A Simple Guide Through Your First CV

Am sure you have recorded most of your first time experiences somewhere deep in your mind – first day in school, your first bicycle (if you ever had one), your first poem recital, the first time you acted before an audience. Well, creating your first CV might not be as memorable in a few years to come, but it is a very important step in launching your career. Just the thought of starting the process is enough to overwhelm you. Imagine having to put all the impressive qualities about yourself, knowing that you might not have another chance to make that impression, knowing you are having to compete with hundreds, even thousands of others out there, all working just as hard as you! And all that on a piece of paper! Either that or you lose the job.

That is why you ought to give it your very best. Let us look at some simple, yet very vital aspects that your CV MUST have:

Personal Details
Obvious as this may sound, your CV must include your name, address and phone number. In addition, in this world of emails, be sure to include an email address. Setting up an email account has become fast and easy as you can easily obtain assistance from any cyber-café you visit. However, you have to be careful with the name attached to the email address – nicknames such as “babygal” or “coolboy” are unprofessional and will not portray a good image. It is advisable to set up a separate email account just for job searches.

Objective and Summary of Skills
These come right after your personal information and, for you as a first-time job seeker should be concise.

Example:
Objective: Seeking a Secretarial Position in an organization that will provide for opportunities to utilize organizational skills as well as professional development.

Summary of Skills: Excellent organizational skills, multi task oriented, typing 50 w.p.m. with ample experience meeting deadlines and working in high-pressure situations.

Your "summary of skills" should highlight experiences and qualifications that the employer is seeking. A CV is not about what you want. It's about what you offer an employer.

Choose the right CV style.
There are three basic types of CVs: chronological, functional and combination. Chronological CVs focus on work experience, and list professional experience in order from most to least recent. Functional CVs concentrate more on skills. A combination style is the best option for first-time job seekers. You can point out professional experience, but also draw more attention to your skills, since your work experience is probably limited. You can divide the content into these categories: work experience, academic experience, community service and extracurricular activities.

Skills and Experiences
This is the part we most struggle with, especially as first time job seekers. You need to realize that you have more than you think you do. You can draw much from your experiences and extra curricular activities, both in primary and high school. Were you ever a student leader? How many students were you directing? Break down your functions into verbs such as – ‘organized, directed, supervised, managed, reported to, assisted, led, participated, presented, among others’. Any church-related or religious involvements? Volunteer work? In all the mentioned examples, your qualifications may be broken down to include customer service skills, dependability, accountability, team player, responsibility, quick to learn new concepts, just to name a few. Many skills learned in such situations are quite relevant to the world of work. Do not underestimate the skills you have gained.

Academic Qualifications
Be sure to include any and all formal schooling that you have undergone. Any computer skills will be particularly attractive and should be highlighted. You can also demonstrate your aptitude and strengths by project-specific examples of class work you have done. For example, if you were good at debate, or participated in the science congress, or an essay competition, be sure to include them at this point.

Languages
Include languages you are fluent in – in terms of written, reading and spoken abilities.

References
Include the names, addresses and positions of your references. Be sure to alert them and let them know that you have included them – and the position you are applying for.

Be Truthful!
Remember this rule: If you lie on your CV, you will be caught. Don't misrepresent your past – it will come back to haunt you.

Check back here for more on resumes. Best wishes in your job search. It’s a big world out there!