Why you need a professional CV

To start the recruitment process always remember you’re a product being sold to a company, and the goal of your professional CV is to communicate what you can do for them. Your CV is not a job description; it is a sales catalogue for your services.

Most people are aware of the standard professional CV format: employment history, qualifications, contact details – but which key ingredients impress employers and win a place on their interview shortlist?

For far too long most of us have settled for the old standard tombstone format of the CV believing that this is the only way a CV should look.  If you are totally honest with yourself, would you hire the person from the CV as it currently stands?  Does it really tell you anything about the person’s ability to do the job?  Does it even show what that person is capable of?

Times have changed and this is the 21st Century. CVs have moved from being the complete chronicle of your work experience to being the tool that illustrates why you are the best candidate for a single position. I cannot stress this enough. The age of having a standard multiple-page CV that you send out to everyone for every position is over.

How many pages does it take to tell your story to a potential employer or client? Way back when I started my career, the one page CV was for a person just entering the workforce or someone changing careers. Having a long CV was a badge of honour showing that you had significant and relevant work experience.  Today most CVs are scanned and most are not read past the first page. Brevity is the key for making you look great.

You cannot compile your CV a day before you need to submit it - crafting a CV should be a carefully considered process that takes time.

For example, employers today want to find a candidate who:

* Understands the organization.

* Can show how to make a difference.

* Can demonstrate quantifiable contributions.

* Isn't afraid to ask for a job.

* Knows how to cut a deal.

From this you can see that the focal point of a CV format must be to respond to the needs and expectations of the employer. The job seeker's personal information and their work history are of secondary importance.

More often than not, the information on the first page is irrelevant to the position applied for.  And you are unknowingly supplying more information than you need.  According to our Labour Laws a lot of the information contained in the old CVs are no longer needed and could be used against you.