Resume Mistakes - How Many Have You Made?

It has been well established that your resume is the single most important document when applying for positions. This document will initially represent yourself to a potential employer and can impact on your potential for interview and employment. Getting your resume right can make a significant difference in your success in this process.

1. Presentation: A number of common errors are made when presenting your resume to an employer. These generally relate to an overly complicated resume or a resume that lacks any structure at all. The important components to presenting a resume include a clear statement of name, address and contact details, subject headings, bullet points for duties / skills and minimal formatting. As a general rule you will be employed based on the content presented. However if your presentation prevents this content from being easily read or understood this will be a problem.

2. Irrelevant Information: The information you present to an employer must be relevant, clear and concise. An employer is interested in your capability to complete the work required. In general an employer is not interested in what you do in your spare time or your personal interests unless it relates to the position. The duty statements provided as part of your employment history should be short, concise and relevant to the position. Too much detail can add unnecessary length to your resume while oversimplifying descriptions will not provide sufficient information on your experience.

3. Length: The exact length of a resume is often a vigorously discussed and debated topic. Each employer, recruiter or human resource officer will have an individual opinion on how long your resume should be. You need to be satisfied that the information presented to an employer accurately reflects your capabilities, skills and experience. On the majority of occasions a one page resume will not provide sufficient information for the employer to make a decision on your capability. Alternatively providing 10 pages with extensive lists of duties and skills will often result in boredom on the part of an employer. It is important that you find a balance between providing enough information that informs employers yet prevents excessive content.

4. Personal Information: There is some debate on the inclusion of personal information. Individual locations and countries have specific laws and legislation that prevent discrimination based on factors such as age, marital status, gender, disability, culture or other similar attributes. However some schools of thought indicate that indicating your marital status and length of time in a particular community can demonstrate stability. An employer should be focused on your capability to complete a specific task required of the position. Employment under these conditions is called merit-based assessment. On the majority of occasions including personal information of this nature is irrelevant and unnecessary.

The document you present to an employer should be professional, clear, concise and relevant. This information is required to make an assessment of your capability to meet the requirements of this position. Your ability to present this information in a format and manner that is attractive to employers and is easy to understand will increase your capacity for success.

John Matthews from The Writing Wizards has assisted more than 10,000 clients seeking employment for over 10 years. This has been through preparing professional resumes, Government applications and interview coaching across all industries.

Maximise your chances of success and engage a professional. Visit our website and find a full range of services, information, tips and free downloads: The Writing Wizards page http://www.writingwizards.com.au/

View the original article here

Common CV Writing Mistakes To Stay Away From

Everyone has to look for a job once in a while. You know the grind, polish up your resume, have a look what's out there, compose resume cover letters, and mail your Curriculum vitae out to all jobs which look possible, wishing you will get an interview. It's so monotonous, with so few replies, that it's hard to stay motivated to carry out a good job on attempting to find a job.

You have to keep in mind that your curriculum vitae is really an ad. The product your resume is advertising is you, or rather the skills you offer to a company. Its only function is to get you interviews, not to land you the job. With that in mind, let's look at a few of the most common mistakes:

• Applying with a one fits all curriculum vitae - Most job seekers write one Curriculum vitae and send it out with every application. Seeing that not every job is the same, the resume should not always be the same. Go ahead and create your generic Curriculum vitae, but do not send it out. You're better off modifying that curriculum vitae to focus on the requirements of the company you are making an application for.

• Making your resume too long - The typical resume seems like the applicant is trying to make an impression on the hiring business with volume. The majority of companies read only the first page of a Curriculum vitae, so if you haven't caught their interest by then, you've lost this game. It is essential that you strike a balance between importance and volume.

• Concentrating on your own objectives - Objective statements which point out your own expectations from the job won't impress anyone. Don't forget, you are promoting yourself. Tell that future employer what benefit there is for him in employing you.

• Concentrating on achievements, with no results - Telling the future employer that you made a change in the company policy result in "so what" reaction. Telling them you saved the business X number of pounds by making that change sparks his or her attention.

• Writing an autobiography style of resume - While this may be the most popular type of resume, it actually doesn't accomplish what you need it to, nor will it reveal to anyone reading through it what they need to know. They do not need your life story; they want to know what you're capable of doing for them. So stay clear of a resume that looks like your life story.

Although this checklist isn't conclusive, I hope you can understand where it is heading. Make a resume which focuses on the benefit in employing you, that's what is going to get you the job interview.

The Writer is a jobs advisor at the internet job sites nineoclock. He specialises in guiding job seekers on various areas of jobs searching especially selecting the right job vacancies in london. Check out his web site for many more good suggestions for job hunting. The website often features a listing of jobs you can find on the internet.

When creating a curriculum vitae for job searching no matter whether on Job search sites or in the standard way, It's necessary to understand that your resume is really an ad. The product your cv is advertising is you, or in fact the services you offer to a company. Its only function is to get you an interview, not to land you the job.

View the original article here