- Contrary to popular belief, it's a mistake to use exactly the same resume for every job you want to apply for. If you want your CV to stand out from the crowd, it must look to the employer as if you did your homework researching potential companies and that his was the one that got your attention. This is actually easier than it sounds. The trick is to familiarize yourself with what the company does and, specifically, the duties you would perform if hired. Pay close attention to the wording in the job specs so that you can seamlessly (and honestly) incorporate them into your employment history. If, for instance, your resume states that you were responsible for "maintaining patient files" and "ordering supplies," these activities lend themselves to a job announcement's call for someone with experience in "records management" and "vendor liaison." Employers tend to gravitate to things that look and sound familiar to them; many of them even forget that it's their own phrases they're warming to. Construct a template resume that allows you to tailor your work experience and future objectives sections to specific business entities and draw attention to the background and skill sets that will be of the most value to employers.
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Prospective employers are not so interested in hearing the details of every job you've held but, rather, the measurable results of your job performance like saving each company significant money and resources, streamlining operations and attracting new customers. Anything you can put in your CV that will translate to a dollar figure or a percentage is going to attract more favorable attention than a lovely, literary narrative of how you spent each work day. Instead of complete sentences, well-written CV's are a succession of concise fragments that, in total, present a stellar picture of who you are and what you're capable of accomplishing.
Example: Managed a staff of 45 full-time engineers. Reduced employee absenteeism by 30 percent. Trained and placed 120 ESL students in apprentice positions. Implemented new surveillance system that reduced theft by 15 percent.
Good places to start looking for action/power verbs for your CV are ResumeEdge.com and English-The-Easy-Way.com. - The first thing a prospective employer should see on your CV is your name, your full contact information and the position for which you're applying. If it's a position you found in the classifieds or on a job board, identify it exactly as it appears in the ad so that the person opening the mail will know which division to send it to. If it's not for a specific position, it's important to provide a one-line description of the type of work you're seeking. Examples: Bilingual Customer Relations Associate, School Nutritionist, Airline Mechanic. Type CVs single-spaced on one-side of a piece of 20-pound bond paper in white, cream, light gray or light blue and use an easy-to-read 12-point font such as Courier, Times New Roman or Bookman. Set margins at 1 inch on each side and neatly fit the CV content on no more than two pages. To make for easier reading, type the subheadings in capitals or underline them. Work experience (which will comprise the bulk of the CV) follows the contact information and desired position and is identified in reverse chronological order, starting with the current or most recent job first. Work experience includes the title, the name of the company and a brief summation of duties. Also, include sections to identify any special skills you have, rewards or commendations you have received, and memberships in prestigious organizations. Reference your education last, identifying your degree, course of study and university. Leave off any information that doesn't pertain to the job for which you're applying. Last but not least, never send a CV off without having an extra pair of eyes proofread it.
