CV Tips

A CV or curriculum vitae is a shop window on you as prospective employee. With your CV you will be able to promote yourself. Another way to think of your CV is as a piece of marketing literature. It is essential that you present your CV in such a way that it stands out from the rest of the applicants for the position in question.

At Edgar Cowen we have seen literally thousands of CV's and some stand out and some are quite frankly very poor indeed. Here are a few basic pointers that may help you in the construction of your CV:

• Start With your name & personal contact details first, follow this with education and professional qualifications follow this with your work experience and finally interests & activities– It's a winning formula.
• Tailor your CV to a specific vacancy
• Try to highlight any significant achievements you have made
• Keep the CV to fewer than three pages; two is ideal, the reader is not looking for a novel! Keep it short and simple. More than four sides is a disaster and it won't all be read.
• Use Short punchy sentences, or even bullet points!
• Do not try to be humorous, it does not look professional
• If you have had a long career, only write in detail about the last seven years. A company name, job title and dates will suffice for the rest. Don't however leave unexplained gaps in your experience.
• Black ink on white paper is the only option you should consider

Top CV related links:

Interview-winning CV writing service by Bradley CVs

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Alec's free advice on CVs, resumes, interviews & job hunting

Free tips on how to dramatically improve your CV / resume, handle interviews and find a job. Plus example CVs / resumes, covering letters, a recruitment agency finder, a psychometric test, CV / resume distribution and much more.