How to prepare an outstanding CV

Ajay Kamal , Last updated: 07 June 2011
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In today’s highly competitive world, getting into a job of one’s choice based on one’s qualification and experience is an uphill task. This task can be attained by preparing an appropriate Curriculum Vitae (CV). Remember; this is your first impression, as it is the first Document that reaches to your prospective employer. Be careful and do not underestimate the importance of a good CV.

1. Title – Bio-data writing title itself has again gone out of fashion.

2. Sequence-

Name
Mobile number
Email
Education
I.T literacy and extra courses.
Experience
Achievements
Hobbies
Personal details

3. End - left with date and right with name in bracket to sign above it. With I.T. Revolution writing place has become outdated concept.

4. No. of pages- A professional fresher’ CV should not be more than one and half to two pages Subsequently ,add half a page for each 2 years (or part of it) experience.

Don’ts : The following point need not be given:

Father ‘s and mother’s names- These are outdated and irrelevant from professional perspective.
Last sentence “I confirm that above information is true and correct etc” not at all needed. One is not writing a legal statement.
Decimal points in marks-not needed.
Outdated achievements e.ge prize in essay competition during 3^rd standard.
Gender & nationality (required for overseas jobs only)
Native place, Religion and casts , Marital status.
Languages know (unless one knows any foreign language other than English, of course)
Present cost of the company (CTC) & expected CTC
Passport number and validity date
DD, MM, YYYY not needed. Only MM, YYYY is enough. Do not write 13^th Oct 2009 to 27^th Dec 2010 mention “Oct 2009 to Dec 2010”
Covering letter- with emailed CVs, These have gone out of fashion. If something very specific to be highlighted which is your special unique selling point (USP) , then covering letter may be useful to serve some purpose.
Words like “JUST” showing casualness, “no” “not” showing negativity.
Pursuing a course- dose not add value, unless at least some preliminary or entry or first level or first group is completed.
Strengths- do not write. But rather state them indirectly by examples of experience or achievements in CV.
Weaknesses- Interviewer will find any way some of them. But you should be able to show Cool, humble and improving mode like for same.
References- Write them only if very strong. Or else leave them for giving in interview when asked for or while filling company’s standard from
Height, weight and chest unless specifically asked for.
Colour of eye, hair and skin.

Last but not the least,

Drop everything on which you cannot speak on,
Drop everything on which speaking in interview will go against you,
Drop everything speaking on which will appear a time-waste for interviewer.

Which should be focused for contents.

Experience
Achievements
Education- Degree and above

How to write experience?

First make or convert all points into bullet points, with sub-titles. (it means- no full sentences, starts with verbs like completed, e.g. cost Audit- done for sugar company etc)
Put yourself in interviewers’ shoes and think.
Rank all points in order of importance from interviewers’ view point

How to write achievements?

Write 2-4 achievements
If there are no academic achievements, write two experience based achievements
Achievements to some extent should be highlighted in such a way, so as to arouse curiosity, so that interviewer asks questions on them, and then candidate from candidate’s perspective towards his strengths. For this, bio-date is vital tool.

How to write hobbies?

Hobbies can be classified in 4 types:

Having professional synergy- like surfing internet, reading professional books, magazines, journals, chess, traveling (shows exposure)
Physical/mental strength-peace related-e.g. squash, tennis badminton, cricket, football, swim, trekking and adventures.
Social nature hobbies- NGO participation, rotary, lions, CRY, blood donations, animals anti-cruelty, handicapped children help etc.
Some examples of hobbies not worth stating reading Comics , watching movies.

Maximum hobbies to be state should be 3to4.

Some more tips

Residential address can go at the end as a part of personal details. Personal details include postal address, age birth-date, landline number, family background (optional).
Mention % only if they are good. If not, put marks in subjects where they are best.
Stating achievements is a must.
Put table for education, if is on fast track. If it is on slow track then put descriptive and bullet points.
At least put blue or brown/red colour for few words to highlight and be best at that points.
Better to write computer skills than computer proficient – (computer is such a vast field, nobody can be really proficient. So better be humble) or say I.T. Literacy or I.T. Skills.
Do not write Tally 5.4 – you must known latest version also. So write just tally, but be conversant with latest version by studying from tally website.
Do not make box and table for whole CV.
Have simple name based emailed. Don’t use collegian id for professional purposes,

E.g. manisha-cutiepie@yohoo.com. Or coolme-deepak@rediffmail.com. Do not use such i.ds for professional purpose.

Long career objectives with nothing special (and can be copied by anybody is meaningless to put) Better do not put any career objective.
If at all put career objectives, from which your specialties and USP or differentiators can be identified. Otherwise, DO NOT PUT.
Any sentence anywhere in CV more than 10 words, just break it or shorten it.
For a CA CV, mention of “key areas” stated as “Accounting, Auditing” not needed. It is too generic.
Should you mention college name or university name- mention only one of them, which have higher brand value.
The date at the bottom of CV should always be latest one.
Whether family background should be mentioned- generally no. Exceptionally “yes” if it is educationally or industrial/social position – wise is very strong.
Put cell no. as +91 9999259224 landline no as +91 22 240240240. Prefix of +91 shows your understanding of global nature, so put it that way.
“Passed Senior Secondary Examination (Commerce with Maths) from C.B.S.E (2001).” Such Sentences make NO meaning. It should be part of education table. Even if it is bullet point, make it, as “S.S.C – CBSE- 2001.” The remaining words are redundant.
Stated in CV – “won many prizes in public speaking” as achievement. When interviewer asked question which subject you spoke on and in which year. It was in school in class 8 on subject of about water drainage system on Amaravati. Suggestion- do not write such achievement. Better, drop them. Anything, which is, more than 5-7 years old is almost irrelevant nowadays. Of course, this does not apply to unique differentiators.

If CV is very long, then

Convert all sentences into bullet points.
Use command find and replace and find all places where “and” word is used and replace it by”&”.
Check all words which make no meaning and drop.
They key portion of CV is highlights in exam and achievements in work experience. In case of fresher, it is Articleship of CA.
Highlights in exam are represented by rank like all India-topper in city, college, branch, etc, or cleared in first attempt in case of professional exam or high GPA in MBA or more than 55% marks in professional exam. If such good rank or good percentages are not there, you may, look for subject marks, which are maximum say about 80&70 or 65 or at least 60. State those with subject name.

USP- Differentiators must be noticeable- show your CV to friends or relatives or mentors to know whether these highlights are immediately noticeable or not. Bigger or different font size or colour will achieve that purpose.