HOW TO MAKE AN EEFICIENT CV

WRITTEN BY
JAKARIA AHMAD
EEE, BSc ENGG.
ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
BOARDBAZAR,GAZIPUR
DHAKA
BANGLADESH.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
E-MAIL: Jaktan27@yahoo.com
THE FIVE S TAGE PR OCE SS

1. IDENTIFYING YOUR CLIENT'S NEEDS

2. KNOWING WHAT YOU HAVE TO OFFER
3. MAKING THE CONNECTION
4. TURNING PLANS INTO ACTION
5. REVIEW AND IMPROVEMENT

Cr ea ting a winning CV

The chief way to sell yourself on paper is your CV. However there is no
such thing as a perfect CV. Its chances of success or failure depend entirely on how
far it meets the criteria, background and bias of the person reading it. When producing
a CV, many people:
• Fail to identify what the client (i.e. the employer) is looking for.
• Undersell and underestimate what they have to offer.
• Fail to provide the right evidence to support the skills and competencies.
• See rejection as negative and fail to ask for constructive feedback.

We have all made some of these mistakes in producing a CV but the CV in itself
is not the only solution, it is a means to an end. There are a number of steps you can
take to help you create that winning CV:

# Step 1 – Identify your client’s needs

Considering your employer as a client ensures that you take a good look at
the production of your CV from their perspective. The following guidelines show the
practical steps that will ensure you are well prepared. Remember the more you put in,
the more you get out.

READ THINK ACT

# The job advert and specification thoroughly so that you know exactly what it is they
are looking for.
# Read any company literature or publicity material associated with the role.
# Refer to the website of the original job advertisement
# Read your current CV. Are you happy with it? Does it fully reflect you as a person
and the skills you have to offer?
# Read any professional journals, newspapers or current articles related to your field
and the position you are going for
# Read a good book on how to write and design a CV (sometimes a completely different
perspective can provide food for thought)
# Ask yourself ‘How employable am I?’
# Think about the range of skills and competencies that are required – then consider
how you can tailor your experience and skills to meet those requirements
# Think about the type of language that is used in the literature. What does it tell you
about the company/type of person they are looking for?
# Think about ways in which it can be improved. Think about your current skills
portfolio – are there ways to increase your chances of success?
– consider what employers are looking for within that field
– are there any new qualifications/standards?
– is it within a growth market?
– are there any new developments which would require different skills and attributes?
# Think about the examples used within the book. Use it for ideas on:
– Layout
– Design
– Content
– Style
# Think about the range of skills and the evidence you have to support them. Just how
employable are you?
# Write a clear list of your skills, qualities and experience that are essential for the
position
– Can you back them up with evidence?
– create a skills portfolio
# Refer to your skills portfolio – is the language the same? Is it positive and active?
Do you need to update the way in which you describe yourself and your
experiences/skills?
# Perform a thorough review of your current CV against your skills and those required
by the position. Also, seek feedback on your current CV from colleagues, specialists and
career experts.
# Again refer back to your current CV with this in mind. Also, try to identify anyone
who works in a similar role /organization and contact them to discuss the job
opportunity (plan what you need to know before contacting them)
# Ask other people for copies of their current CV. The more examples you have the
better.
However remember this is going to be your personal CV – make sure it is a
reflection of you. Remember also that you can learn form examples of ‘how not to do it’
as well (see examples of CVs in this document)
Start to prioritize these skills. Identify what categories they fall into. Are there
any gaps that you need to work on?
As you can see there is plenty of preparation work to do in this step – even
before starting your CV. However, the time you spend now will increase your chances of
success later. You will soon see the benefits and this will help to make you stand out
from other candidates.
Speaking to someone in a similar role or organization gives invaluable advantages. It
provides-
• Unique information on what exactly is required
• Evidence that you are proactive and motivated by finding out more
• A more personalized, customized approach to your covering letter
Remember, working hard on this step will reap rewards not only with your job search
but also in preparation for the interview.

