CV WRITING GUIDE CV WRITING GUIDE

The word Curriculum Vitae(LATIN WORD) literally translated means the story of your life. The words Curriculum Vitae are usually abbreviated to CV or C.V. and you will sometimes see it incorrectly written in lower case as c.v. or cv. The possessive form of Curriculum Vitae / CV should be written as Curriculum Vitae's or C.V.'s or CVs, but not as c.v.'s or cv's.

These days employers often receive a lot of CVs for each advertised position - jobs advertised in national papers can often attract hundreds of applicants. So your CV has to be just that little bit special to stand out if you want to obtain interviews. The good news (for you) is that most people do not know how to write a CV and only spend a short time preparing a CV. Writing professional CVs is a skill, which these people have not learnt.

Of course your CV can continue to work in your favour even after it has obtained an interview for you. It can help you at an interview by carefully focusing the interviewer's mind on your good points and on your achievements. Once you have left the interview it will continue to work in your favour as the interviewer will probably reread it before making a decision, either on who should be invited to the second interview stage or who the job should be offered to.

General CV tips

1. These days you can write your CV in the first person (i.e. I have) or the third person (i.e. he/she has). However, you do not need to use 'I', 'he' or 'she' in a CV because its use is implied.

2. Do mention things you are good at, but do not go over the top. You can oversell yourself.

3. Don't mention things that you are bad at or say negative things about yourself in your CV.

4. Make sure that the CV you write conjures up the right image of you and your skills, capabilities and achievements. If you do not match the picture you have painted with your CV at the interview, then your application will not be taken further.

5. Be careful when you use abbreviations - they can be misunderstood.

6. If you are not happy with your CV or you only seem to get rejection letters then please get a professional CV writing service to write it for you. Yes, you will have to pay for it. But, it could save you a lot of time.

7. Re-read your CV to ensure that there are no grammatical errors and the sentence structure is correct.

8. Make sure the style of the CV remains consistent throughout. Font, Font style and size should remain the same.

9. The spacing should be paid heed to, to make sure the CV makes up for a plain and simple reading.

10. Avoid using stylistic fonts that looks jarring to the eyes.

Tips for producing a better CV

Think of your CV as your shop window - it must effectively display your experience, skills and qualities in a very short period of time. The following tips will help you produce a CV that does just that.

1. Keep it short and clear
Before you start, choose the right structure for your CV. The most important information, such as your key skills and recent experience, needs to be near the top, where it can be seen straightaway. Sections you usually need to include are your Profile, Achievements, Experience, Special Skills (languages / computers), Education, Training, and (if you wish) Interests. Your CV should normally be two pages in length (unless you have a very long career or you are a contractor or the recruiter asks for a longer CV). If you haven't caught the recruiter's interest by page two then they probably won't read any further pages anyway.

2. Make it look good
Clear, attractive presentation is also important if your CV is to stand out. Ensure that it's uncluttered, with key points easy to spot. Use bullet points and keep the sentences relatively short. Plenty of 'white space' around the borders and between each section keeps the document easier on the eye.

3. Most recent first
Put your employment history in date order, starting with the most recent first. Avoid leaving any gaps, so if you've had time out for some reason, do mention this. Don't go into detail about positions you held over 10 years ago. Include details of holiday or temporary work only if it's relevant to the job you're applying for.

4. Include many facts
List your job duties beneath each position. List your achievements, responsibilities and results. Talk about results - what difference did your presence make? Use numbers for achievements wherever possible, e.g. "Boosted sales by 20% in first year". And always write in a slightly formal manner and never use the word "I" - e.g. "Supervised the team" rather than "I supervised the team". Use the past tense for previous jobs and the present tense for your current job.

5. Not too many lists
Include specific skills, such as languages, administrative or computing skills, in a separate section in your CV. Don't relist them for every job you've used them in. This is particularly so for IT work - lists of tools and packages make dull reading and won't make you stand out from other people with the same abilities.

6. Breathe some life into it
Remember the employer wants a sense of the kind of person you are, as well as what you can do. Are you punctual, conscientious, or motivated? Do you rise to a challenge? With each point you write, ask yourself "What does this say about me?"

7. Be accurate
Always check for errors. Run a spelling and grammar check and ask someone else to read it for you. Read it aloud to the dog. The employer isn't going to believe you're a good communicator if your CV is full of mistakes.

