23/12/2018
I come across a lot of CV's everyday, few of them are good, some are not even worth the paper they are written on, not because the person they represent has nothing good to offer, but because of the lack of information about CV compiling that candidate has, so as my gift to job seekers and future job seekers, I would like to write a few tips about how you can compile your CV to be the best representative of who you are
1. make sure your CV is not longer than 4 pages without cutting out on crucial information
2. make sure your biographical information (name, surname, ID number and all that) is on your CV but does not accumulate too much unnecessary space
3. use a readable font, nothing flashy, nothing too big, Times New Roman and Century Gothic font 9 and 12 usually do the trick
4. Always start with your most recent job and its duties on your CV and finish with the very first job you ever had
5. write in full word, using "and" instead of "&"
6 write detailed duties for each job, if you where an administrative assistant instead of writing "filing" or "admin duties" rather write something like "Responsible for filling, scanning and typing of all outgoing correspondence for the organisation"
7. Write your "reasons for leaving" for each job, this helps account for even possible gaps on your cv, i.e if you have been out of work for about 2 year because you had a baby and wanted to dedicate time to raising your child, mention such on the CV so that the HR personnel can have a clear picture about why you have been out of the job market for so long
8. always keep your language professional when compiling your CV, try to avoid making use of abbreviations such as "etc" and "and so on"
9. Taylor each CV for each job you apply for, having a standardized CV is all good and well, however put some effort on your CV, make sure it comes across as the best professional version of yourself you can put on paper, remember, you are not there to sell yourself, you CV is therefor it is imperative to ensure it sells you to the best of your ability
10. Do not put anything negative on your CV, if you do not have a drivers licence, rather not include that tab on your CV than writing "No Drivers Licence" , if you have an incomplete degree instead of just writing"incomplete rather say "incomplete, intended completion on 2019" so that the recruiter can see you are actually working on it
I hope these tips will come in handy, do not give up, looking for a job is a job itself, keep working on it.
Enjoy your holidays
