The resume

The resume should be relatively short, preferably no longer than one page and should clearly outline your achievements, your education and your previous work experience.

The CV

Your CV should be more detailed and as such longer than your resume, it should include all the vital information in detail relating to your educational background. Your experience, any achievements you have gained, awards you have gained relating to the type of work you are applying for and any other information you think which relates to the position you are applying for.

When would I use a resume?

You would usually give your resume when you apply for a position and fill in an application form, your resume will give the prospective employer a rough idea of what you are capable of achieving and will help you get your foot in the door by securing you an interview.

When would I use a CV?

You can use your CV during the actual interview to help back up any claims you make during the interview regarding your experience . It would also be used chiefly when you were applying for academic, research, educational or scientific positions.

What should I include in my CV?

Besides the obvious of your name, address and contact numbers, you should include any skills, education and experience relating to the position you are applying for. Before writing your CV, you should take time to prepare properly and make sure that everything relating to the position you are applying for is listed on your CV.

Tips for writing your CV and resume

Your CV and resume plays a key role in whether you are successful in your job hunt and interview and as such great care and time should be taken when writing them, several points worth remembering when writing your CV or resume are

* Keep them well organised and make sure information is clear and are listed in specific categories or grouped together.

* Don’t just rattle on and on, keep them organised using only the relevant and necessary information.

* Double check to make sure you have listed all the relevant information.

* Never use a mixture of fonts or very fancy fonts, stick with the standard ones.

* Always re write your CV and resume keeping them up to date.

The employer won’t want to go reading through a couple of pages or more for each resume they receive, they simply haven’t got the time. Keep your resume short, preferably no longer than one page and keep it organised and to the point.

Essential tips for the perfect resume

* Include your full name.

* Include your landline and mobile phone numbers for contact.

* Include any previous work experience.

* Include any qualifications you have received in order by latest date.

* Include short references from previous employers.

* Include any language skills or technical skills you think are relevant or that make you stand out from the rest.

These are the essentials that go towards making a clear and concise resume, you should always make it easy on the eye and clear to read or leaf through while highlighting your best qualities and achievements. Other tips for a good resume are:

* Keep it short and simple – a lot of employers might not even bother to read your resume if they have to leaf through several pages.

* Always start with your most recent history – this is what most employers will be interested in, they wont be concerned how long you worked in MacDonald’s for when you first left school, the most recent history should come first.

* Consistency – consistency is essential, keep the style and fonts the same throughout with no fancy fonts and keep an eye on points such as dates, for example if you start out writing them in the form 07.12.62 then don’t suddenly switch to 7th December 1962 half way through.

* Take care with the layout – you should leave some space and good margins at the sides, top and bottom.

* Good presentation – when you print your resume out check to make sure there are no mistakes and that the fonts are clear and easily readable only use the highest quality paper and ink.

* Listing previous experience – When listing previous experience mention what you gained from the job, what you enjoyed about it and how you contributed towards it.

* Special skills – If you have any special skills in computing, using software or any other skill you think is relevant to the position or might impress then mention them.

* Don’t over inflate your achievements – while you want to show yourself in the best possible light you also don’t want to come over as bigheaded, state what you are capable of but don’t overdo things.

1) Don’t share everything – you always want to show yourself in the best possible light you so you should always avoid any mistakes you have made in the past, particularly those when you first started work so you shouldn’t include these on your resume. These shouldn’t be mentioned unless of course the interviewer asks you a direct question relating to them which you cannot avoid. If this is the case then try to turn it into a more positive thing by showing what you learned from your mistake.

2) Don’t reveal your age outright – a sad fact is that age does sometimes count against you; this could be because the employer is looking for a younger person or they want an older person with more experience. Unless the position specifically states that the position is more suited to a person with experience or a younger person then don’t give any indication of your age on your resume.

3) Don’t include a huge list of hobbies and interests – while you can include some interests and hobbies particularly those which might help your situation, for example if you are a computer buff and the position relates to IT but you shouldn’t get carried away and list everything you are interested in.

4) Tailor objectives to meet the company – you should make your resume personal, don’t just use one single resume if you are looking for work in any field, tailor your resume to match the requirements to those the company is looking for.

5) Only list your most recent positions – if when you first started work you flitted from job to job then don’t list them all, the employer could see this as a sign that you lack commitment to stay with a company.

6) Don’t include any information that could be seen as controversial – an example of this is sexual preference, religious beliefs or your political beliefs.

7) Don’t go into great detail regarding your high school achievements – listing everything you did in school is pointless, particularly if you went on to higher education, most potential employers wont be interested in what you did when you were in school.

8 ) Don’t brag – while you should show yourself in the best possible light you don’t want to come across as being big headed, by all means you should include and skills, awards, achievements and certificates you have gained but state them factually and don’t brag about them.