HOW TO WRITE A GOOD CURRICULUM VITAE:

How important it is to have a good Curriculum Vitae
What to include
Your Curriculum Vitae should
You should
Curriculum Vitae related links

How important it is to have a good Curriculum Vitae
Statistics

• Studies have shown that a recruitment manager spends on average 10-15 seconds to decide whether to reject a CV or put it into the shortlist.
• Incompletely or inaccurately addressed CV's and CV cover letters were rejected immediately by 83% of HR departments.
• CV's and cover letters addressed to a named person were significantly favoured over those addressed to a generic job title by 55% of HR departments
• over 60% of HR departments said that the inclusion of a photograph with the CV affected their opinion of the applicant
• 80% of people who respond to an advert by sending their CV’s don’t get a reply

What to include

PESONAL DETAILS

Name: Petar Jankovic
Address : 102, Bulevar Oslobodjenja, Novi Sad
Telephone : +381 21 234 1234
E-mail : Ova adresa el. pošte je zaštićena od spambotova. Omogućite JavaScript da biste je videli.

PROFILE [comment]

• Create 5-7 descriptive bullet-point phrases that describe your strengths and attributes
• These statements should also reflect the personal qualities that the employer seeks
• Keep the statements simple and clear
• Use professional, concise, intelligent language
• Use good, appropriate punctuation

A Mathematics graduate who is keen to find a position as a Trainee Accountant. Precise, reliable and trustworthy. Worked for a firm of accountants last summer and gained a good understanding of accounting and auditing. Able to work under stress and on own initiative or as part of a team; can deal with administrative duties competently.

EDUCATION & QUALIFICATIONS [comment]

2002-2004 BSc. (Hons) 2.2 in Mathematics at Novi Sad University..
Subjects studied: Business Studies, Computer Studies, Calculus, Geometry & Topology .
1995 - 2002 “Zmaj Jovina “ High School.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT [comment]

• Communication skills
• Accounting course

2000 Auditing in a nutshell, Faculty of Economy, Subotica
5 in- house seminars on accounting and auditing

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE [comment]

2004- 2005 Johnson& Barnes
Assisted the head of auditing department who was conducting audits on major companies in the area.
Handled incoming telephone calls to the Senior Partner from other companies and members of the public.
Organized and maintained the Senior Partner's filing system

 2003-2004 Faculty of Economy, Subotica
Junior researcher
Assisted the head of the department on different projects, worked with students, provided support for students who needed extra help

2002-2003 LOCAL COMMUNITY CENTRE
Organized a local advertising campaign that increased the number of elderly people coming to the centre by 20%.
Organized games for people attending in the afternoons.

ACHIEVEMENTS: [comment]

• Saved the company £50,000 a year by implementing a new quality assurance system.
• Increased the efficiency of HR department from 76% to 84%

SKILLS:

Computer skills : IBM Compatible PCs running Microsoft Windows, MS-DOS, WordPerfect, Word for Windows, Lotus 1-2-3 and Microsoft Visual C

• Language skills: proficient at French, basic understanding of German

INTERESTS: [comment]

Football, Grand Prix racing, physical fitness - gym.

REFEREES:

Professor Marko Belić, Department of Mathematics, Novi Sad University, 21000 Novi Sad
Mr. Petar Popovic, Johnson& Barnes

OR

REFERENCES

Available on request

Your Curriculum Vitae should:

• not be longer than two pages if your are an experienced professional, and for those with little experience one page makes more sense.
• be checked thoroughly for errors in spelling or grammar
• emphasize your most relevant experience and skills
• be carefully and clearly laid out - not too cramped, but not with large empty white spaces either.
• be written in Times New Roman, font size 10 or 12
• not be folded if it is sent by mail. Put it in a full-size A4 envelope so that it doesn't arrive creased.

You should

• not leave any gaps in your employment record as employers may assume your were fired. You may wish to mention the reason for leaving - travel, study, etc.
• list other skills that could raise you above the competition such as languages and IT skills.
• use bold and italic typefaces for headings and important information
• never back a CV - each page should be on a separate sheet of paper.
• be concise
• be positive - put yourself over confidently and highlight your strong points.
• be honest and never give inaccurate or misleading information.

Curriculum Vitae related links

Samples
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/cvsamples/a/blsamplecv.htm
http://www.resumesandcoverletters.com/sample_resumes.html
http://www.alec.co.uk/cvservice/examcv.htm
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/cvsamples/l/blcvsamp3.htm
http://www.europa-pages.com/jobs/cv_dummy.html

More tips and tricks
http://www.alec.co.uk/resume-examples/index.htm
http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/applicn.htm
http://www.bradleycvs.co.uk/cv-writing-tips/index.htm
http://www.bradleycvs.co.uk/cv-writing-tips/cv-better-cv.htm

Common mistakes
http://www.alec.co.uk/cvtips/cvreject.htm
http://www.bradleycvs.co.uk/cv-writing-tips/cv-leave-out-1.htm

How not to write your CV
http://www.europa-pages.com/jobs/bad-cv.html

Useful phrases
http://www.businessballs.com/curriculum.htm