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7 Critical CV Design & Format Tips To Help You Create A Powerful CV

A weak and poorly laid out CV is equivalent to wearing a shabby dress for an interview. First impressions count. Does your CV look disorganized and illogical? Or is it easy to navigate and pleasant to look at?

Here are 7 critical design and format fundamentals to help you create an effective CV that will create an impact with recruiters:-

1.    General Lay-out and design

A good design enhances the text. You can use a vertical double column format or a horizontal one, depending on the text. The important thing is that recruiters should not have to hunt for information. When using a double column format do not fill up the side panels with general lists – put meaningful text. 

There are thousands of free CV templates available on the internet. Choose one that accommodates the text well. 

2.    Margins and spacing

Ideally your CV should not be more than 2 pages. One way of increasing the space you have to work with is by reducing the margins. Large margins waste space and don’t look aesthetic. 0.5 inches is suitable. Any more than that is wasteful.

Make sure there is enough white space on your CV. White space is open space between design elements (between a header and a paragraph, or different paragraphs, or line spacing). White Space ensures that the text does not look jammed and crowded – a CV without open spaces is difficult to read.

3.    Bullet points

Recruiters have a short time to go through your CV and will skip long drawn out paragraphs.

Use bullet points instead. Each point shouldn’t be longer than 2 lines. This allows the recruiter to quickly skim through the CV and still be able to identify why you are right for the job.

4.    Font and font size

Use simple fonts. Often older versions of word may not have the fancier fonts and this can lead to problems when opening the file. Times New Roman or Calibri are good – I personally prefer sans serif fonts, they are easier to read.

Font Size : Too small and the recruiter will have trouble reading it. Too large and you’re wasting precious space. A font size of 11 is most appropriate.

Also, multiple fonts and sizes makes your CV look immature. Ensure your text has a uniform font and font size throughout.

5.    Colour

Colour is an advantage – It catches attention and makes a CV stand out briefly. Black and white documents can be bland.

Use only a single colour on your CV. A multi-coloured CV can be distracting and look tacky. Avoid dark colours – Use light and pleasant colours.

Never use a full coloured background. The CV text must always be on a clear white background. 

6.    Bold and Highlights

Ideally everything on your CV is important – and there is no need to use bold to say something is important.

Also, You can’t know exactly what recruiters are looking for and drawing attention to words or phrases that they are not looking for may confuse them and get you rejected for no fault of your own.

Keep the recruiter‘s focus on the headers and your achievements instead of highlighted words. The impact is better that way.

 7.   Organized Sections

Organize your CV into sections. It helps the recruiter find the relevant data in an easy manner. Organize all information under the following headers:

Contact details: At the top quarter of your CV, you must have your contact details. Just your name, phone number, and email. If you need to include more put them towards the end of the CV.

Summary:The first section, right on top of your CV should be your summary. A short snippet of your experience with just 3-4 bullet points that tells the recruiter what your area of expertise is.

Experience: This is the most important aspect of any CV. Recruiters primarily check whether what you have handled will make you suitable for their own requirement. Your current job must be the strongest and should be on the first page. 

Keep it brief – include only the important details on what you have managed. Do not include generic roles which do not set you apart or routine tasks that every employee handles.

There is advice out there on the internet that a functional CV is appropriate and when your job-experience doesn’t match the requirement just list functions that match the requirement. This is a bad approach and will get you rejected. The recruiter wants to see your actual work experience; under no circumstances should you compromise on this.

Achievements: Do not club all your achievements. This will make it difficult for recruiters to figure out which achievement belongs to which job. Each job in your experience must have a corresponding achievement section.

Education:This section should come last. Although, if the job requirement specifies a certain educational qualification you may include it in your summary as well. Keep this section short as there is no need to include your 6th grade results. Separate your school, college, technical trainings under separate headers.

What to exclude: There is no need to include your hobbies or references. It just adds length to your CV without adding value. And the recruiter doesn’t care. ==========================================================A good CV is primarily about highlighting your suitability and personality and making it easier for the recruiter to take a decision. Ensure it is well organized, logical and the text points out to your expertise.