Step 2 – Knowing what you have to offer

Knowing what you have to offer and selling this on paper is a crucial step in
producing your CV. In step 1 you researched further and identified what your
client/employer was looking for. Now you can start to identify what you have to offer
by assessing your skills and qualities.
Skills that employers are looking for can be categorized into four areas:
1. Specialist skills
2. General business skills
3. Self-reliance skills
4. People skills
# Company-specific skills
Specialist knowledge, e.g. product or market knowledge;
Specialist skills, e.g. IT packages;
Unique language skills, e.g. Chinese;
Specialist interpersonal skills, e.g. public speaker
Technical skills
Professional, sector-based or functional skills, e.g. journalism, research,
aerospace engineering, tax accounting, counseling, creative design, economist, personnel,
sales, marketing.
Understanding commercial goals of company
Specialist understanding of an organization’s goals, priorities and future
direction (combination of self-reliance, business acumen and people skills)
# GENERAL BUSINESS
Problem solving:
Achiever, successful, results-orientated, project management, creative, practical,
logical, astute, agile mind
IT/computer literacy:
IT skills, software packages, common sense, task orientated, progressive, specific,
office skills, keyboard skills

Flexibility:
Multi-disciplinary, flexible, versatile, multi-skilled, willing, obliging, mobile, adaptable

Numeric skills:
Accurate, logical, problem-solver, detailed, methodical, consistent, quick thinker,
analytical, thorough

Business acumen
Competitive, entrepreneurial, enterprising, commercial, foresight, budgeter, risk-taker,
effective written communication

Commitment:
Dedicated, trustworthy, conscientious, reliable, loyal, punctual, knowledgeable,
experienced.

SELF-RELIANCE:
Self-awareness/ confidence,Purposeful, focused, reflective, perceptive, honest, self-
belief, objective, realistic, balanced

Self-promotion skills:
Positive, persuasive, pleasant, proactive, persistent, ambitious, opportunistic, promoter
Initiative and proactivity, resourceful, energetic, drive, flexible, self-starter, self-
reliant, initiative, self-disciplined

Networking skills:
Initiator, trustful, personable, relationship builder, persistent developer, resourceful,
adaptable

Willing to learn:
Motivated, adaptable, enthusiastic, active, keen learner, inquisitive, continual improver

Action planning
Decision maker, planner, organized, negotiator, responsive, evaluator, forward thinker,
target-driven, able to prioritize
# PEOPLE

Team working:
Supportive, facilitator, organized, co-ordination, deliverer, imaginative, delegation,
open-minded

Leadership:
Dynamic, motivator, team-builder, confidence booster, energetic, capable, outward-
looking, accountable, visionary

Interpersonal skills
Listener, adviser, counselor, politically aware, initiator, professional, co-operative,
constructive, assertive

Customer orientation:
Welcoming, friendly, caring, approachable, constructive, accommodating, tactful,
diplomatic, tolerant

Oral communication
Educator, trainer, communicator, presenter, promoter, influencer, humorous,
empathetic, telephone skills

Foreign language
Specific language skills, cultural awareness, international experience, written and oral
expertise, sensitivity

Skills portfolio:
• Mapping out all your skills. List the positive experiences and achievements in your
career to date (this will boost your confidence and help to create a broader range of
positive examples).
• Consider activities beyond your normal work, e.g. voluntary work, community work,
part-time work etc. What skills are you developing here?
• Put yourself in the shoes of three people in turn – friends, family, tutors or people
you have worked with. What would their views of your skills and qualities be? Take it
one step further and ask those people direct – make sure they are honest and
constructive!
• Grow and revise your list again. At this stage you also need to challenge your range
of skills:
– Do you have the right balance of people, self-reliance, general and specialist
skills to stay employable?
– Are they at the right level for the position you are in, or the position you would
like to have?
 Get feedback on your list so far to make sure you are not underselling yourself –
remember this is an important stage so get as much help as you can.

Examples of key skills and achievements:

Computer literacy:
-Working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Access and Excel).
-Extensive experience of PowerPoint.
-Confident in the application of the internet for research purposes and a proficient user
of e-mail.

Organizational ability:
-Co-ordinating the office merger of two large geographical areas.
-Organising conferences for office managers and senior professionals.
-Planned and controlled a major information gathering exercise for all domestic and
commercial properties.
-Wide experience of prioritizing workloads to meet legally enforceable deadlines.

Data management:
-Co-ordinating written and statistical data into report format whilst scrutinising for
ambiguities and inconsistencies. This required both analytical and numeracy skills, which
have been further developed through current higher education study.

Communication:
-Written communication is excellent as proved by my degree course work. An assertive
approach has been developed from an advisory role as an information co-ordinator and
has been enhanced by participation in group exercises.
-Extensive aptitude in listening skills gained from voluntary counselling work.

Problem solving:
- Wide experience in dealing with complaints from the general public.
-A strong aptitude for using initiative especially in areas of time management to meet
deadlines.
-Re-designed a nationally used statistical form after detecting an imbalance in the
generated information.