8. Adapt it
You don't have to use the same CV every time. You can have two or three versions, each for a different kind of job. Or you can tailor your CV to suit the job you're applying for. It isn't a case of one size fits all.

9. Send a covering letter
Unless the advert tells you not to, always send a covering letter. This should highlight the two or three areas of experience from your CV that are most relevant to the advertised job. Never send your CV out on its own.

10. Be truthful
Although you obviously want to present yourself well, don't go too far and embellish the truth. It can easily backfire on you.

11. Enclose a Covering letter
When sending in a CV or job application form, you must include a covering letter. The purpose of the letter is to make sure that the CV arrives on the desk of the correct person. Also to say why you want that particular job with that particular employer and to draw attention to one or two key points in the CV which you feel make you suited to that particular job with that particular employer.

It should clearly say what job you are interested in. If in case you are sending a 'speculative' CV hoping that they may have work for you, explain what sort of work you are interested in like saying, 'I believe my skills equip me to work in the product development department/accounts office/whatever'. When sending a speculative CV, you may try telephoning later to push your enquiry further.

While drafting your covering letter keep these following points in mind:

• Start your letter with an underline heading giving the job title you are interested in. (If you saw the job advertised, say where you saw it.)

• The letter should only be on one side of A4 paper. It must be polite and easy to read.

• Mention when you are available for an interview. Ending your letter with a request for specific extra information may give a positive response.

By Nilesh Shah (Laurent & Benon Management Consultants Ltd.)

Training yourself for better concentration

Concentration means directing one's attention on whatever one intends. We all have a natural ability to concentrate. Have you noticed how difficult it is to get young children's attention when they are playing? Do you remember the time when you were completely engrossed in an interesting novel, a super film, an exciting match or an exhilarating piece of music? You were concentrating then. At this very moment you are reading these words, you are concentrating.

It helps to know what it is like to concentrate, so that you can get back to that state of being.

What is poor concentration?

When people say that they can't concentrate, it usually means that they cannot stay focused on one thing for as long as they would like. Most of us experience lapses in concentration every day. We are not usually concerned about it; we may not even notice these lapses in concentration. They only become a problem when we find that we cannot get things done as quickly as we would like, or when they cause us to make mistakes.You do not concentrate when you allow your environment to distract you, and/or your thoughts and feelings to interrupt you. Your thoughts are scattered; your mind jumps from one thing to another like a monkey. It helps to learn and to practice concentration strategies, to harness your monkey mind, so that it works at your will. If you know the causes of your poor concentration, you can learn to control these factors.

Factors that may cause poor concentration

Lack of concentration is one of the frequent complaints among students mainly due to distraction. There are two types of distractions: external and internal.

External Distractions

External distractions are related to the physical environment of your study area. Once you have identified these distractions, it is often easy to deal with them. Some of the common external distractions are:

a. Noise; conversations

b. Inappropriate furniture; inadequate lighting

c. Interruption from other people; telephone

d. Television.

e.Work: paid or unpaid; housework

f. The Internet; email

Internal Distractions

Internal distractions are related to you: your body, your thoughts and your emotions. Some of them can be easily dealt with once they are identified. Others can be managed with practice and/or with a little help. Some of the common internal distractions are:

a. Hunger; tiredness; illness

b. Lack of motivation; boredom; lack of interest

c. Personal worries; stress; anxiety

d. Negative thinkinge. Daydreaming

f. Lack of organization; dyslexia

Corporate Lessons - Old story, new version....

There was once a washer man who had a donkey and a dog.

One night when the whole world was sleeping, a thief broke into the house, the washer man was fast asleep but the donkey and the dog were awake.

The dog decided not to bark since the master did not take good care of him and wanted to teach him a lesson.

The donkey got worried and said to the dog that if he doesn't bark, the donkey will have to do something himself. The dog did not change his mind and the donkey started braying loudly.

Hearing the donkey bray, the thief ran away, the master woke up and started beating the donkey for braying in the middle of the night for no reason.

Moral of the story " One must not engage in duties other than his own"
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Now take a new look at the same story…

The washer man was a well educated man from a premier management institute.

He had the fundas of looking at the bigger picture and thinking out of the box. He was convinced that there must be some reason for the donkey to bray in the night.

He walked outside a little and did some fact finding, applied a bottom up approach, figured out from the ground realities that there was a thief who broke in and the donkey only wanted to alert him about it.

Looking at the donkey's extra initiative and going beyond the call of the duty, he rewarded him with lot of hay and other perks and became his favorite pet.

