Cv For Interviews

Posts Tagged ‘Chronological Format’

A resume is the first and the most important step in the process of job seeking. A resume consists of a brief account of your qualifications and experience. It basically showcases your skills and experience. The whole idea of a resume is to put you in such a light that the prospective employer finds you perfect for the job.

A resume should contain personal details such as name, address, telephone number, email ID and date of birth. Educational details are next. An important thing you should keep in mind is to start from the latest information and then move backwards. Start from your recent education and mention the subjects studied at your college, school, courses, etc. Similarly, start from the latest job responsibilities you are holding. Mention your job profile and what all you learned at the job instead of simply mentioning the job-title and employer. It is not necessary to write exact dates, a simple mention of months and years is sufficient. There are various formats you can work with.

The chronological format includes a job-by-job listing of your experience. It proves effective for the people who have careers moving in the upward direction. Another format is the functional format in which you highlight key skills and knowledge. It widens the scope of people who have been changing jobs often, as they can talk about responsibilities, projects and skills learnt from each job. Then you can also use a combination of the chronological and functional formats. Such a resume will mention the job-by-job experience alongside accomplishments at each job.

There are certain factors you must keep in mind while formulating your resume. The resume should not ideally go beyond more than 2 pages. Try to keep the information as precise as possible. If you have some 30 years of experience, it is not necessary to enlist all of it. The details of the last 10 years of your career will suffice and the rest of the information should be provided in a very concise manner. Use more of action verbs such as: supervised, organized, learned, contributed, etc. The freshers in the industry can highlight their responsibilities at the college/school level. Mention the extra-curricular activities that you have taken part in. You must also mention your achievements. Be careful to tailor make your CV according to demands of the employer. Use an Arial or Times New Roman font; do not go for very decorative fonts. Do write about the skills pertinent to the job, making you fit the brief perfectly. List out five or six key attributes the employers are looking for and prepare your resume accordingly.

It is important to format your resume since you are being judged by the way your resume looks. You can choose to exclude certain details such as hobbies if they are totally unrelated to your profession. However, if you are applying for a Public Relations job and your hobby is making friends, then it is sensible to include it. Do not give reasons for leaving your current job as it has a negative impact. Leave such tough questions for the interview. It is advisable to inform your references beforehand and hand over a copy of your resume to them. Last but not the least; keep updating your resume regularly.

If you’re confused about the difference between a resume and a curriculum vita (CV), you’re not alone! Both are job-seeking documents used to help you obtain a job interview with a prospective employer. Both a resume and CV list relevant information about your background and your qualifications. To add to the confusion about these job-seeking tools, many people use these terms interchangeably. What are the differences?

<b>The Resume</b>

A resume is an overview of your relevant work experience, skills, education, and any other information related to the targeted job, such as volunteer work or professional memberships. There are three primary types of resumes: functional, chronological, and combination. A functional resume highlights skills, abilities, and education rather than work history. A true functional-style resume does not list employment dates. A chronological resume highlights employment (or volunteer work) shown in reverse-chronological format; that is, the most recent employment is listed first. A combination-style resume combines elements of the functional and chronological styles. Most resumes are one or two pages long.

For most job applications, a combination style resume is the best choice many applicants, including college students and new graduates. Even though work history on a graduate resume may not be as extensive as for that of a seasoned employee, a chronological work history can demonstrate transferable skills and dependability. A purely functional style resume would not provide this advantage, and yet a purely chronological style would not allow for additional information highlighting relevant skills or other information.

<b>The Curriculum Vita</b>

A CV is a more detailed listing of information used by applicants in select fields, such as the medical and education industries. The format of a CV is sometimes similar to that of a resume, but it is typically a straightforward listing of information. A CV includes information such as employment, education, and publications in a reverse-chronological order. It is often used by those seeking advanced positions in the medical and teaching professions. For example, someone applying for a university teaching position would list his or her education, classes taught, and any relevant publications. CVs can be much longer than a traditional resume.

A CV may also be required for those applying to graduate school, although again, a CV is typically used for specific fields, such as research or teaching. However, if you are applying for a position in a foreign country, you may need a CV. A professional resume writer can help you determine whether you should use a resume or a CV for these types of positions.

<b>Which Do I Need? </b>

For most new graduates and college students, a resume is the best option to use for job application purposes. There is a bit more room for creativity (in styling, not false information!) with a resume. Additionally, resumes are traditionally what hiring managers expect to see unless specifically noted otherwise.

Valuable Tip # 1: Determine a job objective.

This should be clear and specific – no more, no less.  Stating an actual job title will be best.

Valuable Tip # 2:  Choose the right CV format. 

Depending on your situation, you can choose either a chronological format or a functional format – or perhaps a combination of both. 

Valuable Tip # 3:  List your work experiences and the achievements you made.

When you choose the chronological format, you will have to do a listing of your work experiences in reverse chronological order.  This will be more convenient for the prospective employers.

It would be to your advantage if you put in specific achievements you were able to make while with previous employers.  State in concise and clear terms what these are, the benefits your company gained (cost savings for example), the improvement of employee morale, the participation you took if it was a group effort and etc.

These achievements are important so that the prospective employers will know what to expect when they hire you.  They will have an idea on what you are capable of contributing to their departmental and organizational goals.  So if you have lots of achievements, you’ll find no problem in this area.

Valuable Tip # 4:  List the skills you have and support it with accomplishments.

Relevant specific skills, especially those that have become your expertise, will be of great use to the prospective employers.  More so if you are able to show that you are able to apply these skills in actual work scenarios, the more they will be impressed by what you can do.

One should understand that the mere skill alone, if without any accomplishments to back it up, would just be like a bubble – full of air and nothing to show for it.  But if one can support it with the contributions you made to your previous employer’s problems, you’ll easily get the nod of the prospective employers. 

Valuable Tip # 5:  List your educational attainments

This is quite straightforward.  The most recent educational achievement should be listed first. 

If you have finished masters or advanced degrees then it would definitely be a plus on your end.  At these levels, you will be considered for supervisory and managerial positions. 

More tips to follow…

If you want to write an effective CV – one that will impress prospective employers, you must present your qualifications in a well-organized manner.  This will make it easier for the employers to browse over your valuable job experiences and educational achievements. 

The special skills, abilities and interests you have that would make you more efficient than the other applicants must be presented well, so that employers get to notice your job application distinctively over all others.

Writing that impressive CV would prove to be to your benefit so that you will have better chances on getting to sign on that job offer you have so longed for. 

If you had given out job applications before and have not received a call for an interview, it might be because you have poorly presented yourself in your CV.  You may have been qualified for the job – but with a lack of content or in excess of such on your CV, the employers may have had a bad impression about you.  

It’s about time that you get to write CVs that work. You need to start writing CVs that spark the interests of the prospective employers.  Your CV should be effective in giving you that chance for the next step and next screening process. 

You want to be able to send out your job application with a CV that commands attention.  This will definitely give you a ticket for that critical job interview.  To follow will be your guide to writing an impressive CV.

Basic CV Formats

1. Chronological Format

This is best used if you have a consistent work record and have been in particular area or field for a long time.  These emphasizes on your work experience, ideally with the most recent listed first.

2. Functional Format

This is also called the skills-based CV format.  The concentration here is on the knowledge, skills and accomplishment acquired due to various exposures to the different fields or due to special studies.  This also works well with those who have gaps in their work history.

More tips to follow…