If you want to know the strengths and weaknesses of your CV you can send it to me for a FREE professional evaluation and feedback to my email Id: limasehgal@gmail.com

Also feel free to follow me on LinkedIn at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/limasehgal/  for regular CV tips, vacancies, interview tips and advice on how to conduct a successful job search (and let me know so I can follow you back)

Looking for vacancies? Go to our jobs section at  www.jobnetonline.com/jobs  for more

5 Simple Yet Potent Ways To Effectively Show Achievements On Your CV

It is important that you show your achievements effectively – it is what recruiters look for in a CV. This is what brings out your capabilities and makes your real expertise visible. Why you are good at your job is displayed through your achievements.

Here a 5 tips on how to show your achievements effectively on your résumé- 

1) Define your Achievements

What are your achievements? 

Most job-seekers make the mistake of only focusing on their roles and responsibilities. But these cover only your area of knowledge and experience and do not point to why you are good at your job.

Anything that benefited the company, process or client is an achievement. For example – If you did some cost saving, or launched a new product or completed a project on time then it is an achievement.

It is surprising that so many job-seekers omit including achievements saying that they have no achievements. This is a fatal mistake. Never think that the work you did was not special enough to qualify as achievements. You don’t need proof like a recommendation letter or a promotion to show something as an achievement.

2) Quantify your achievements 

Your achievements cannot be your opinion. They have to be factual and clearly show the benefit you have created for the company.

So it is not enough to say I reduced transportation costs by re-negotiating the contract with the vendor. You need to quantify it, e.g. reduced cost by 30% .Or saying I negotiated a deal for setting up a 25 acre warehousing unit is an achievement. Or I improved the component inventory monitoring system resulting in savings of over $90,000!

Also make sure your achievements that were rewarded by the company are explained. For example, ‘Won the award for best salesman of the year’, does not effectively show your achievement, but ‘received award for achieving the highest sales of 1 crore INR in my territory’ shows it. 

# Numbers, facts, figures are needed for expressing your achievements effectively

3) Choose your achievements carefully

What achievements to show is a very important factor. 

When you show achievements relating to your current job make sure it also reflects your level of seniority. For example, if you are a sales executive then saying that I achieved my target of 1 million USD and won a trip to Singapore is good.

But as a Vice President or CEO it may not sound like a great achievement because managerial roles require handling a team of executives or distributors, or resource handling, so the achievement has to reflect an achievement of a corporate goal rather than an individual goal. For example since I joined, I expanded operations to the Far East market resulting in an organizational growth of 40%.

4) Balance the visibility of your achievements on your resume

It is very important that your current job shows achievements, because recruiters are interested in what you are doing now rather than your past. 

What you achieved as a Trainee or as a junior executive is really not that important if you have packed in 10 years experience after that. 

# The current and two prior jobs must reflect achievements

5) Present your Achievements effectively

Your achievements must connect with the company to which they belong. So do not make a combined list. Put your achievements alongside the company to which it belongs.

Use simple, precise English. Use bullet points. 

And remember that achievements generally have to be in the past tense even if you mention that it is a continuing benefit. For example – Set up new offices in 4 countries in a record time of 6 months, is your achievement even though it may have spinoffs of benefits for the company on a continuous basis but it must be stated in the past tense.

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Is your resume reflecting your achievements effectively? Does it contain any fatal errors? How can you improve the impact of your CV? To know, send your CV for a FREE professional evaluation and feedback to my email id: limasehgal@gmail.com

Also feel free to follow me on LinkedIn at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/limasehgal/  for regular CV tips, vacancies, interview tips and advice on how to conduct a successful job search (and let me know so I can follow you back)

Looking for vacancies? Go to our jobs section at  www.jobnetonline.com/jobs  for more

The Do’s And Don’ts Of Résumé Writing – Tips On How To Write An Interview Winning Résumé

Your CV is the most important document of your career. It must be flawless and must also effectively tell recruiters why you deserve to get hired. Even the smallest omissions or the slightest mistakes will hurt your career progression.

I do a lot of resume evaluations and have seen a pattern of mistakes that job-seekers make. ( you can send your CV too for a free professional evaluation and feedback to limasehgal@gmail.com ). As a result, I felt the need to create this list of do’s and don’ts of CV writing as an easy reference so that job-seekers can draft a great CV and so that no one gets rejected because of their CV.

DO’s

1 # do start your CV with a summary of your professional career – 5 bullet points maximum

2 # do list your work experience in reverse chronological order

3 # do tailor your skills and responsibilities based on the job you are applying for – ensure your CV is optimized for the ATS system.

