The search for job after graduation is a stage that almost everybody must go through. The process of job search has always being competitive even in vibrant economic dispensations as employers will keep seeking for only the best hands for the job. Regardless of the sector or industry of choice, the tools for job search has continued to be a Curriculum Vitae popularly called a “CV”.
A CV simply means your “course of life” and it is a summary of basic information about a prospective employee presented in a written form. Sometimes it is used interchangeably as a resume but not exactly the same. The resume is a summary of somebody’s educational and work experience, for the information of possible future employers.
Resume is a kind of previous accolades, accomplishments, experiences, academic qualifications, medals and all awards an individual have amassed in the course of life. These information are useful for future employment or appointment.
A CV is more encompassing than a resume, it is more than just a collection of previous experiences, it tells the prospective employer basic information about the job candidate. Think of a CV as an advertisement which primary purpose is to sell the services of the job seeker to the employer.
There are basic information the employers want to look out for and most time it is usually in agreement with the job requirement. Experiences has shown that when applying for a job, a background check should be done on the organization, especially their mission statement, vision and core values. A peep into their history can also arm a candidate in beating the completion.
Knowing what you should know about your future employer will enable a candidate to customize a CV to suite the purpose. Most applicants have only one CV which they use for all job applications, but taking an extra time to customize your CV to suite the purpose will give you an edge over others.
A CV basically have six parts which are enumerated below:
- Bio data or personal data: Your bio data are basic information such as your name, date of birth, state of origin, local government of origin, your home town etc. in giving these information care must be taken to avoid false representation. Depending on the organization, emphasis is sometimes placed on your age, which is why your date of birth should be the same with what you have on your birth certificate or affidavit. Your data should be consistent with your credentials. Sometimes the information you supply is verified using your attached credentials.
- Personal objective: this is where the background check about the prospective employer comes to play, when you know basic information about their mission statement, vision and core values, you can come up with an objective that agrees with the organization’s goals. But brevity and accuracy is the key. The lesser your objective, the better.
- Contact details: This is where many blunders happen, your contact details is the only means you can be reached if you make the list. The human resource people may not have the luxury of time to look at every word on your CV, but be rest assured that your contact details is a must see. Use a clear address, only one phone number that is reachable. Using multiple phone numbers may be counterproductive. Your email address should be professional, it should have your full name in it and a legible font used in typing out the contact information to avoid misrepresentation.
- Educational history: A history of academic qualifications written in ascending order. Starting from the most recent qualifications can help better understand the candidate. Most times employers care only about the highest qualifications. When listing the schools with dates and certificates earned, ensure consistency with the previous information on the bio data like your date of birth. It will be vague to have “1992” as date of birth and your primary school certificate says “1995”. It will be a blunder to insinuate inconsistency and since there a thousand CVS to look at, the chances may be gone.
- Work experience: A history of your previous work experience relevant to the job you are applying for. That is why it is important to find out more details about the role or the job functions you are applying for. Most applicants think that the more experience the better the chances. Some jobs do not necessarily need previous work experience, especially those with age requirements. So when listing out work experience, make sure it is relevant.
- Additional skills: Again do not list out vague skills irrelevant to the job you are applying for, but be realistic when listing out your additional skills. Those skill are supposed to increase your chances of getting the job, so bear it in mind when stating them.
Notice that I omitted the referees section, including it is not necessarily a bad practice. But your employers will definitely give you a guarantor form which your referees will have to sign. So why cluster your CV with references?
A brief and informative CV sells better than a clustered double paged CV. Which is why only relevant information should be included.
The design and font is also very important. The most important information like your full name and contact details should be at the top like a banner advertisement. This is because the first thing the employer look out for is your name and contact details.
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