The dog's life didn't change much, except that now the donkey was more motivated in doing the dogs duties as well. In the annual appraisal the dog managed a " meets requirement" Soon the dog realized that the donkey is taking care of his duties and he can enjoy his life sleeping and lazing around.

The donkey was rated as "star performer". The donkey had to live up to his already high performance standards. Soon he was over burdened with work and always under pressure and now is looking for a job rotation…


If you have worked in a corporate environment, I am sure you have guessed the characters of the new story.

Job Interview Tips, Techniques, and Skills

The Concise Guide for Job Interviews

The interviewer hopes that YOU are the right person for the job. They are under pressure to fill the position so that they can get back to their own work. Therefore you are in a greater position of strength than you think. Concentrate on what you have to offer in the way of qualifications and experience instead of feeling intimidated.

An interviewer has 3 aims:

1. To learn if you are the right person for the job.

2. To assess your potential for promotion

3. To decide whether you will fit into the company environment.

The key to a successful job interview is in preparation

1. Be prepared: For the types of interview questions you will be asked
2. Be prepared: To ask questions yourself
3. Be prepared: To research the company
4. Be prepared: To look the part
5. Be prepared: To turn up on time

Job interview questions you may be asked

Q - How would you describe yourself?
A - You should describe attributes that will enhance your suitability for the position. Have some ready in advance.
Q - What are your long-term goals?
A - These should be career orientated. Make sure you have goals to discuss.
Q - Why did you leave your last job?
A - This could be for more responsibility; a better opportunity; increased income. Do not be detrimental to your previous employer. He could be the interviewer's golfing partner.
Q - Why do you want this job?
A - Your answer should be: more responsibility or better opportunity or similar. Not: because it is closer to home or the gym.
Q - What are your strengths?
A - You should highlight accomplishments and experiences that relate to the position for which you are applying. Also, give examples of situations where your strengths have been demonstrated.
Q - What are your weaknesses?
A - This should not be a list of deficiencies. Don't mention anything that could make the interviewer question your ability to do the job, for example "I am always late for everything." Instead, discuss a weakness that could also be a strength such as "I am a workaholic!"

More Examples of Good Interview Questions

Tell me a little bit about yourself.
Describe your current / most recent position.
What made you want to make this change?
What do you most enjoy doing in your current /most recent position?
Describe your future ambitions.
How would you describe yourself?

Good interview questions for YOU to ask

Asking questions at interview has a number of positive effects:
1. It helps you find out more about the company and the position.
2. It can be used to divert the interviewer away from a subject you may wish to avoid.
3. It can help build a rapport with the interviewer.
4. It demonstrates an interest in the job and the company.

The questions must be about the position and the company. Avoid questions about salary, benefits and facilities until after you have been offered the job.

You should already have researched the company and it's products and services. Your questions should demonstrate knowledge of the company's history, successes and problems. If the interviewer is a representative of the personnel department the questions should relate to the company and be general. Specific questions relating to the position should be kept for the line manager who will have a more detailed knowledge.

Example questions relating to the position

What are the main responsibilities of the job?
What are the most difficult aspects of the job?
How did the vacancy arise?
What is the career path relating to this position?
How will my work be assessed?

Example questions relating to the company

What is the company hoping to achieve in the next 12 months?
What new products are the company planning to introduce in the future?
Are any major changes planned for the department/company?
Who are your biggest competitors?

Where to find company information

Information relating to companies, financial data, industries and business trends is available in business magazines which often publish on the World Wide Web and allow you to order Annual Reports relating to specific companies.
Companies often have their own web site.
Newspapers – search on-line press reports including archived articles.
Local library.

Interview Tips - Presentation

Obviously you should be clean and smart in appearance but you should also dress appropriately for the position, for example: a student placement that is more expensively dressed than the Managing Director may have a negative impact.

Clothes should be on the conservative side, which is more acceptable to people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds. After all, you are asking to be accepted into the company. Therefore always avoid extremes in hair, clothes, make-up and jewellery. Taking trouble over your appearance shows the employer that the job is important to you.

Interview Tips - Travel

1. Arrive 15 minutes early.
2. Make sure you have the correct address and know how you will get there:

3. Parking? Public transport access?
4. Do a dummy run if you are not sure.
5 Make sure you have a mobile phone and a telephone number so that you can ring ahead if circumstances beyond your control are making you late.
6. Be polite to everyone you speak to, it could be the Managing Director's cousin! Have a copy of your CV with you.

