In this competitive world, everyone needs a job. A job is now a necessity for every working professional. But getting a job requires certain steps and the first step is to build a CV. A CV is like a first impression on the person hiring or recruiting. Therefore a strong and well-constructed CV is very important and essential for a working professional. So here we, at careerguide.com, are going to help you find new ways and details to build a strong CV which would increase your chances to get a job by twofold. The following are some of the many well researched ways to help you.
Use Active Voice
A simple way to build a strong CV is to write your CV in active voice instead of passive voice. Saying something in passive voice sounds rather weak than active voice. Active voice is a strong way to express yourself. Think about it. First, say something in a passive voice and then repeat that same thing in active voice. You will find a difference in both speeches. For example, consider this. Compare these two statements. “I organised a campaign.” “A campaign was organised by me.” You can see the difference that using active voice i.e. first sentence is a way for powerful than using the second sentence. Therefore a working professional should always use active voice in his/her CV.
Use Numbers
A fact that every working professional should get familiar with is that you can get your recruiter’s attention through your CV by showing them numerical values. Writing bold numbers on your CV will benefit you a lot. For example writing “In a span of 6 months I generated a profit of Rs.13 Lakh for my company” will defiantly put you in your recruiter’s good books. So using quantitative values will benefit your CV and make it look impressive. Therefore a working professional’s CV should contain numerical values.
Keep it simple
A common mistake most of the working professionals do is that they write long paragraphs in their CVs. An employer doesn’t have enough time to read all your lengthy paragraphs and complex words. Therefore you should keep it simple and attractive. Using bullet points will defiantly help your CV look neat and clean. Saying straightforward things in your CV makes it killer. Therefore to build a good CV, keeping it simple is essential.
Organise it well
Now an important thing to keep in mind while writing CV is that it should be chronological. You should make a rough resume first in which you can list all your accomplishments and different details about yourself. An organised CV lasts a great impression on recruiter. Your education, job experience etc should be chronologic. For example you write: “I graduated from XYZ College” before “I completed my high school from ABC School” then it surely would sound stupid and totally unprofessional. Therefore a working professional should always organise his/hers CV.
Participate in various projects
A basic thing you should remember and apply is that you can’t lie on your resume. Lying on your resume is first of all not ethical and can lead to many problems. If you write a particular skill or event you organised in your CV which you didn’t and your recruiter asks question about that, then you can get yourself embarrassed in front of them and a bad side of yours would be shown in front of them. Therefore to avoid lying on your resume, you should actually participate in those projects. Volunteer yourself. Ask various people. Do them so that you can get some experience and then you won’t have to lie on your resume. So a working professional should participate and volunteer in various projects.
Choose format wisely
There are a variety of formats of CV from which a working professional can choose. This can create a lot of confusion in people. Therefore you should always choose your format wisely. Choosing a format is difficult but you can select your preferred and stylize it accordingly. A single CV is not appropriate for all your job interviews therefore we recommend that you can create 2 or 3 different CVs and stylize them according to your job preferences. Choosing a format which catches one’s eyes is very important.
Use References
An important thing that many working professionals doesn’t have or/and include in their CV is references. References from different organisations and peoples can really help you get a particular job. It puts you above other people in an interview if you include references in your resume. Therefore for a working professional, an option of including references should be in mind.
Highlight your work
A simple thing to make your CV impressive is to highlight your strong points in CV. Your eyes direct you to highlighted point before a normal written point. If you highlight your work, the recruiter’s first readings would be your strong points and your great impression would be on them. It is a simple trick many working professionals realize later in their life.
Take different opinions
Now one thing a working professional should learn in their life is to take criticism. Many people have this problem where they just can’t handle the truth and refuse to take criticism head on. But here to make your CV super good and killer is to take different opinions on it. Taking different opinions can help you to see your CV through different perspectives and you can find you flaws in it. You can then further edit them and make your CV unstoppable.
Professional Summary
A professional summary is just as it sounds a summary of your CV in which your most important details and works are written. Writing a professional summary would increase your points during an interview and make you look professional. Therefore every working professional should include a professional summary in their CV.
So the above was the list of various ways a working professional can build a successful and killer CV. Hope it helped you. Best of luck!!!
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