1. Good evening and welcome to #careerswithJide 🤗 this is a series targeted at helping graduates and undergraduate understand, Skill up and navigate the Job market. Last time out we talked about the process of getting a job and today we would drill down on that.
2. Today we would be talking about the all mighty CV (curriculum vitae) and it’s important. After all your application for a job starts from writing a CV. So what exactly is this CV and why do I need to get it right when writing my CV.
#careerswithJide
#careerswithJide
3. A CV is basically is a documentation of your skills, experience, and qualifications. In my own terms basically your CV is an electronic/paper version of your professional side 📝 so it’s important it is branded well. #careerswithJide
4. A CV is different from a resume is that a CV is an in-depth document that can be about 2 pages long and contains high level of details of your achievements, awards, honors while resume is a concise document typically no longer than 1 page #careerswithJide
5. CVs tend to be arranged in a Chronological format and makes it easy for the recruiter to get an overview of an individuals full work career. Your CV is usually static and doesn’t change but your resume can be customized depending on the target audience #careerswithJide
6. Because your CV is a digital copy of you, it has the tendency to reach places you can’t reach as it’s just an email away. So your CV has to be the best representation of you because you never know who would see it. #careerswithJide
7. Before I talk about CV writing and Format, I would point out a few mistakes that you can make on your cv that would make a recruiter overlook your CV. Remember as a graduate you are applying for a job every graduate is applying for #careerswithJide
8.1 You need to have a clear list of essential skills /experiences that are a prerequisite for the role. Remember when we talked about skills acquisition, we talked about identifying the industry and roles you are interested in a build skills to help you succeed #careerswithJide
8.1. Recruiters usually France through to see the skills set the candidate possess before shortlisting so this is very important.
8.2 watch out for the mistake of writing you are interested in working in 1 sector while applying to another #careerswithJide
8.2 watch out for the mistake of writing you are interested in working in 1 sector while applying to another #careerswithJide
8.3 your presentation of your CV is very important. Like I said a CV is you in digital format. So a Scattered or poorly written CV is usually equated to someone who is scattered. + it doesn’t help the recruiter skim through your CV #careerswithJide
8.4 Employers are looking for people who have a clear focus on their job search. Someone who knows what sector thy want to start a career in. They are also looking for people with the relevant degree/ demonstrated skill set for a particular job #careerswithJide
8.5 Many large firms use algorithms to search and shortlist so mirroring the language in the advertisement this makes your CV get put forward for reviews. All jobs I have applied for I have been shortlisted and this is what I did #careerswithJide
8.5 make sure you use as much relevant words as possible as this looks great when they scan and see a match in all the qualities they are looking for. To know this look closely at the “Person specification” but if the advert. #careerswithJide
8.6 be different. Use LinkedIn not just to build contacts but to see what type of skills the people who have similar jobs you are applying for have. See what type of things they have done and achieved and mirror yours to theirs on your CV #careerswithJide
8.7 don’t start your CV with an Objective. Recruiters/hiring managers don’t like it as the focus on the needs of the job seeker rather than that of the employer. Objectives are honest but are irrelevant to the reader. Rather start with a “Positioning statement” #careerswithJide
8.8 focus on the results instead of the responsibility. Most people showcase their responsibilities on a role/ or volunteer experience rather than the achievements they have. Employers like achievers. Summarize your responsibility and detail your achievements #careerswithJide
9. Before sending your CV out, make sure it speaks articulately about you. You can’t explain inconsistencies, clear up confusions or fill in things that are missing. #careerswithJide
10. Your CV has to make your sales pitch in a clear and compelling manner within 20-30 seconds so invest the time to make it exceptional. If you don’t know how to do this ask for help or read up about it as doing this increase your chance of a response #careerswithJide
11. So now you know what you need to know about your CV. Next week we would talk about formats and structure of your CV. And at the end of the month, we would be inviting a guest participant on #careerswithJide . Don’t forget to RT and tag someone you know who needs it
