Creating a winning CV that is instantly Noticeable by Employers

A lot of professionals do themselves the injustice of not spending enough time and committing enough effort to creating an excellent CV that will get them noticed by employers. Similarly, if you send your CV to recruitment agencies, the well written and well created CVs always go to the top of the pile and are always kept in mind when recruiters speak to their clients.

There are a number of items to take note of when creating a CV that will get you noticed, however the first and most important of these:

·         Is the nationality of their would be employer or recruitment agencies. The way CVs are normally done, usually follows local and industry trends thus it is important for candidates to ensure that they understand what the local (geographical) and Industry standards are.

·         Furthermore, candidates must always asses themselves in terms of value i.e. Understand what their professional value is, what value they will bring to their employer and what value they will bring to their would be colleagues

The competitiveness of the environment we work in demands that professionals take a few additional steps to ensure that they go the extra mile to meet employer’s needs and their CVs are a cut above the rest. To optimize your chances of getting employers to look at your CV and understand how valuable you may be to them, the following steps should be taken:

• Always include an executive summary or cover letter with your CV, this will allow the would be employer to instantly get a view of your expertise and value without having to go through your entire CV and decide whether or not to go through it.

The executive summary should include:

• An introduction to who you are (Name and Surname should suffice)
• Clearly state exactly what your professional qualification and your occupation is
• Your highest academic qualification obtained and the latest qualification obtained, academic or professional.
• A brief statement about where you would like to go professionally and why you may be seeking a new challenge/to change jobs/employers

The executive summary should at a maximum be only 1 page, it is usually best if it is ¾  of a page or less.

Other changes to be made to your CV:

• Please Indicate clearly what your profession is, qualifications in other countries may differ from those in yours, so clarity is always best

·         Please ensure that you attach any relevant certificates and or documents that may support your stated qualifications and or expertise, these must also be accompanied by contact details of the institutions from whence they were obtained.

• Please indicate if you have ever managed or been in charge of a team of people, employers tend to lean toward candidates with managerial experience and or skills.

Please note: it is important to always answer the following questions in your CV

• Do you have a valid passport?

• Are you willing to relocate, where to and for how long?
• Do you have a driver’s license?

Lastly, do state if you have access to an internet connection and or video conferencing facilities as some regional/multinational employers may like to have preliminary interviews with you before you come for the one on one interviews.