4 # do weave your soft skills into your work experience and achievements.

5 # do list your achievements holistically alongside the job in which you made the achievement.

6 # do quantify your CV – wherever you can, use facts and figures – use digits not words (for example write ‘4 million ‘ not ‘four million’).

7 # do make sure your contact details are clearly listed on top of your CV.

8# do mention which country and city you have worked in/are working in.

9 # do list the industry specific hard skills you possess.

10 # do proofread your CV before sending it out – ask a friend to also proofread for you.

11 # do send your CV as a PDF document – so that the formatting is retained.

DON’TS

1 # don’t use a career objective – it is no longer relevant.

2 # don’t use long paragraphs – one thought should be in one line – use bullet points.

3 # don’t flood your CV with keywords and jargon – it should flow naturally.

4 # don’t include personal information such as religion or marital status. Also don’t include a photo unless specifically asked for.

5 # don’t let your CV go beyond 2 pages.

6 # don’t include hobbies and interests.

7 # don’t use too much colour – use no more than one light color and use black text with a white background.

8 # don’t use tables, graphics, or links – it is distracting.

9 # don’t use an unprofessional sounding email ID.

10 # don’t list routine job functions that every employee would have.

11 # don’t include salary details.

12 # don’t use fancy fonts – use a simple font and a uniform font size.

13 # don’t underline or use bold for anything except headers.

14 # don’t lie or embellish any details –you will get caught.

15 # don’t include the phrase“references on request” – it is understood.

16 # don’t put a declaration as to the true nature of the contents of your CV – it is not a legal document and it is assumed that the contents are true.

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Stay clear and concise on what you want to show on your resume. There is so much competition out there, you cannot afford to make mistakes in what you communicate to others through your CV.

For a FREE PROFESSIONAL EVALUATION AND FEEDBACK on the strengths and weaknesses of your CV, mail your CV to limasehgal@gmail.com and get tips and advice on how you can improve the impact of your CV and boost your job search.

Also feel free to follow me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/limasehgal/ for regular CV tips, vacancies, interview tips and advice on how to conduct a successful job search (and let me know so I can follow you back)

Looking for vacancies? Go to our jobs section at www.jobnetonline.com/jobs for more

The Winning Sales Pitch! – How to Create An Effective Sales Resumé

Finding a suitable candidate for a sales position is a tough job! Ask any hiring manager and you will get the same feedback. “We get a lot of applications but taking a decision on a candidate’s potential for revenue generation is very difficult.”

Here is a list of essentials that every sales professional must show on their resume. The following is a perspective from a hiring and employer’s point of view.

1) Consistency In Revenue Generation.

Consistency in revenue generation is very important for all companies.The common mistake that most job seekers make is that they think that highlighting their key achievements or brilliant breakthroughs only is good enough. It is not enough.

Your CV must also communicate your ability to consistently bring in revenue for the company and contribute towards the growth of the company.

Let’s say you signed a million dollar contract or got a high value sale. That shows that you are competent and successful. But the question that arises is whether that is a fluke or can you do it again and again and again?

# The most effective way to show consistency in revenue generation is through your achievements in all the companies you have worked for. Your current job is important but to show consistency you need to show your achievements and contributions in all the posts you held from the beginning of your career till now.

2) Specialization Of Product Or Services

Sales and marketing is a highly specialized function. Whether you are a junior person or at a senior management level, your knowledge of the market and the product is important to a company. This helps in reducing the training period and also ensures that you have the potential to reduce the gestation period to produce results that everyone has when they join a new company.

The truth is that most companies are usually very clear about what they want – They want to know what your expertise and contacts are.

Most job seekers presume that the ability to successfully sell a product is all that’s important and if they manage to show that then a company will believe you have the ability to sell anything. This is not true. Success in sales has a basis in your experience in handling a product, territory or clientele. This is your background and specialization and this is what one looks for while screening a CV.

# Make sure you are very clear about showing your specialization.

You can show it in the following ways:

I) Product

The products that you have managed are very important. Most job seekers make the mistake of generalizing too much. For example, saying you sell generators is not enough, they come with various capacities which also determines the end user- Eg. household, cement plant or airfield.

Or for example only mentioning that you sell insurance is vague because insurance is also of various types. Do not make the person who is reading your CV have to guess the nature of the job you were performing. Spell it out and clearly explain what products you have handled.

