Short Outline for Starting your Curriculum Vitae

I wanted to create a very short post to get your thinking about writing that C.V. It is brief to the point but I will break it down into sections in further posts.

There is always conflicting advice about writing a Curriculum Vitae, but put yourself in a potential employers place and ask yourself the following questions.

Does the C.V. look neat, tidy and well spaced out

Can I scan it quickly to get an overall view of a potential candidate

Is it longer than two pages

Is there a lot to read

These are the main points to consider when putting together a C.V. for your next job. However, always start with the job specification and create your tailored C.V. to suit the job. Draw out any experience you have that is a transferable skill and can be listed. Do not print out twenty copies of the same C.V. and use them for different types of jobs. You want to impress, so sell your best qualities.

Start off the C.V. with a personal profile section. This is a short section that outlines you in the best way. It should be about six to eight lines in total and offers the reader a synopsis of your skills and abilities. You are trying to sell a product after all and like most advertisements a punchy outline with the best bits on offer are highlighted. Or think of it like that back cover of a book or section that outlines what a film is about. 

Focus your document on your achievements but try to keep the wording to a minimum. This is a short post but I will follow up shortly with a breakdown of the C.V. with some examples of personal profiles and layouts of your document.

If you need any advice about your own C.V. feel free to visit www.denisekeenan.ie and I can talk you through what I have to offer. Until next time.