# Step 3 – Making the connection

Tailoring your skills:

Your CV always needs to reflect what the prospective client is looking for
(Step 1). You have already prepared for producing your CV by identifying your key skills
(Step 2). Now you must take a completely fresh look at yourself – as if through the
eyes of your prospective employer. This is the point where you move from an individual
approach to a client-centered approach. We’ve all made statements on our CV without
really considering what they mean to the client – the employer. Ask yourself:
• What are the features that really make me stand out?
• How am I going to present the evidence to really back up those statements?
• What are the benefits to the client?
You need to make the connection – refer what you have to what they want.
Provide clear evidence of these features with examples of how you have shown your
proficiency.

Taking a client-centred approach:

-What makes you employable (features)?

-What are the benefits to the client?
-Experienced with working with a variety of people?
This will indicate how you interact with colleagues and with clients. It will
also give an initial indication of your proficiency in communicating and achieving a
cultural fit in the organisation.

Good interpersonal skills:

Knowing how you will interact with others and react in different situations is
crucial for an organisation particularly when they are sifting in the recruitment process.

Ability to use own initiative:

Knowing that you can work independently and use your initiative in different
circumstances displays certain strength of character necessary in most jobs in today’s
environment

Proactive in approach:
Seeking out new ways of doing things, challenging the norm, creating
opportunities for improving yourself or how the organisation works can help you to stand
out from the crowd and add value to your job.

Good team player:

Indications of how you will fit into the team at this stage are important –
providing clear evidence of this on your CV is essential. Display evidence of how your
team skills will complement their existing team/department.

Experienced in negotiating:
This displays a range of competencies – communication, assertive approach and
an awareness of other people’s needs. All of which are essential skills.
Excellent time management skills:
Time management skill ensures a knowledge and understanding of workloads,
getting projects finished on time, meeting deadlines, setting objectives and prioritising.

Ability to plan and organize:

Being able to plan and organise yourself and others is a key skill needed by
employers. Make sure you back it up with evidence – a clear demonstration of examples
where you have had to plan and organise and then brought it to a successful conclusion.

Step 4 – Turning plans into action

Producing a winning CV
You are now at the stage where you can begin to put all of the information from Steps
1 – 3 on paper. Step 4 provides an opportunity to consider case study examples. Some
of these offer examples of good technique while others include examples of poor layout,
design and content. These examples can be used as a guideline for compiling your CV
but are in no way exhaustive – they provide suggestions only.

Example of a poor CV:

Date of Birth: 6th October 1968

Place of Birth: Warrington
Nationality: British
Summary of Qualifications
1980 – 1985- Prescot Comprehensive School, Prescot
•GCSE English Literature
•GCSE English Language
•GCSE Maths
•GCSE Geography
•GCSE German
•GCSE French
•GCSE Biology
•GCSE Art
1985 – 1987
•BTEC Retail Fashion and Design
1995 – 1998- University of Liverpool, Liverpool.
•BSc (Hons) Psychology
Hobbies:Theatre/Ballet, Cinema, Eating Out, Travelling, Swimming, Reading,
Photography.
Marital Status:Single
 So, what you’ve to do is:
-No personal or career profile, therefore no statement of skills and qualities
to make an impact right from the start
-No need to list qualifications – it takes up space and doesn’t list level of
achievements
-No demonstration of key skills or evidence to support your application

Example of a good CV
-Profile includes many action words and uses language also used in job advert
-Professional experience contains key job roles with key skills undertaken in these roles
–Bullet-pointed to save space.
-Employers are in bold with dates included

It may be like that:

Educational Qualification:
-University of Teesside, Middlesbrough
BA (Hons) Public Administration and Management – Upper Second Class
-Majored in Marketing, NHS Management,
1988 – 1989
-Wirral Metropolitan College, Wirral
A Levels – Three subjects – English Literature, Politics, General Studies
1982 – 1988
-Plessington High School, Wirral
GCSE – Six subjects – including English and Mathematics
CSE – Four subjects
INTERESTS AND ACTIVITIES
-Keen interest in photography and film-making.
-Member of local gymnasium.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Date of birth: 18 November 1969
REFERENCES
JANE HUGHES, 228 RINGWOOD PRENTON CH43 2LY
TELEPHONE 01234567890