Summary

1. You should show interest in all aspects of the job and the company especially if shown around the premises.
2. Do your homework on the company and the nature of its business.
3. Take care in how you dress for the interview. First impressions still count!

Some of the main influences on the interviewer are:

1. Your experience in other employment or life situations
2. Your personal presentation. How your personality comes across in the interview
3. Your background and references
4. Your enthusiasm for both the job and the organisation.
5. Relevant qualifications for the position.

Quotes on positive attitude...

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. ~Herm Albright, quoted in Reader's Digest, June 1995.

Attitudes are contagious. Are yours worth catching? ~Dennis and Wendy Mannering

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine. ~Anthony J. D'Angelo, The College Blue Book

If you don't get everything you want, think of the things you don't get that you don't want. ~Oscar Wilde

Life is a shipwreck but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats. ~Voltaire

I had the blues because I had no shoes until upon the street, I met a man who had no feet. ~Ancient Persian Saying

If you don't think every day is a good day, just try missing one. ~Cavett Robert

It's so hard when I have to, and so easy when I want to. ~Annie Gottlier

Oh, my friend, it's not what they take away from you that counts. It's what you do with what you have left. ~Hubert Humphrey

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. ~Winston Churchill

Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day. ~Author Unknown

The sun shines and warms and lights us and we have no curiosity to know why this is so; but we ask the reason of all evil, of pain, and hunger, and mosquitoes and silly people. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring. ~George Santayana

Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same. ~Francesca Reigler

If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it. ~Mary Engelbreit

So often time it happens, we all live our life in chains, and we never even know we have the key. ~The Eagles, "Already Gone"

The only people who find what they are looking for in life are the fault finders. ~Foster's Law

He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition will waste his life in fruitless efforts. ~Samuel Johnson

Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures. ~H. Jackson Brown, Jr., Life's Little Instruction Book

Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don't count on harvesting Golden Delicious. ~Bill Meyer

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. ~Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere's Fan, 1893

Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed. ~Attributed to both Jonathan Swift and Benjamin Franklin

To be upset over what you don't have is to waste what you do have. ~Ken S. Keyes, Jr., Handbook to Higher ConsciousnessDefeat is not bitter unless you swallow it. ~Joe Clark

The only disability in life is a bad attitude. ~Scott Hamilton

If you aren't fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm. ~Vince Lombardi

My riches consist not in the extent of my possessions, but in the fewness of my wants. ~J. Brotherton

There is nothing so easy but that it becomes difficult when you do it reluctantly. ~Publius Terentius Afer

A thought provoking story

Once a king called upon all of his wise men and asked them, " Is there a mantra or suggestion which works in every situation, in everycircumstances, in every place and in every time. In every joy, everysorrow, every defeat and every victory? One answer for all questions?Something which can help me when none of you is available to advise me? Tell me is there any mantra?"

All the wise men were puzzled by the King's question. They thoughtand thought. After a lengthy discussion, an old man suggested something which appealled to all of them. They went to the king and gave him something written on paper, with a condition that the king was not to see it out of curiosity. Only in extreme danger, when the King finds himself alone and there seems to be no way, only then he can see it.The King put the papers under his Diamond ring.

Some time later, the neighbors attacked the Kingdom. King and his armyfought bravely but lost the battle. The King had to flee on his horse.The enemies were following him, getting closer and closer. Suddenly the King found himself standing at the end of the road - that road was not going anywhere. Underneath there was a rocky valley thousand feetdeep. If he jumped into it, he would be finished...and he could no treturn because it was a small road...the sound of enemy's horses was approaching fast. The King became restless. There seemed to be no way.

Then suddenly he saw the Diamond in his ring shining in the sun, and he remembered the message hidden in the ring. He opened the diamondand read the message. The message was - " THIS TOO SHALL PASS"The King read it . Again read it. Suddenly something struck him-Yes ! This too will pass. Only a few days ago, I was enjoying my kingdom. I was the mightiest of all the Kings. Yet today, the Kingdom and all his pleasure have gone. I am here trying to escape from enemies. Like those days of luxuries have gone, this day of danger toowill pass. A calm came on his face. He kept standing there. The placewhere he was standing was full of natural beauty. He had never knownthat such a beautiful place was also a part of his Kingdom. The revelation of the message had a great effect on him. He relaxed and forgot about those following him. After a few minutes he realized that the noise of the horses and the enemy coming was receding. They moved into some other part of the mountains and were near him.

