Preparing Your CV.

Your C.V is your best marketing tool when it comes to attracting potential employers. It is very important to get this part of the application process right. Too long and an employer will have lost interest before he has completed reading it. Too short and you are unable to convey your skills and experience adequately. We at Wicklow Recruitment read thousands of C.Vs on an annual basis and are ready to give you our informed advice on the right C.V for you.

The first rule of thumb is length, two pages should be adequate but if you find that too much information is omitted then going into three pages is not a punishable offence.

Even though this might seem obvious you would be surprised by how many candidates omit proper contact details including full address, mobile and/or home phone number and e-mail if available. It is then advised to follow this with all your educational details including any further training you have undertaken. Provision of dates and addresses of institutions is advisable so that the information is complete. You can then commence giving details of previous work experience. The order in which this is done is hotly debated among professionals. My advice is to start with your most recent experience and work your way back to your earliest employment. Depending on how many years you have been in employment you may not wish to include summer jobs or part – time jobs that you worked while in college.
    
Under each position it is essential that you list both duties and achievements without giving your life history. It is easy to fall into the trap of clichés and not allow your C.V to reflect who you are as an individual with both abilities and experiences that are unique to you.

Many people like to give a personal profile at the beginning of their C.V. This profile will allow candidates to convey something of their skills and strengths but also a little of their personality. There are certain catchwords that are sure to interest a potential employer.

Project Management, Leadership, Problem solving skills, Team building. These kinds of attributes are attractive to employers and so should be included in any personal profile once they have been demonstrated in a work environment.
 
There are definite mistakes that will cause a potential employer to dismiss your C.V. Firstly and most importantly always spell check your C.V as spelling mistakes will imply that a candidate does not pay attention to details. Secondly do not plagiarise a job spec in a covering letter, while it is important to cover all aspects of the job spec there is no need to sell yourself purely on the job description. Cover letters that demonstrate the contribution a candidate can make to the company or show excitement about the position will tend to catch the attention of an employer.

Wicklow Recruitment Ltd.
58 Main Street, Wicklow Town, Co. Wicklow.

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Email: info@wicklowrecruitment.com