A) Read part A of the text and find answers to the questions below. Read as quickly as you can and do not worry about anything except the answers you need to find.

1) What do companies and public organizations use these days to select candidates for an interview?

2) What is the main task of a CV?

3) How much time do the employers or personnel officers spend on reviewing one CV during recruiting?

4) What is a typical mistake people may make preparing a CV?

5) What is the right way to go when writing a CV?

6) In what form can you present your CV?

7) For which jobs is it essential to get a CV?

8) Is it possible to use a general type of CV for any kind of job?

A. A CV or curriculum vitae is an essential tool in your job search. When applying for a vacancy, you generally first have to send your CV, which will be your first contact with potential employers and will open the door. A CV is a brief summary of your abilities, education, experience and skills. Its main task is to convince prospective employers to contact you.

A CV has one purpose: to get you a job interview (See Job Interview section). Your CV must sell you to a prospective employer, and compete against other applicants who are also trying to sell themselves. So the challenge in CV writing is to be more appealing and attractive than the rest.

When recruiting people, employers or personnel officers try to reduce the CV list varying in length from tens to hundreds to around forty or fifty candidates and may spend only a few seconds reviewing your CV. To get someone to look at it longer, your CV must quickly convey that you are more suitable than the other candidates, capable and competent enough to be worth interviewing. Successful candidates short-listed among the first twenty to be offered an interview are invariably the people who provided employers with the best CVs and best covering letters (See Cover Letter section). At an interview you would be in a position to explain and expand on what is in your CV.

In essence your CV is a sales pitch – a powerful marketing tool or advertising, when the product is you. Written with flair and packed with informative, relevant content it can get you the job interviews that you really want plus, potentially, the career progression you are hoping for. With your CV you will be able to promote yourself. This is especially so now when you can publish your CV - and/or video CV onto (self-publishing) websites. An impressive 'new-media CV' will increasingly enable you to proactively market yourself to employers where you can be seen, and also referenced by you in letters and hard-copy documents. Imagine the CV as being a brochure that will list the benefits of a particular service.The service being your time and skills!

When writing a CV, look at it from your employer’s point of view. Would you stand out against the competition (the other candidates) and would the manager want to talk you into a possible job? You have to ask yourself these questions when writing your CV.

Despite this, and the fact that a CV is a marketing tool many of us still throw some information together in a half hour lunch break, send it off and hope for the best.

Certain people always seem to get the best interviews, the promotions and the career progression that they want. Chances are this is because they have dedicated time and effort to carefully considering and writing their CV. They will have highlighted their best skills, showcased their achievements and kept it highly relevant. In essence, they have realized that their CV is vital to securing their success and have recognized its worth as a powerful and persuasive sales pitch.

What did they do differently? The way they presented their achievements. Employers are attracted to achievements because they want the applicant to repeat them in their own business.

A CV is the basis on which the employer makes his/her first impression about you. We all know that. Having a good CV is essential for full-time jobs, part-time, internal, external, promotions, new jobs, career changes, internships and work experience placements — wherever an employer or decision-maker is short-listing or interviewing or selecting applicants. Hence, we always tend to put our best qualities in it so as to create the best possible impression.

b) Match the information in this part with the main ideas in part A. Which ideas repeat themselves, which are new?

B. These CV and cover letter principles apply to all career moves. Keep your curriculum vitae simple. Your curriculum vitae must be concise; it must be easy to read, for it must sell you. And what’s more, your curriculum vitae must be tailored to what the reader is looking for.

Every time you apply for a new job, you need to re-write the CV which should be totally tailor-made to the job you are applying for. In order to do this, you should have researched deeply into the company's background as well as have identified the best personal traits and qualifications that match with the prescribed job requirements. Only then will your CV catch the attention of the prospective employer and you will gain the chance for an interview.

A common mistake is for people to draw up a general type of CV and only change the cover letter and send it to the companies. Nothing could be more harmful to your chances in getting an interview. Since each job is specific and has special requirements, there is no way a regular CV can match all the jobs universally. Rather when the CV is not drawn to highlight your fit to the company, it is summarily rejected without further introspection.

It is also important to have your CV continuously upgraded to include each and every aspect of your professional and personal (relevant) growth and personal life. You should, for best results, have a master CV in your computer that can be changed at the drop of a hat to fit any job requirements so it can be submitted properly. Then, whenever you need, you can pick those traits which are best suited to a particular job and wait for that interview letter.

When is the best time to have a CV drawn up? As soon as you are out of the college and every six months you need to update it to contain the latest information on any new degree, training or achievement. Hence, you start writing your CV now, the sooner the better. When you have the CV written down well, your thoughts will also be organized particularly to your strengths and weaknesses and other aspects that you will be able to present better and better. The fact that you have control over the facts will in turn give you increased confidence which will clearly come through in your CV and your interview. Do not wait till the last moment before you need to apply to write your CV. When in a hurry and under pressure for time, you will tend to leave out many beneficial points which would have otherwise gained you an interview with the company. Be careful in how you invest your time for your future — a small delay may cost you dearly.

c) Scan part B again and answer the questions below:

1) What principles are you supposed to follow while writing your CV and cover letter?

2) What is a tailor-made CV? Why is it an important characteristic?

3) What does the process of CV upgrading include? What may happen if this principle is not observed?

4) Why is it recommended to start to write your CV as soon as possible?

Date: 2015-12-18; view: 695