How to Write a Good Professional CV
This page will be discussing how to write a professional CV. The frustration that comes from not receiving feedback after applying for jobs can be self-induced. There are certain important “i”s and “t”s that needs to be properly dotted and crossed before one can receive favourable feedback from jobs applied for. If these “i”s and “t”s are not dotted and crossed, then unfavourable feedback or no feedback at all will be the case. In this present age and time, the foundation to getting the job one desires is to firstly have a well-structured curriculum vitae (CV) in place, it is with this that an individual can go ahead to apply for any job or position he/she desires.
A CV otherwise known as a resume is a document that provides information about an individual’s educational qualification, working experiences and relevant skills that is required for such individual to carry out certain duties and responsibilities attached to specific jobs. There are different types of CV depending on an individual’s level of education, years of working experience and again the different skills possessed by the individual.
There are no hard and fast rules on how a CV should be written or prepared, the most important thing is that the document must contain relevant information that a potential employer would consider attractive enough to invite the applicant for an interview and if all goes well at the interview, offer the applicant the job that was applied for.
Having mentioned the importance of a good CV/resume, here are the basic elements that should be contained in a well-structured CV:
- Personal Information: this cannot be excluded from a CV, it consists of the name, address, phone number, and email address of the individual.
Note: information like state of origin, religion, date of birth are not exactly necessary. Also, it is advised that you do not put your exact home address on your CV for safety purposes, but rather state your home address proximity e.g Lagos-island, Lagos/ Ibadan, Oyo state/ Jabi, Abuja etc.
- Career Objective: your career objective states what your aim or intention as regards your career/job/ a particular organisation is. This is a very important aspect of your CV therefore; it is advised that you write something that is good enough to impress a potential employer.
Example:
- Educational Qualification & Certifications: This is also another important segment of a CV, this section provides information about an individual’s educational qualification and other professional certifications he or she may have acquired. While listing this out, it is important that you start with the most recent and other certifications that are relevant to the job you are applying for.
- Working Experience: this is a section in which employers and recruiters specifically look out for, they want to see if you have valuable working experience as regards the role you have applied for. Having valuable experience portrays that you have what it takes to handle the job you’ve applied for if eventually you are given the job. The experiences you’ve acquired doesn’t necessarily have to come from active full-time roles you’ve taken in the past, it may also be from part-time roles or volunteering endeavours.
- Skills: skills (hard and soft) are very necessary to executing the responsibilities and duties attached to assigned jobs thus, are very important. A potential employer or recruiter pays special attention to this section and is interested in whether or not an applicant possesses the required skills needed for the role in which he/she applied for.
- Reference: your references provide a potential employer with necessary information about your previous work experiences, skills you possess, your character and mode of conduct in delivering assigned tasks. This information validates things you’ve said on your CV or perhaps in an interview.
Note: it is advised that your references be made available on request rather than being stated on your CV.
All of the aforementioned are basic elements that should be made available on your CV so as to get the feedback desired.
However, the task of writing a good and reliable CV is not what everybody is good at and that’s why there are professional CV writers who offer CV writing/reviews to individuals that are interested. Professional CV writers build sound, bespoke, and professionally toned CVs for their clients and customers. We are your very good plug for professionally written CVs and reviews, be sure to reach out to us for their services. Contact us now if you need our services.
