9 Perfect Ways To Succeed With Any CV/Resume!

A CV is your opportunity to grab an employer's attention and get an interview. But how do you ensure your CV is added to the interview pile rather than thrown straight in the bin? Putting together a successful CV is easy once you know how. It's a case of taking all your skills and experience and tailoring them to the job you're applying for. But what if you don't meet the right criteria?

Here are the core elements that every resume should have, please note the order below isn't chronological:

1. Summary:  This section should be a brief paragraph (three to five sentences) that shows the value you bring by highlighting your skills and a couple of big career wins. But rather than labeling it a “summary,” simply use a headline that encapsulates your credentials.

Look at this example of an effective career summary:

Corporate Real Estate Executive Increasing Bottom-Line Profitability Through Real Estate Strategies

Accomplished executive with a proven ability to develop and implement real estate strategies that support business and financial objectives. Have led key initiatives that reduced operating budget by $32 million and contributed to 550 percent stock increase. Recognized as an expert in applying financial concepts to asset management decisions.

2. Professional experience: This is not about the job duties but rather the accomplishment you made while working on that position. And the best way to showcase your achievement is to cite quantifiable results measured with number or percentages.

For example:

COMPANY NAME—Arusha Data Analyst, 2003

Data Mining and Modeling: Collected, cleansed, and provided modeling and analyses of structured and unstructured data used for major business initiatives. Outcomes: Executed 15% reduction in transportation costs, resulting in $1.2M annual savings. Improved demand forecasting that reduced backorders to retail partners by 17%. Completed focus group and BI research that helped boost NW region sales by 10%.

3. Skills: Under the skills section of your CV don't forget to mention key skills that can help you to stand out from the crowd. These could include communication skills; computer skills; team working; problem-solving or even speaking a foreign language. Skills can come out of the most unlikely places, so really think about what you've done to grow your own skills, even if you take examples from being in a local sports team or joining a voluntary group – it's all relevant. Just try to keep it below summary in bullet form

4. Contact Information: Make it easy for employers to get in touch. Include your address, main phone number, and email address. Don't use email addresses that look unprofessional like cuteylegs@yahoo.com make sure your email address reads your full name and not otherwise.

5. Education: Simply write where you went to college and your degree. And, if you graduated with honors, highlight it.

6. Tailor the CV to the role: When you've established what the job entails and how you can match each requirement, create a CV specifically for that role. Remember, there is no such thing as a generic CV. Every CV you send to a potential employee should be tailored to that role so don't be lazy and hope that a general CV will work because it won't. Create a unique CV for every job you apply for. You don't have to re-write the whole thing, just adapt the details so they're relevant.

7. Including references: References should be from someone who has employed you in the past and can vouch for your skills and experience. If you've never worked before you're OK to use a teacher or tutor as a referee. Try to include two if you can.

8. Stick to no more than two pages of A4: A good CV is clear, concise and makes every point necessary without waffling. You don't need pages and pages of paper – you just keep things short and sweet. A CV is a reassurance to a potential employer, it's a chance to tick the right boxes. And if everything is satisfied, there's a better chance of a job interview. Also, employers receive dozens of CVs all the time so it's unlikely they'll read each one cover to cover. Most will make a judgment about a CV within sections, so stick to a maximum of two pages of A4 paper.

9. Keep your CV updated: It's crucial to review your CV on a regular basis and add any new skills or experience that's missing. For example, if you've just done some volunteering or worked on a new project, make sure they're on there – potential employers are always impressed with candidates who go the extra mile to boost their own skills and experience

PS: Presentation and getting the basic is key. Always remember the CV hotspot – the upper middle area of the first page is where the recruiter's eye will naturally fall, so make sure you include your most important information there.

Comment Below with more tips? Are you struggling to write your resume? email me@rahabmbise.com and let's get to smash your recruiters' attention!