Summary of education –
Focus on professional examinations. Putting the theory into practice – this structure
could be used to create your own winning CV. Remember – this is just suggested as one
example.
Name - big and bold
Address on one line including postcode
Tel: e-mail: if relevant DOB:
CAREER PROFILE/PERSONAL PROFILE
A brief, businesslike description of you, e.g. main areas of experience, relevant key
skills and personal characteristics followed by the area of work you are interested in –
tailored to the employer.
KEY SKILLS
This documents your main skills relevant to the job you are interested in, e.g.:
• Excellent presentational skills gained by 10 years in a sales and marketing role
• Interviewing skills – have recruited over 50 new staff during the last two years
• IT literate – proficient in Microsoft Office packages
It can either be a list of key skills or under each of the job roles you have held.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
Dates
Job title
company
Brief description of what you did, e.g. the main duties of the role, or bullet point any
specific skills developed or achievements gained that have not been mentioned in the key
skills section. List jobs in reverse chronological order, give more space to the most
recent job. BE RUTHLESS – briefly state the last two or three jobs. Any jobs before
this or jobs without relevance to the one which you are currently applying for could be
merged together.
Your work experience could take up a major part of your CV. However, this will depend
on how much work you have had and its relevance to the position you are attempting to
gain – you may need to prioritize.

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:
Membership of professional bodies and any qualifications obtained
Dates
Expand on modules that are relevant

EDUCATION & QUALIFICATIONS

Dates
University/College attended
Degree/HND course
(Class/grade)
Dates
A Levels/BTEC grades achieved (if lower than D, leave off)
GCSEs, e.g. 9 grade C and above inc. Maths and English

INTERESTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS/RESPONSIBILITIES

This section is important as it shows that you may have developed other skills/qualities
from things such as:
• Sport/team activities.
• Membership of charity/interest group and related responsibilities
• Member of welfare group/scouting or voluntary work – what do you do and how has it
helped you to develop, what responsibilities have you held?
• Social activities – Organising events at University etc.
• Travel – where have you been and what skills did you develop?
• Artistic activities – do you create anything in your spare time?

REFERENCES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST:

– This allows you to decide who you want to contact for specific jobs so they can tailor
your reference.
Profiles
A profile is designed to provide the reader with concise information about why you are
suitable for this particular position. It gives them a quick snapshot of you at the start.
There are a number of different profiles you may decide to use:
-Personal profile
This is a brief businesslike description of you and your personal qualities,
experience skills and strengths, e.g. ‘Bilingual postgraduate, who is hardworking, self-
motivated and responsible with an outgoing personality. Enjoys meeting new challenges
and seeing them through to completion whilst remaining calm and good-humoured under
pressure.’
-Career profile
You may want to focus your attention on your career so far rather than
looking too much at your personal characteristics, e.g., ‘A trained sales professional
with experience in sales management, specifically business-to-business negotiations.
I have a proven track record in business systems, office supplies and business
mechanics.’
-Career objective
This focuses on what you are looking for, and can be used on its own or combined with a
personal profile, e.g. ‘An engineering graduate with a keen interest in computers,
seeking to utilize IT skills within a scientific or industrial field, where a background in
problem-solving is essential.’

Hints and tips

PROFILE COULD INCLUDE:

• What you do/have done (degree or job)
• Key strengths
• Background experience in…..
• What are you aiming for – how would you like to use your skills?
Use of language
The use of language can affect a CV considerably. Use positive/action words to make a
favorable impression on the potential employer. Such as:
-Achieved
-Administered
-Analyzed
-Built
-Capable
-Competent
-Consistent
-Controlled
-Co-ordinate
-Created
-Designed
-Developed
-Directed
-Economical
-Efficient
-Engineered
-Established
-Expanded
-Experienced
-Guided
-Implemented
-Improved
-Initiated
-Led
-Managed
-Monitored
-Organized
-Participated
-Positive
-Processed
-Productive
-Proficient
-Profitable
-Qualified
-Repaired
-Resourceful
-Sold
-Specialized
-Stable
-Successful
-Supervised
-Trained
-Versatile
-Wide background