The King was very brave. He reorganized his army and fought again. He defeated the enemy and regained his empire. When he returned to hisempire after victory, he was received with much fanfare. The wholec apital was rejoicing in the victory. Everyone was in afestive mood. Flowers were being showered on King from every house, from everycorner. People were dancing and singing. For a moment King said to himself," I am one of the bravest and greatest King. It is not easy to defeat me. With all the reception and celebration he saw an ego emerging in him.

Suddenly the Diamond of his ring flashed in the sunlight and reminded him of the message. He open it and read it again: "THIS TOO SHALPASS". He became silent. His face went through a total change -from the egoist he moved to a state of utter humbleness.

If this too is going to pass, it is not yours. The defeat was not yours, the victory is not yours. You are just a watcher. Everything passes by. We are witnesses of all this. We are the perceivers. Life comes and goes. Happiness comes and goes. Sorrow comes and goes.

Now as you have read this story, just sit silently and evaluate yourown life. This too will pass. Think of the moments of joy and victoryin your life. Think of the moment of Sorrow and defeat. Are they permanent ? They all come and pass away. Life just passes away. There is nothing permanent in this world. Every thing changes except the lawof change. Think over it from your own perspective. You have seen allthe changes. You have survived all setbacks , all defeats and all sorrows. All have passed away.The problems in the present, they toowill pass away. Because nothing remains forever. Joy and sorrow are the two faces of the same coin. They both will pass away.You are just a witness of change.

Experience it, understand it, and enjoy the present moment -this too shall pass!

Excellent presentations on Communication Skills...

For those who would like to understand and improve their communication skills, we have a few excellent presentations provided as links(please click to download) below:

1. Link 1

2. Link 2

3. Link 3

4. Link 4

Keys to Managing Change Successfully and Avoiding the 9 Most Common Pitfalls !!

Dealing with change, great and small, is a fact of life in today’s companies. When change is handled well, the credibility of the company with everyone affected, as well as everyone who hears about it, is enhanced. But, when change is handled badly, the credibility and employee morale are significantly damaged resulting in negative consequences for the company and the people involved. The following are some keys to managing change and some pitfalls of which to be aware.

Four Keys to managing change successfully

1.Make sure you have identified every person or group with a vested interest in, or who will be impacted by the change, both inside and outside the company, then ensure that your strategy and action plans address these well.

2 Whenever possible, involve representatives of each affected group in planning or implementing the details of the change plan, before and after the change announcement as appropriate.

3.Tell the truth.

4.Do the right thing even if it’s inconvenient or difficult.

Nine Pitfalls to avoid in change situations

1.Underestimating the speed, strength and impact of the grapevine.

2.Underestimating the time and effort it will take to handle the change well.

3.Poor communication including: too little, too late, too soon before you have your act together, badly presented, leaving those with a vested interest out, not truthful, inaccurate, or insensitive.

4.Inadequate change plans that fail to account for all the proper elements.

5.Good plans that are badly or only partially implemented.

6.Disengaging the change process prematurely before every issue, person or group has been properly addressed.

7.Not involving the right people to get an accurate picture of what needs to be addressed and the best way to do it in the planning process before the change is announced or begun.

8.Failure to maintain confidentiality to prevent premature leaks about the issue.

9.Failing to debrief when all is concluded to be certain there are no loose ends and to determine what you have learned of use for next time

One way to get a good overview of any change situation is to use simple mapping techniques that can help you identify the elements to address in any given situation. One of the easiest and most versatile is “Mind Mapping" (also known as the tinker toy or molecular model). You begin with the change situation in a circle in the middle, lines out from that to new circles each of which contain someone or something significantly impacted by the change and then expand that second layer to a third layer.

Consider the last major change you had all or part of the responsibility for planning, managing or implementing (or several if you can). With that change in mind, now ask yourself the following questions and write down your answers. Then file them where you will think of them and can find them the next time you are responsible for planning, managing or implementing a change.

1.What went right? Why? Based on this, what have I learned that I can apply in a future change situation? Be as specific as you need to for this to make sense and be useful when you look at it next time, whether 6 days or 6 months from now.

2.What went wrong? Why? Based on this, what have I learned about what not to do that I can apply in a future change situation? Be as specific as you need to for this to make sense and be useful when you look at it next time, whether 6 days or 6 months from now.


By Marie Kane

Contributed by Lucy Doss