How to write an effective CV to impress HR for an interview call?
What is a CV?
A CV is a showcase of yourself. It is your first impression on the employer before meeting and that meeting which is called an interview all depends on the first impression that your CV will make.
We will not go into details about differences in CV and Resume and what CV stands for as all this information you can get on search. We will try to discuss something that comes from experience.
The motto is to get hired, and getting hired is like selling yourself, the better you present yourself in your CV the more value you get. Latest Job 2022 in Pakistan
You must have heard of the example that when someone goes for an interview for the post of sales executive, he is often asked to sell a pen to the interviewee, the more you describe the qualities of a pen the more chances are of it being sold. Same as the better you present yourself on the CV the more chances are of getting an interview call.
So, think of a CV as a showcase of yourself, the more you decorate it according to the job you are applying for the more chances are of being called for an interview.
Why is CV important?
Because it is the only entry point for any job. It is the only way to describe yourself to the employer before meeting/interview, and the interview call all depends on the piece of paper called the CV that you have sent to the employer.
It is very important for you to furnish your CV as per the job requirements, never add something which is not related to the job you are applying for. Also, it is very important to find out about job requirements and prepare your CV accordingly.
If you prepare a different CV for each job role you are applying for as per the job requirements, it increases your chance of being called for an interview. Employers always look for specific requirements in the CV, they do not bother to read every word of your CV instead they will just go through the highlights.
So, the moral of the story is if you want to be called for an interview, your CV must be impressive enough for the employer. If your CV stands out from the others you have 90% more chances than others to be called for an interview.
Take away points:
- Do some research before you apply for a job
- Prepare your CV as per job requirements
- Try to highlight your value in CV to attract employer
- Outline your core expertise
- Make your CV fit for the job role you are applying for
- Different CV for different job openings as per job requirements
- Tell the truth, do not write something which you do not know
- Do not make mistakes on CV, interviewer is keener to find mistakes than qualities
Type of CV’s
To better write your CV you need to understand the types of CVs and create your CV as per job needs as mentioned above.
- Chronological CV is also known as Traditional CV.
- Functional CV is also known as Skill-based CV
- Combined or combination of Chronological and Functional CV
Let’s discuss and find which one is best.
If we break these CV types into easy terms we can explain it as Work-focused CV and Skill-focused CV. This looks much easier to understand rather than generic names chronological and functional.
Let’s dig it further to better understand.
If you have just passed out from university/college and do not have any experience to show in the CV, you should concentrate on portraying your skills and letting the interviewer know what you are capable of.
If you have gaps in your work history (gaps are always considered a negative point in your career) you should concentrate more on showcasing your skills so that any gap could be covered by your skills. Always remember your ultimate goal is to impress the person who is going to shortlist candidates. So, I would highly recommend preparing a separate CV for each job you are applying for because not all jobs have the same requirements. If you feel the requirements are the same you can use the same CV for multiple job applications.
If you have Solid work history and there is no or very few gaps in between jobs you may go with the Chronological CV. You can mainly focus on your job experiences and can make yourself a strong candidate by providing mathematical figures about what you have achieved for your previous organization. How you were able to expand business for the previous organizations. How you lead the team to develop award-winning products. How you increased companies’ sales by 50% by applying your methods. It could be anything that you feel would impress the employer because our ultimate goal is to companies’ win the heart of the employer and get a good job. So, if you are experienced enough go with the Chronological CV or Traditional CV.
So far, we have understood that the Functional CV is for beginners and the Chronological CV is for Experienced ones.
What if you have little and medium experience. In this case, you can go with the Mix of both Chronological and Functional CV. What I mean by a mix of both is that you should focus on your skills on your CV as well as your experience. You can focus on both skills and experience to impress the employer. This is the most commonly used practice and is mostly liked by employers because they get to know both your skills and your experience.
What to include in a CV?
Below I will highlight some points about what to include including and what to avoid in your CV.
You should consider including:
- Your name and any contact details
- Your last qualification
- Your experience
- Keep your CV real
- Separate CV for separate Job
- Explain why you are the best fit for this job by relating your education and experience with the job requirement
- Try to avoid any gap or try to cover it in your CV so it does not go against you
- Avoid any mistake in the CV whether it be spelling, date, etc.
- Always write the truth in the CV
- Max Two-page CV
- Keep it concise and easy to read
- Highlight achievements and results with mathematical figures
- Show professionalism
- Use good and consistent font
- Always use Active verbs while explaining your experience e.g., instead of saying “I was leading Sales Department” say “I managed/Led sales department”
- Always keep your CV up to date
- If possible, furnish a cover letter with your CV
You should consider avoiding:
- You do not need to mention your exact date of birth, marital status, bank details
- Do not use unprofessional email addresses like [email protected]
- Avoid using colored or fancy fonts
- Do not use too many texts as no one will read it complete try to be precise and to the point
- Never write something on your CV which you do not know.
- Any work experience that is not related to the job should not be included in the CV
- Never use all capital letters and white spaces, keep it well-formatted
Conclusion
Good luck.
Copywrites: Pakistan Largest Job Portal Metajobs
