not a summary of your resume - listing previous employers and job roles can be counterproductive.

Don't repeat worn platitudes and clichés
Experienced gatekeepers know that almost every candidate promises "excellent written and verbal communication skills", and the ability to "think outside the box" and "juggle multiple tasks" while walking and chewing gum. Be different. Demonstrate your written communication skills by writing a good cover letter.

Offer a solution to their problem
Most employers hire people because the employer needs to accomplish a task—not because they want to provide employment opportunities to the public. Your cover letter should be solution-centric; not "I" centered. Keep the "I would like" stuff to a minimum.

Personalize your cover letter if possible
Your cover letter should be addressed to a specific person whenever indentifying information is available. Form letters insult the reviewer's intelligence and indicate that the writer is broadcasting her resume to every employer or has not made an effort to learn more about the company. Generic/canned cover letters can lead to failure. Even if you do not know the name of the recipient, if you conduct basic research, you can customize the cover letter to suit the position and the company. Tell the reader that you are interested in the company and the position, and why.

Facts of Cover Letter

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Cover Letter Truths

Many resume books will tell you that your cover letter introduces your resume. This is not the case. In fact, more often than not, your resume determines whether the reviewer ever reads your cover letter. The reviewer will read your cover letter only if your resume passes an initial review.Gatekeepers (recruiters, staffing managers, HR managers) are interested in facts not fluff. A resume offers a quicker route to the facts than a cover letter. Most people who review resumes and cover letters for a living quickly learn to discount and ignore a candidate's cover letter unless the resume gives the reviewer a good reason to consider the candidate for an interview.

Important facts you should know about cover letters if you would like to succeed in your job search:

90% of all cover letters are never read, or scanned
Most recruiters and staffing managers will scan your resume first unless your cover letter is brief and is placed in the body of your email or online submission form. If they do not like your resume, they will not read your cover letter. If you have something important to say, say it in your resume unless it does not properly belong in a resume. Your cover letter is not a chance to make a first impression -- it is a second chance to maintain a good impression.

But, the other 10% can sink good resumes
If a recruiter or other gatekeeper reads your cover letter first, and it is poorly written, he or she may decide not to spend any time (not even ten seconds) scanning your resume. On the other hand, a well-written cover letter will persuade the reader to pay special attention to your resume.

So, you must have an outstanding cover letter
If your resume survives a ten second scan, and a thorough review, the recruiter or staffing manager will want to read your cover letter. For this reason, your cover letter must stand out and make a strong positive impression. In short, cover letters are seldom read but you should have one, and it should be superbly written.

Thank You Letter after Interview

2008-02-26T02:23:00.000-08:00

Thank You Letter after Interview

Mr. John Smith,

New York,

Dear Mr. Smith,

I thank you for the opportunity to interview me for the position of a senior Software Engineer. I appreciate your work culture and enjoyed meeting you and members of your staff.

The interview gave me a chance to gauge how compatible my background, interest, and skill-sets are with the goals of Adroit Web Solutions. As we discussed during the interview, my experience as an Associate Software Engineer in ABS, has prepared me well for anticipating, analyzing and resolving logical problems in all areas application development and deployment.

Enclosed along with is the copy of my experience certificates from my last employer. You can contact Mr. Dave Manning, my present employer for want of any clarifications.

I look forward to seeing you again.

Sincerely,

XYZ

Salary Negotiation Before Joining-Letter

2008-02-26T02:18:00.000-08:00

Salary Negotiation Before Joining

Mr. John Smith,

New York,

NY 12345-6789.

Dear Mr. Smith,

From our meeting and phone conversations, I got the privilege to know your company in detail. I am very excited by the prospect of working for National Solutions. Your core development team is among the most impressive I have met in my job search. Your company ethics are clean and your work force efficient.

In short, I am eager to accept your offer and begin working for National Solutions. However, I should be telling you that I have received another offer of employment with Regional Solutions, NY. While everything at your company holds a greater opportunity for me, and my career, I must tell you that they have offered a salary $5000/annum higher than your offer.

Instead of accepting their offer immediately, I wanted to reaffirm my interests in National Solutions and express my hope that we can come to terms on this matter and begin our happy association as soon as possible.

I eagerly await your response.

Sincerely,

XYZ,

Cover Letter Example

2008-02-26T02:16:00.000-08:00

Dear Mr. Smith,

I learned of Solutions through online research using the CareerSearch database through Career Services at Virginia Tech where I am completing my Master's degree in Computer Engineering. From my research on your web site, I believe there would be a good fit between my skills and interests and your needs. I am interested in a software engineering position upon completion of my degree in May 2003.

As a graduate student, I am one of six members on a software development team where we are writing a computer aided aircraft design program for National Space Center. My responsibilities include designing, coding, and testing of a graphical portion of the program for graphics input and output. I have a strong background in computer aided design, software development, and engineering, and believe that these skills would benefit the designing and manufacturing aspects of Template software. Enclosed is my resume which further outlines my qualifications.

