CV Prep Tips
CV Layout
Personal Details
Full Name
Address
Telephone numbers
Car owner/driver
Languages
Qualifications
School... Qualifications....Dates...
College... Qualifications....Dates...
University... Qualifications....Dates...
Professional... Qualifications....Dates...
(If study, dates and papers of next exams to sit).
Other Courses Name and Dates
(could be in-house courses of any duration, include systems/PC courses too)
Systems Skills
(Optional but useful to list software used - often an employer is looking for a specific package)
Resume
A sentence to explain your past, a few more to say where you are now and a few more to say where you are going and what skills you have to offer.
If room and if possible it would be better to do so start your employment details here, starting with your most current position Name of Company Type of Company and Size e.g. manufacturer t/o £lOm or Customer Service Centre 5000 employees Dates including months Position Salary (don't list all benefits just put +benefits or car +benefits if applicable) Report to (title not name of person) Day to Day responsibilities, Systems used and Achievements.
Responsibility Examples
Wages preparation 50 weekly, 100 monthly, SSP, SMP, pensions, manual starters/leavers
Word processing letters, memos, accounts, confidential documents
Support to customers receiving approximately 100 calls a day, answering queries, relating to xxx, passing on more in depth calls to supervisor
Legal administration preparing all court documentation relating to claims requiring dispute resolution binding and circulating. Accuracy of information is paramount
Advising clients re the status of their business visiting clients, preparing SWOT analysis, interviewing staff, producing full balance sheet and cashflow forecast prior to producing full business plans with deadlines and measurable targets.
Evaluating systems troubleshooting ailing or old systems, preparing reports for implementation of new systems with narrative on costs and benefits
Design of company brochures exchanging ideas with clients, prototyping proposed designs, suggesting fonts, materials, size and impact on their clients
Use of French language liaising with customers in the key European companies advising on product lines, dispatch days, resolving queries and interpreting key commercial documents
Achievement Examples
- Successfully implemented new xlog system for whole company. Project time of six months. In addition trained all 30 users
- Successfully reduced debtor days from 120 to 75 within two months of joining
- Successfully catalogued partners 12 month case studies within three months of assuming this newly appointed role
- Successfully persuaded my boss to delegate tasks rather than endeavour to do all himself e.g. emails, draft contracts, etc.
- Successfully turned £20m t/o company from being forced to close following bank pressure by successfully negotiating new finance package over three year period
Systems Examples
- Excel reporting usage
- Unix based bespoke systems and all Microsoft office based products including Access, Excel, Word and PowerPoint
Finally, the look and feel of your CV
- Not too small a print
- Not squashed
- Not on any coloured paper except professional white (not cheap paper) Not a photocopy Not bound or put in a folder just a plain and simple CV
- Never use etc. anywhere!
- Use bold effectively and consistently but not too much
Tell the truth remember if you secure a job on false information you will soon be found out and ousted!
Always keep a copy somewhere then when you have to inevitably update it or apply for a public or voluntary office you have something to add to ... unfortunately school days and school results soon fade in the memory!