I have also noticed that often very senior professionals make the mistake of presuming that because they are so senior and have good experience, that they need not spell out the product – since they only need to handle a managerial function of directing a sales team, and that their job is directing and not frontline selling. This is counterproductive as hiring managers will most definitely want senior managers with relevant work experience.

Look at it like this. If I am a hiring manager then I will be looking for specific experience with a specific product. So if my company is selling paints to builders and construction companies then I would prefer someone who has done this job over someone who is selling telecom services to builders and construction companies. I would also reject the CV if it just says I sell paints because I cannot figure out if you are doing direct sales to builders or just to your dealer network and stockists.

And never presume that just because the company you are working for is famous that everyone can guess the product you handle. ITC is into FMCG, hotels, paperboards,packaging, agro-business & information technology. So if your CV says I am working for ITC, I still don’t know what you are selling. If your CV says I am working for Rolls Royce without mentioning that you sell Aero Engines, I might think that you are selling motor cars because that is what I know. Be clear and specific about information. Nobody will do an internet search or call you to ask.

II) Sales Channels.

If you are selling a product then a company wants to know to whom you sell it to? Most job seekers never bother to explain this.

For example FMCG, automobiles, paint, financial services, IT products, security equipment, all have specific channels of sale either through dealer networks, retail outlets, direct sales, networking…

If you say you are the General Manager Sales or a Sales Executive then I would like to know what channel of sales you can develop for my company. This is your real expertise and it also reflects your contacts. If you have experience in selling property, thermal power plants, insurance or toothpaste then how you developed, managed and generated revenue out of the sales channel is extremely important.

Also show what you have developed. For example- I developed a network of stockists in Europe to sell Herbal shampoos. Or I developed contacts in the Ministry of Power / Energy to sell high voltage power transmission products. Or I sold health insurance to the existing account holders of our bank.

What must show clearly in your CV is your knowledge, experience and success in the relevant sales and marketing channel.

III) Territory

What you sell and where you sell it is the core of any sales and marketing resume, however junior or senior you are in your job.

Did you manage sales in a particular city, region, country, and continent? Be specific about showing this. It is highly important.

If I am looking for a Territory Manager for a particular region and you have handled that region only then you may be suitable. If I want a Country Head in Europe and you have only worked in African markets then you are definitely not suitable.

But if you do not mention anything in the hope that the company will be confused enough to call you for an interview, it will not work. They will just move on to the next CV.

3) Achievements:

Many job-seekers tend to isolate their achievements and put them in a list on top of the resume. You must ensure your achievements are listed along side your experience as well, so that it gives hiring managers a complete picture.

When you show achievements on your CV, you have to be specific to the role that you handled for that particular job to which the achievement belongs.

For example: You say you successfully sold – 2 million dollars of soap in Japan or India through distributors, That’s good – but if you add the fact that you did this for a new brand of luxury soap that the company launched, it improves the perspective and adds to the achievement. Or if you are selling services for bridge construction specify the kind of bridge- over swimming pools, lakes or seas? And tell them where you sold it and what revenue generation was achieved. Achievements are about the real work that you have done.

Achievements have to presented in a factual manner. For example: By how much did you increase revenue? How did your marketing strategy make an impact on the company you worked for? Quantify your achievements, include detailed facts and figures.

And remember that self praise is your opinion about yourself. It does not impress any one. Your CV clearly needs to prove how and why your are the best choice for the company.

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Please remember that Sales positions have a lot competition. This is also a function that is quantifiable, so it has to be performance driven. Delivery, performance and revenue generation is very crucial to an organization. Your CV must be able to show these aspects.

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Is your resume showing your expertise as a sales professional? Send your resume for a FREE professional evaluation and feedback now to limasehgal@gmail.com and get tips on how to improve your CV.

Also feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/limasehgal?trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile for regular CV tips, vacancies, interview tips and advice on how to conduct a successful job search.

Lima Sehgal is a Publisher, Author, Career and Resume Development Specialist.

Other Contact details include: skype: lima.sehgal Or WhatsApp: 0091- 8130680957

7 Things Recruiters MUST See On Your CV

Most of us have gone through the heartbreak of getting rejected for a job opening that we felt we were ideally tailor-made for. This may be because your CV failed to reflect the qualities that hiring managers hunt for.