My qualifications make me well suited to the projects areas in which your division of Solutions is expanding efforts. I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss a position with you, and will contact you in a week or ten days to answer any questions you may have and to see if you need any other information from me such as a company application form or transcripts.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Richard Anderson,

Enclosures:

1. Resume - myresume.doc

Cover Letters for IT Jobs-Example 1

2008-02-26T02:11:00.000-08:00

Cover Letter for IT Jobs

Dear Mr. Smith,

I am writing with reference to your advertisement in the local Employment News magazine for want of a Software Developer. I consider that my credentials and interests match with your requirement and want to apply for the same.

Presently I am deputed as an assistant at ABC for the last two years. During these years I have acquired a very good knowledge of Web technologies (Perl CGI, PHP). My responsibility includes providing back end support for the distributed applications and guiding new trainees through their jobs.

Although I am enjoying my present job, I am looking out for new opportunities in the same field. I will be contacting you on friday, 12th March, to arrange a personal meeting and discuss the prospect.
Regards,

Richard Anderson.

Enclosures:1. Resume - myresume.doc

Writing a Good Cover Letter

2008-02-26T01:49:00.000-08:00

Writing a Good Cover Letter Most cover letters follow the same basic format, but a lot of people need help with cover letters. First, they should be addressed properly at the top, with the name of the person you are writing to, their title, company name, and address. You should also include the date and and RE: (reference) marks as needed, ie, if there was some prior contact or a specific job code you are supposed to mention. Your salutation should be professional.

In your opening paragraph, you should quickly highlight why you are writing - any personal references or contacts you may have that directed you to the company, any special qualifications or experience that make you the perfect candidate for the job, etc. Keep the first paragraph short and to the point - 3 or 4 sentences at most.

The main body of your cover letter should then expound upon the introduction and go into more detail as to your background, education, experience, special industry contacts, and any examples you might provide of your skills or talents that apply to this job. You should try to keep a cover letter to one page, so your body should be perhaps one longer paragraph or two smaller ones - you don't need to spell out your life story here, as there will be plenty to talk about in the personal interview if your cover letter is successful. In the final paragraph, be sure to request an interview or whatever the next step would be, tell them the best way to contact you, and thank the reader for their time. Many people who like the pro-active approach instead say they will be contacting the company at some future time and they look forward to speaking with them. Personally, if I were a hiring manager, the last thing I would want is 50 people threatening to call me when I am not interested in them. It is up to you to decide which approach you are more comfortable with, but clearly the company DOES NOT want to hear from every applicant in person.

Cover Letter Should Contain

2008-02-26T01:45:00.000-08:00

All cover letters should:

Explain why you are sending a resume. Don't send a resume without a cover letter. Don't make the reader guess what you are asking for; be specific: Do you want a summer internship opportunity, or a permanent position at graduation; are you inquiring about future employment possibilities?

Tell specifically how you learned about the position or the organization — a flyer posted in your department, a web site, a family friend who works at the organization. It is appropriate to mention the name of someone who suggested that you write.

Convince the reader to look at your resume. The cover letter will be seen first. Therefore, it must be very well written and targeted to that employer.

Call attention to elements of your background — education, leadership, experience — that are relevant to a position you are seeking. Be as specific as possible, using examples.

Reflect your attitude, personality, motivation, enthusiasm, and communication skills.

Provide or refer to any information specifically requested in a job advertisement that might not be covered in your resume, such as availability date, or reference to an attached writing sample.

Indicate what you will do to follow-up.

Tips for Effective Cover Letter

2008-02-26T01:29:00.000-08:00

The Dos and Don'ts of A Stand-Out Cover Letter

1. Do give the basics: what job you're applying for, the name of the establishment, and so on. Someone might have told you to send the letter to a particular person, so mention your referee by name.

2. Address the cover letter as specifically as possible. Determine who the hiring officer is before replying and applying. Take the time researching on the internet or reading appropriate business periodicals to get the name and title of the hiring official. This will help you get a foot in the door. And NEVER open your letter with Dear Sir or Madam or To Whom It May Concern. At the same time, do use Mr. or Ms. This formality shows respect.

3. If you're replying to an ad mentioning a code or job number, refer to this in your cover letter.

4. Do include something you're not going to include in your r?sum?.

5. Check, check and check again to ensure your letter is typo-free. Ask a friend to be another set of eyes.

6. If you're emailing your letter, make sure your document will open properly as an attachment and that your computer system is virus-free.

7. Always follow up. Give a specific date and time on your cover letter that you'll call the hiring official.

8. Don't be afraid to use a clever gimmick to catch the recruiter's eye.

9. Don't be longwinded. A few succinct sentences will suffice.

10. Don't reiterate your whole r?sum? in a cover letter. An employer will read your r?sum? anyway, if he or she likes your letter, so stick to the high points.

11. Don't over-promise in your cover letter and under-deliver in your r?sum?.

12. Leave the funny fonts and coloured paper at home. Your cover letter should be easy to read.

13. Never use a one-size-fits-all cover letter. Customized approaches always win the interview.

With a little flair and a lot of commonsense, you can ensure you not only get a foot in the door, but an offer on the table for the hospitality job you desire.