How to Write a CV that talks for you ? Soft / Business Skills How to Write a CV that talks for you ? Mohamed Badran

How can we ensure arrival ? Where am I NOW? 1- 2- Where do you want to be? 3- How might I get there ? 4- Which Way is the Best? 5- How can we ensure arrival ?

Agenda CV – What does it mean? Why do you need a CV ? Things you should avoid. 4 Resume essentials. Things you should consider. Common resume problems. How to construct your resume? Get your resume in Action. Cover Letter Resume Sample

CV What does it mean?

CV – What does it mean ? The word CV comes from the Latin name Curriculum Vitae Which means “course of life” or Simply “Life Story”

Why do You need a CV? It is Not to obtain a job. It is to obtain an Interview. YOU get the job. CV is an advertisement of your abilities. Think deeply, what make advertisement work? Advertisement usually 30 second , but you keep remember it , why? Agencies take a lot of time and effort to produce a 30 second message to sell a product. What time and effort should you pay to prepare a two page CV that SELLS YOU

Why do You need a CV? Need more challenge for you CV. REMEMBER Employer scans your CV for the first time in less than 10 seconds.

Things that you should Avoid: 1- ABBREVIATIONS: AFPCA , GHWIHT , MRSRM , ZESN , TWTN Too Many abbreviations make your CV unreadable, Avoid it unless it is commonly recognized . Remember The Rule: KISS : Keep It Simple & Smart

Things that you should Avoid: 2- NEGATIVE WORDS: Boring , Fired , Hate, Conflict, Blocked ..etc Catch recruiter Eye. Remember The Rule: If you have some difficulties , Keep them to the interview, but you have to prepare yourself.

Things that you should Avoid: 3- COLORS: It is not a show, Don’t use colors to make your CV attractive Remember The Rule: Attractiveness is a matter of content, “Colors” in the CV is like a full make up lady in a FUNERAL

Things that you should Avoid: 4- SPELLING, GRAMMER & PUNCTUATION MISTAKES: Spelling mistakes is the poison to your CV. Write your CV , read it , re-read it and re-read it and re-read it and re-read it ……….. Remember The Rule: Spelling mistake is a sign of Careless person, if you want to be at that position , Do IT! Use a spell check or consult a professional writer.

Things that you should Avoid: 5- UNNECESSARY INFORMATION: Gender , Religion and detailed Martial status as examples of unnecessary information in your CV. Remember The Rule: Employer doesn’t care that much about what your children are doing. Moreover, it is not your Autobiography.

Things that you should Avoid: 6- WORD ARTS, Clip Arts, logos & Graphics: Remember The Rule: “Colors” in the CV is like a full make up lady in a FUNERAL

Things that you should Avoid: 7- Using a very Big or very small font size & the unusual fonts: Fonts to be used (English): Arial Verdana Time New Roman Tahoma Fonts to be used (Arabic): Arabic Transparent Simplified Arabic Fonts Size to be used: 10 - 12

Things that you should Avoid: Don’t write CV at the top. Don’t put picture unless it is requested. Don’t put any attachment unless it is requested. Don’t use poor quality paper and printer. Don’t use photo-copied CV. Don’t use Capital letters in writing the whole CV.

4 Resume Essentials Proofread your resume. "I read it when I wrote it!“ Put your resume in front of people you trust - your boss excluded - and listen seriously to their suggestions. You are what you read. (Read more). Buy/Borrow books. Browse the internet. Visit general libraries. Be a resume voyeur. Look at other people's resumes whenever you get the chance. You'll find good ideas - and bad ones. Consider using the best ideas for your own resume, as long as they relate to your experience.

4 Resume Essentials More resumes…….. More chances. You finally updated your resume, but you shouldn't stop there. You should update your Master CV on monthly basis maximum. If you're going to apply to a variety of jobs, make sure you have a resume tailored for each.

Common resume problems: Too long / too short. Hard to read. Wordy. Non Professional. Lacking a career objective.

How to construct your resume? Identification & contact Information. Objective. Position you’re seeking. Type of organization. Field. Educational background. Work experience. Extracurricular activity. Honors and awards Received. Skills & trainings. Personal data. References.

Identification Data & objective: Top Right/Middle of first page. Name is the title (no other titles). Addresses; phone numbers; e-mail and/or fax addresses; Objective: Write what you want to work in as: Required Position. The field of interest. The kind of the company.

Education: Usually means post-secondary and can include special seminars, college and university. If you are just starting college, you can include high school as well. List the following: Degrees. Month/year obtained or expected. Names and locations of schools. Major and minor; if any. Grade point average. A brief summary of important courses you’ve taken might also be helpful.

Experience: Includes full-time paid jobs, part time jobs, trainings or volunteer work. List the month/years you worked, position, name and location of employer or place, and responsibilities you had. Use chronological format to emphasize most recent. Write all job descriptions in parallel phrases. List the most important responsibilities or successes first. List your Achievements in each job

Skills: List: Computer and Software. Languages (indicating the grade of fluency). Technical skills. Communication or Leadership among others (soft skills). Match your skills and experience with an employer’s needs. Difference between trainings & skills.

Activities and Hobbies: In university or outside: Conferences, Clubs, charity. Sports. Hobbies: e.g. Reading, Music, … etc.

Personal Data And References: Date of Birth. Marital Status. Nationality. Driving License. References: You need not put these on your resume, instead, you can prepare a separate list of references. Usually, you give this list to prospective employers after your interview. Write in you CV References furnished upon request.

Action Verbs

Get your resume in Action "Responsible for hiring new employees.“ "Recruited new hires for the company." "Responsible for maintaining the client database.“ "Maintained client database."

Get your resume in Action Start with actions commands / verbs. Past tense is mostly preferred. For the current position, you may use the present continuous tense.

Cover Letter

Contents of A Successful Cover Letter Your name and contact information. Recipient's name and contact information. Identify the position you are applying for and mention where you found the announcement and when. If you have been referred through a person, mention their full name and title.

Contents of A Successful Cover Letter Introduce yourself, your educational degree and your current employment situation. Begin by stressing your interest in the company and display some knowledge of its activities and/or achievements. Identify your strength areas and why you think you match the position requirements. Highlight your biggest achievements and refer to your resume for more details.

Contents of A Successful Cover Letter Close the letter by promising the reader to contact them on a specific day and time to schedule an interview. Thank the reader for taking the time to read your letter. Sign your name preceded by "Sincerely," "Cordially," or "Best Regards."

Cover Letter Example

CV Examples

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