Effective Career Guidance - Career Guide

the ad and notice the employer’s subtle requests. What personal qualities is the company
looking for? What skills are identified as essential? What factual information has been re-
quested? Identify the employer’s requirements, not yours. Does your CV answer the how,
what, where and when questions?
Waffling too much. How long is your CV? The ideal length is two to three pages and one
page for the covering letter. If you have just left college you will have less to say, but don’t
pad your CV out with waffle. One page of useful information is undoubtedly worth far more
than two pages of irrelevant facts.
Putting information in the wrong order. Your introduction is one of the most important parts
of the CV. So many job hunters hide their personal details at the end of the CV and others
often omit details like age, marital status and contact details. The sell is vital in terms of CV
writing but most candidates choose to bombard the reader with personal profile sections,
career history and education. Candidates forget to mention what they have for sale. Hence
the most important part of the sell is the capability section. What have you put up for sale
on your CV? Have you clearly identified your level of expertise and competence? Have you
done everything you can to convince and reassure your reader that an investment in your
skills is a good choice?
Droning on at length about your education. How long is your education section? Are you in
doubt about your skills and expertise so you have listed out every qualification you have ever
gained? Have you gone down to minute details such as your driving licence and your piano
examinations? Qualifications are vital because they convince the reader of your credentials
but you have to remember that employers are looking as well for candidates who possess
commercial awareness. So keep this section to the factual details and demonstrate your
commercial value in the skills and capability section. Don’t bother with GCSE grades unless
they are your highest qualification or you are applying for your first job. Otherwise just give
the qualification gained (the number of GCSEs), the educational establishment and then the
date. The emphasis is always on what you have achieved and not on the date.
Too much detail about hobbies. Hobbies don’t need to go on your CV. Why would your
employer be interested in your scuba-diving skills anyway? Leave the hobbies section off
the CV but make sure that your CV has a personality. You can still get over your personality
type, what your personal strengths are and how you mix without mentioning that you go to
Church every Sunday. Make your personal message subtle and effective. Don’t worry the
reader with the impression that you will have to take some days off work occasionally to
recover from a personal injuries incurred through your weekend sporting activities!
Not including a covering letter. Asking for what you want is tough no matter what it is but
when there is a job at stake it can feel even tougher. Gift-wrap your CV by including an
effective covering letter. Ask for the job by highlighting your skills and areas of expertise.