Your CV is a potential ticket for your job, the first meeting with a potential employer is through your CV. If it casts a winning impression, then there are chances that you might be called by the employer for an interview. For online hiring portals, your CV is the most important piece of document that can get you a job.
Having said all this, what is it that an employer looks for in your CV? Your name, your age, gender, height, weight? No. Employer looks for relevant experience or education and skills that makes you the perfect match for their open job. If you have put “Curriculum Vitae” as the title of your CV followed by your date of birth, Gender, Marital status etc. you have committed the most common blunder most Pakistani graduates commit in their CVs. This information can be helpful to some employers, but it should be at the bottom of your CV having the least priority. Let me give you some points to create your winning CV:
Strong opening statement
This is the first thing an employer looks at on your CV, make it relevant to your expertise. More so, make it relevant to the position you are applying for. Avoid general statements, tailor your statement to include the most important skills you have, and your strongest qualifications. If you are confident of your skills, write them in a compelling manner in this statement.
Employers look for Skills
If a company has advertised for a software developer opening, they will be looking at your experience relevant to software development. Highlight your experience and skills relevant to the job. As a general rule your experience should be at the top of your CV after your statement. If you are a fresh graduate, list your graduate project in a professional manner.
Customize your CV for the Job
Remember one golden rule for a prosperous career, customize yourself to the Job, get the right attitude, the right skills for the job. Similar is the case of your CV, if you are really longing for a job in a particular company, then make the extra effort of know more about the company, their skill and education requirements and customize your CV according to their required skills. If you have relevant experience, then that experience should come at the top, right after your mission statement.
Write what you can do
To put it straight, do not write anything you are not capable of. An employer will look at your skills and might ask you questions about those skills in the interview. Your CV is a question paper for the employer, they will probably ask about everything listed there.
Do not look like a job hopper
Employers do not like candidates who have not stayed on a job for more than six months, it is even true for professions with high turnover rates. You should not hop jobs often to protect your CV in the first place, in case you have hopped jobs, you should be able to justify it.
Proof Read and Format
Spelling mistakes and poor formatting are a great employer turnoffs. You will look totally unprofessional if there are spelling mistakes in your CV, or it is poorly formatted. An employer will justifiably think that if you cannot even write a correct CV then how come you will be able to perform the duties!
Bottom line is, pay attention to your CV, take your time out to write it with your best effort. If you can find professional help to write it for you, it would be best.