HOW TO WRITE AN EFFECTIVE RESUME (CV)

1.Preparation tasks :

Before you write a resume, take time to do self-assessment on paper. Outline your capabilities, skills, work experience, and extracurricular activities. This will make it easier to prepare for a thorough resume.

2. The content of your resume :

• Contact (Name, address, telephone, email address, website address) :
  • Avoid nickname.
  • Use permanent address and telephone number. Use your parents’ address, an address of a relative or a friend who is willing to deliver messages.
  • Include both your current and permanent addresses, telephone numbers if you are living in a dormitory, or a guest house and plan to move after graduation.
  • Add your e-mail address. Many employers find it useful.
  • Include your website address (only if it reflects your professional ambitions.)
• Career Objective :An objective tells employers the sort of work you hope to do.
  • Be specific about the job you want.
    E.g.: A position of a secretary requiring good communication skills in business the ability to create business documentation.
  • Avoid philosophies, vague statement
    E.g.: Broaden my knowledge in office administration
• Education
  • New graduates without a lot of work experience should list their education information first. Alumni can list it after the work experience section.
  • Include your school, department, major, degree (B.S., B.A., …)
  • Add your grade point average.
  • Mention academic honors.
• Work experience
  • Include your company, job title, dates of employment, location of work.
  • Briefly describe your work responsibilities, emphasis on specific skills and achievements.
• Other information
  • Your certificates in English, computing related to your work.
  • Key or important skills and competence.
  • Leadership skills in volunteer organizations.
  • Participation in sports (Many employers highly appreciate candidates who good both sports and education)

3. Resume checkup:

• Content:
  Run a spell check on your computer. Have your friend or someone who is good at English check for grammar mistakes and style.
• Design:
  • Use A4 paper
  • Write within one side of the paper, use one typeface, and a font size from 10 to 14.
  • Avoid folding your resume. If you must mail it, put in a large envelope.

FOUR KINDS OF CURRICULUM VITAE

There are four kinds of CVs:

• Chronological CV
• Functional CV
• Achievement CV
• CV Alternative

Chronological CV :

• This is the most common-used CV.
• In the experience section, include the name of organizations, job titles, dates of employment, locations of work, and especially your work responsibilities.

This CV is most suitable for you when you have a lot of work experience in big enterprises.

Functional CV :

In this kind of CV, the experience section is divided into two parts :

• Work responsibilities
• - Name of organization, job title, date of employment, location of work

Your work responsibilities are presented in terms of functions (management, training, administration, …)

This CV is most suitable for you when you are in charge of duties concerning various fields of work.

Achievement CV :

In an achievement CV, there are two important parts :

• Capabilities (your skills and competence)
• Achievement (this part is not quite similar to the experience section, you can also include the specific skills and achievements gained in your part-time, temporary jobs, through your activities in an internship, a volunteer organization.

If you are new graduates without a lot of work experience or you do have experience working in small enterprises, this CV is most suitable for you.

CV Alternative :

You can use this kind of CV as an alternative for a cover letter by adding the opening and closing sections of a cover letter. The content of the cover letter will be the summary of accomplishments in this CV.