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What Does CV mean?
CV stands for curriculum vitae which is
Latin for "the course of your life". It is used in
Europe, Australia and New Zealand and part of Asia and is
similar to the American "Resume". In order to apply
for a job, you are almost always asked for a CV or a
Resume. It sets out your career, achievements and
experience you have had.
How
would a prospective employer really know anything about
me based on my Resume or CV?
You're probably going to put
a lot of time and energy into your Resume and that's very
important. As a Resume is the first point of contact between
you and an employer it is vitally important to make
the right first impression. You may be thinking, "How
does an employer learn anything about me from this piece
of paper?" The employer has certain skills and characteristics
that they need to have in their firm or for a particular
kind of job. If your Resume or CV sends the message, "I have these
skills and characteristics," it's worth the time for
the employer to interview you. If it does not send
that message, you probably won't get the interview.
How
can I make my Resume or CV really stand out against the competition?
Your Resume or CV is your key marketing
tool - your marketing brochure if you will. A well designed,
professional and error-free Resume can go a long way to
getting you into the select group of applicants who
will be offered interviews. People put so much effort
into their Resume, they sometimes they ask, "How can I
make it stand out against the competition?" That's an
understandable concern, but it's misplaced.
Your goal is to be
interviewed. You could cut your Resume or CV in the shape of a
paper doll and it would stand out but it wouldn't get
you the interview. What will get you the interview? The
employer has to make a business decision - is it worth
their time to interview you? Do you have the skills and
characteristics they need in their company or for a
particular job? The skill is to provide the employer
with a Resume or CV that contains the right balance of
qualitative and quantitative information. If most
applicants' Resumes don't achieve this, yours will stand
out because it addresses the employer's needs.
How
do I write a cover letter that adds value to my
Resume or CV instead
of repeating it?
In addition to a good Resume
or CV,
you want to have a cover letter that adds value to that
Resume, instead of just repeating it. So how can you do
that? There are several steps you can take. One is to
reframe material that's on the Resume in terms which are
more familiar to the new, prospective employer. So,
for example, if your Resume focuses on jobs and job titles,
but your connection to the new employer is through a
common industry, reframe the information on your cover
letter about your experience in terms of the industry.
Secondly,
there may be items on your Resume or CV, which are not highlighted,
but are of particular importance to a new employer.
You can highlight those in the cover letter instead
of the Resume or CV.
Third,
there may be some new material which you felt didn't
really belong on the Resume but potentially has importance
to a new employer. It belongs in your cover letter.
Fourth,
you certainly want to have a statement about your motivation.
Why do you want to work for that particular employer?
What attracts you to that employer's organization? And
what interests you about that particular job? Motivation
is usually not stated on the Resume. You also want to close
any credibility gaps that the Resume might present. For
example, if you've been out of work for a period of
time, or you're changing functional areas or industries
you want to readdress the issue. A good way to address
any credibility problems is to make an upbeat statement
about it in your cover letter.
When
is a cover letter helpful in a job search?
Since a good cover letter adds value to your
Resume or CV
and shows that you're serious about looking for a new
job, it's almost always helpful in a job search campaign.
Can
you outline the important steps in a successful job
search campaign?
Although identifying the job you really want is a critical
first step on its own, it's not enough to produce the
desired outcome. Market research and a well-executed
self-marketing campaign are needed to turn your goal
into reality. In fact, career counselors suggest turning
your job hunt into an eight-hour-a-day, aggressive search
in order to yield prime offers.
Firstly you must define
what you want. Once you've defined what you want, go
out and talk to people who are doing what you want to
do. Ask them how they got into the field and what path
they traveled prior to landing their current position.
This process, often called information interviewing,
is a valuable way to build your network of contacts
inside organizations and your base of knowledge about
fields and specific jobs you're pursuing.
Secondly, have a detailed plan of action and stick to
it. There's no way anybody can stay organized without a
written plan. Planning carefully lets you predict where
you are going, allows you to track your time, evaluate
your progress and make sure productivity is maximized.
As good idea is to develop planning systems and a
contact management process, including developing company
profile information, contact reports and monthly/weekly
goal settings.
How
can I prepare myself for an interview?
Spend a minimum of one hour
and a maximum of an evening planning what you want to
achieve. Think about what impression you want to create,
what important things in your past experience you want
to talk about, what you are good at and what you are
not good at. Above all think about things that you have
done that mark you out from the crowd.
Remember also
that there are four main questions that run through
any interview.
First is "Why should we hire you?"
Second is your
motivation, "Why do you want to work for us?"
Third is, did you come prepared, which
translates to, "What do you know about our company?"
Fourth is sublimal
but translates as "What can you do for our company?"
Ensure that you also have a series of
intelligent questions to ask the interviewer.
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