Write a winning CV

Media release 30 September 2008

Write a winning CV

Writing a winning CV doesn’t just happen, it takes thought and effort.

Now specialist recruiter Robert Half has released a podcast with winning tips for great CVs aimed not just at new entrants to the job market, but also more senior candidates who need to refresh their resumes.

Sarah Kennedy, division manager of Robert Half in Sydney says one of the biggest mistakes candidates can make is to send out a standard CV that has not been customised for the particular role they are applying for.

“You really want to stand out from the rest of the crowd and show that you have done a little bit of background into the role that you are applying for,” she says. A non-targeted CV, on the other hand, “sounds like a resume you have read 100 times”.

“I see a lot of resumes that are the same and I think you can see that they [candidates] haven’t put a lot of effort in.”

Applicants can target their CVs by ensuring the skills and achievements they list are directly relevant to the role they are applying for, says Kennedy.

Including too much personal information is another mistake many candidates make, Kennedy says. Information such as photographs, age, race and marital status have no place on a CV, as they can offer a chance to discriminate against the candidate.

“A photo is first and foremost a discriminative thing,” she says. “It really isn’t necessary; it’s not a dating agency.”

Even senior candidates need to pay more attention to their CVs and ensure they accurately list their skills and achievements in a way that will make them stand out from the crowd.

“Often we see senior candidates who don’t pay a lot of attention to their resume … because they might think that their reputation precedes them,” Kennedy says. “But that’s not necessarily the case.”

The podcast also offers advice on how long a CV should be, what format it should take and how to decide what achievements are relevant depending on how senior you are.
To download the podcast on writing a winning CV, go to www.roberthalf.co.nz and click on “Podcast series”.

Ends

© Scoop Media