Covering letters
Covering letters are often underestimated as a key selling tool when applying for
a job. They are, however, just as important as your CV and provide a further
opportunity for you to sell yourself and reinforce your evidence by creating a favourable
impression.
Guidelines for covering letters:
• Only use A4 paper – anything else looks unprofessional
• Use the form of address stated in the advert, e.g. Miss/Mrs. If the advert asks you
to reply to (suppose)”X” , start your letter ‘Dear X’ and address the envelope ‘X’. If
you don’t know the status of a woman, then you can use ‘Ms’. If the advert asks you to
reply to Mrs or Miss X, do not address her as Ms.
• Always type/word process a covering letter unless specifically asked for hand-written
• Type or write on one side only – business letters never use the reverse of page
• If you must handwrite, then make certain that your writing is legible and in straight
lines
• Beg or borrow some thick, good quality paper. Paper weight should be 90 – 100 gm.
• Pick out of the job advertisement any key requirements and give evidence in your
letter as to how you have obtained these
• Mention two or three transferable skills that you have, say why they will benefit the
employer and how you developed them
• Tell the employer what contribution you can make to the team/role/department/
company
• Sound positive – you should aim to get the employer interested enough to want to
meet you
• Keep the letter to one side of A4 only
• You can repeat information which is in your CV – it serves to emphasize your point but
keep it concise
• Consider cross-referencing your letter to relevant detail in your CV
• Give some thought to the spacing of your letter – how it looks. Do not leave large
areas of white space or squeeze up the last few lines
• Use business-sized envelopes in white or a colour to match your paper
• The correct way to write an address on an envelope is to start halfway down and one
third of the way across
• Use first-class mail
 Address it to the correct person. If you have contacted that person directly, start
with a personal approach – further to our recent telephone conversation or fax or
something else.
Ensure that you use your covering letter as a further opportunity to support your CV.
Display background research (remember preparation in Stage 1).
Show interest in the position.
– use active lively language.
Make it as tailored as you can – demonstrate your keenness to gain employment
Use a professional business layout.
DON’T start the letter with Dear Sir/Madam if you have been asked to address it to a
named person
DON’T address it to the wrong person, wrong title or wrong department
DON’T just put a single line ‘please find enclosed my CV’ .
DON’T Simply fire it off without any focus
DON’T Send it off with any spelling or grammar mistakes – remember this may be the
first thing they see.
DON’T Underestimate the impact a good covering letter will have

Example of a covering letter

Contact address
Date
Dear
With reference to your advert for a Training and Development Co-ordinator, I would
like to confirm my interest in the position and have enclosed my CV for your perusal.
After reading your advert, visiting your website and carrying out research on your
organization, I believe that there are a number of areas in which my skills and
experience may be of benefit to you. Achievements of particular relevance include:
• Designing a training needs analysis to be used in a local Merseyside company (180
staff). Focus groups involvement will be incorporated before the final report is created
• Currently managing a pilot project run jointly with MTEC, which is focused on putting
graduates into IiP-related placements. This involves working with companies, IiP
advisers and graduates
• Responsible for driving my company forward in order to achieve IiP accreditation
• Carrying out company visits and delivering presentations to clients on the products and
services that the unit has to offer. This aspect of my role is currently increasing
• Interviewing every candidate that joins the recruitment service and dealing with
companies to match their requirements. I am responsible for the whole recruitment
process from following up the initial lead, matching CVs, organising interviews to giving
feedback to candidates. All of my experience within my present organisation has
required great flexibility as I am working on a number of projects at any one time. I
have developed excellent communication skills and the ability to motivate and encourage
people, especially when working with unemployed individuals through this experience.
I would be happy to discuss the Training and Development Co-ordinator position further
and look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely
Sally Pearson
Training & Development Officer,Enc.

# Stage Five – Review and improvement - Gaining feedback

By Step 5 you should now have an updated CV – however, the hard work
doesn’t stop here. Remember that your CV is a working resource to be used as part of
the career management process. It does not remain static so you may also want to
revisit some of the different stages and continue to improve your CV as time goes on.
For example you may want to seek feedback from colleagues, friends etc on how your
CV looks now – has it improved, is it different and in what ways?
Remember, your CV is a means to an end……..not the end itself.

Final checklist – before you send out your CV

• How does it look – is it well presented and clearly laid out?
• Is it tailored to each and every job – have you referenced it to the original advert
and person/job specification?

Steps 1 + 3
• Are your skills and competencies set out and evidenced?
• Is it on good quality paper without spelling or grammatical mistakes?
• Do your unique selling points stand out? Ensure they are not lost in detail.
• Is it prioritized to bring the most relevant information to the front?
• Have you used action words to strengthen your skills?
• Does your covering letter complement your CV?
• Have you acted on feedback?
• Remember to keep your CV up to date to boost your chances of success

There you go now. If you do the things I mentioned here, I guarantee you
the best CV. Now-a-days, people don’t follow the rules or any format to write a CV.
that’s why ,most CVs are not liked by the companies or other institutions. But the
processes written here are the most effective ones I’ve ever seen. So, that’s all for
“How To Make An Efficient CV” .