Get your CV jacked up

The pressure is on to get the job you always wanted, either because you do not have a job at all or because your job is a dead-end waste of time.

The first thing you need to do is get your CV ready. Your CV is such an important part of getting that job you always wanted that it cannot be over emphasised just how important a CV or Resume is when you are looking for a Job.

So what is a CV or Resume?
A CV or Resume is probably the most important document that you will be producing in your search for a new job. Your CV or Resume can make or break your search for a job. Your CV or resume can also create lots of unwanted attention from recruiters if it is not correctly representing your skills and abilities, especially from those recruiters that only look at their system results from a database scan without actually reading your CV or Resume.
Physically, a CV or Resume is a document that states your education, work experience and abilities in a form that should be clear, sensible and easy to read.

What to include in a CV or Resume?
This varies vastly depending on your location and what is fashionable at the time. In the UK certainly it is for instance no longer fashionable to include your photo in your CV or Resume unless you are applying for a role as a model or actor etc. in which case you will have an entire portfolio. Personal details are usually kept to a minimum. Only provide what the job application requires. Any information that can be discriminated against and that is not a specific requirement for the role, should be left off the CV or Resume. These include age, race, gender, religion etc.

It is advisable to structure your CV or Resume in a manner in which the reader can easily navigate through the sections.

The CV or Resume should contain you personal details such as name and contact details.
Your CV or Resume should also contain your skills and educational details. Lastly it is important that your CV or Resume contains a brief record of your work experience. This should usually be listed in reverse cholonological order. That means that your CV or Resume should have your most recent Job first and then the previous job and so on. It may be difficult to get this right, but given enough practice, you may eventually get it right.

How long should your CV or Resume be?
In the UK it should not be too long. As a rule of thumb you should be able to fit it into a standard letter envelope without too much fuss and carnage. Ten pages is too long for most people's CV or Resume. Aim for under 5 pages or chances are that your CV or Resume will end up in the bin. Those of you who can justify a CV or Resume that is 10 pages or longer no longer need to worry about writing CVs as you are probably a high profile public figure who has your CV or Resume written and published by others.

Does Spelling really matter on my CV or Resume?
Only if you really want to be placed in a job or vacancy that you are applying for! If you are into wasting all your time and effort and sometimes not even getting a reply, then fire away like a daemon. All jokes aside, do your spell-check on your CV or Resume. You will probably send it electronically which means, unless it is in PDF format, the reader is likely to get little red wavy lines under each word that his or her word processor does not recognise. Seeing red is bad in most people's books but on your CV or Resume it may just be fatal for that job vacancy you are applying for.

There are indeed places you can go to get your CV or Resume checked before you send it off in response to a job application - but be warned, it may take a few days for the whole process so if you need to get that CV or Resume out in a hurry - get it checked out in advance.

If you know of any other good resources for CV or Resume advice or if you just want to leave a comment - please do so below.