What to include in your CV

When you are asked to send in your CV to a job advertiser, do you know what information should be included? A Curriculum Vitae, CV, or resume, is a document that details your educational and work history and can also include information on your out of work interests, including sport, hobbies, volunteer work etc.

In these days of high unemployment, recruiters are receiving not just tens of applications for each job, but hundreds and even thousands. If each applicant did the right thing, they would be sending a cover letter and a well prepared CV or resume. The thing is, so many people have been unemployed or under-employed for so long, they lose focus and treat each application as merely "going through the motions".

That's why job advertisers need to be able to streamline the process of reading the resumes they are sent. Identifying the one's who have sent off a standard resume is easy. They will often not be accompanied by a cover letter (VERY important), but will also make no reference to the advertised position, nor make any effort to demonstrate how their skills match the job criteria.

Here are some tips to help your CV or resume stand out.

* Be specific in every aspect, including what your experience, talents and skills can bring to that particular company.

* Don't use words that are open to interpretation: 'methodical' can be taken as 'obsessive', 'confident' can mean 'won't listen to instruction' and so on. Others to be avoided are: logical, independent, successful, determined and creative, unless you have a job-specific example of how such a trait was an asset.

* Use confident language when describing your achievements, without being overly boastful. You did something well, you saved the company money, you achieve tough targets and so on. But don't say you blew your competitors out of the water!

* Allow the style of the job advertisement to dictate your language. If it is a formal-sounding ad, make sure your application is formal as well. Even if the ad sounds casual, don't fall into the trap of down-scaling on professionalism however.

* Most importantly, put your all into each application, and make each cover letter and CV/resume specific to the job for which you are applying 

If it sounds to much for you, don't hesitate to use a program like "Amazing Resume Creator" to help you. With templates that follow a proven successful strategy, you are able to input your own details and at the same time use phrases and keywords that have worked for thousands of others in the past.