Writing a CV

When was the last time you write a CV which stands for a Curriculum Vitae?

Whether you are looking for your dream job or being approached for a new exciting job, a good CV will become one of the influence factors in the recruitment process.

There are many CV format available to find via online.  You can choose and pick which CV format suitable to the company you are applying to.  Whichever format to use, do ensure that it will look professional and cover all the information you plan to deliver.

It is not easy to write a good CV because the expectation and the perspective of each company might be different from one to another. 

Writing a CV is like an art. Do use appropriate words and languages to provide sufficient information, not a story telling, be clear and details and most importantly be honest.

What to be included when writing a CV? Here, I will share and highlight several points which are important from my point of view when crafting an informative CV.

1. About you

Of course, your full name, where you reside and how to contact you (telephone number, email address) must be well written correctly.  Do ensure that the telephone number and email address given are easily reachable.  The impression from a recruiter will start from the first conversation made, for example, are you easily contacted? Do you show your enthusiasm when responding to the telephone or email?

Under ‘About you’, you can or not necessarily include your photo, your place and date of birth, your marital status, your religion and your nationality.  This is because this information may or may not relevant to the job requirements.  Therefore, please read through the details of job advertisement before sending your CV on what information the company requires.

In some companies, for example, they will focus more on the skills and work experiences versus the place and date of birth, so having no information on date of birth will not impact the recruitment proses.  On the other hand, some companies might require a certain age limit for a particular job, so they will need this information.

2. Your skills and abilities

Emphasize on what you are proud of and good at, such as, what languages can you speak and write and on what level, how do you manage your team or blend with your team, what have you achieved, what is your success story, what is your strong point that you want to highlight, and many others.

3. Your work experiences

Elaborate your work experiences in details.  This will include your current or former employer, your title position, your periods of work with that company, the summary of your job scope and responsibilities. Be precise, and simple but cover most information that you wish to convey.

Don’t worry about the work period gap that sometimes happen in the working life.  As long as you can explain the reason and provide honest information, the recruiter will appreciate that.  Don’t make up any stories and wish that no one will find out.  Having said this, when you decide to resign from a company, do ensure that you leave with good impression and start with a new company with positive aura.

4. Your education backgrounds

Here, you can include both formal and informal educations, if any.  Informal educations can be short courses which can provide an impact into the recruitment process. Do include your university, college or school names, your type of degree, your majoring subject and also year of studies.

5. Your achievements

You can also highlight your professional achievements which can be related to your work, your study or even your hobbies.  This will become as an additional information for the recruiter and yet, as an eye-catching topic.

6. Your other skills

What are your other skills that you want to emphasize?  For example, you are applying for the position of Assistant Director of Sales in a hotel, and you are also a certified trainer for some selected soft skills training.  You might want to consider highlighting this aspect as part of your ability added value.

7. References

If required, list down 2 or 3 references names with telephone number or email address for the recruiter to contact.  Select the references who can provide professional feedback on your work experiences and skills, styles and characters, and work habits.

Sometimes, this information will also require only after several interviews are conducted and you have been shortlisted as one of the potential candidates selected.

Happy writing and all the best with you.