That is why it is very important to identify what companies are looking for in a potential candidate. If you want to succeed at getting shortlisted for interviews, you have to see your CV not from your own perspective but from an employer’s perspective.

Here are 7 things recruiters MUST see on your CV and how you can succeed at showing it to them.

1) Suitability

You need to be a good match for the job posting to get shortlisted. Your CV must show that you have work experience which relates to the job for which you are applying. What companies are searching for is this – Can you produce the required results for the post you are being hired for?

Unless your CV points in this direction quickly and accurately, the person who is shortlisting will skip your CV and go to the next CV in the pile.

Your suitability can be shown through your work experience and achievements. Your CV must show your knowledge, understanding and hardcore experience in producing results in the shortest possible time.

# To help a recruiter notice your suitability quickly, show it right on top.

Make a short overview/ summary right on top of your CV with 3 to 5 bullet points expressing how many years of experience you have, your designation and your core expertise.

Once they glimpse your suitability it helps them connect with you and encourages them to read your CV further.

2) Real Experience

Experience is about the functions you have handled in your job during your career. However, job seekers fail to show this effectively and tend to give a detailed report on every single thing they do. Hiring managers find this utterly boring to read and they usually skip it. This is a crucial aspect of the CV, and must be effectively shown.

To show your experience more effectively, stop giving obvious job descriptions. For example: “I am a sales person and I sell” OR “I am an accountant, I do accounting” OR “I am an architect, I design buildings”– along with all the jargon that goes with it. None of these statements say anything about what makes you good at your work or what makes you perfect for the job.

What you really need to do is to show how your experience qualifies you for the job. Talk about your real accomplishments!

Instead of saying, I am a civil engineer, give details of what you have actually built – “a 2 km long bridge across the river OR “a township spread over 400 acres” OR “A school building in the neighborhood”. If you are a sales executive, “I sold 1 million worth of products in 1 year” is better than “I handled sales and marketing.”

# Talk about what you have delivered. Giving relevant facts will also help in making each company / employment on your CV different, more informative and interesting to read.

3) Achievements

However good you are at your work, it does not matter unless you show you are able to produce results and achieve the company’s goals and targets.

Saying “I am good” does not matter – that’s your opinion. You have to prove why you are good.

A lot of job seekers only give a list of awards, achievements and appreciations from the company. For Example- “Got Best Salesman reward and won a trip to Honolulu” OR “I was given a letter of appreciation & increment for introducing cost saving methods”.

A better way to convey your achievements is to say “Won trip to Honolulu because I sold XXXX worth of products, more than anybody else”.

Remember, achievements also include those aspects of doing a job well for which you may not have got a special recognition. For example – “Over the past 5 years in the company as a safety officer there were no accidents” OR “I met the sales target year on year” OR “I achieved a 98.9% success rate – of patients not dying after a surgery performed by me…”

# Achievements have to show how you contributed to a company goal by doing your job well or excellently. But you may or may not get a reward or appreciation for it. Simply doing a job well can also be shown as an achievement. But this must be shown in a brief and precise manner.

4) Creativity

Companies want people who can use their brains to find solutions and make contributions that benefit them. Creativity is a real asset for all employers. They are looking for people who can add surplus to the job.

So as a job seeker you must make sure that your achievements also reflect your creativity.

For example, increasing sales in your supermarket outlets by 50% each year is a good achievement – introducing uniforms for staff in your store to make them identifiable by customers shows creativity – both are good points to use. But the second achievement highlights creativity.

You can show creativity on your CV by highlighting instances where your ideas have benefited the company. For example, you have achievements that make you a good HR manager, but introducing bio-metrics or computerization is creative. Or, as a warehouse manager, you have great achievements but the fact you decided to implement a bar code system to replace manual checking in your warehouse is creative.

Even if your job is mechanical and routine, creativity can be shown. Did you find a way to do the same work in an improved manner? Creativity does not have to be a profound idea – Just one that leads to improvements.

# Being creative must also show in your achievements.

Did you think of any new ideas that resulted in reduced costs, improved processes, nurtured growth, solved problems, saved time, increased revenue?

Show it clearly on your CV.

5) Skills and Competencies

It was a good idea once upon a time to give a great list of skills – But today doing so will lead to recruiters skipping this section.

If you have a specific technical skill – like software or use of a machine or instrument –list it.

But if you are planning on listing general skills like SCM or design or sales – it’s passé. It’s redundant for an accountant to say I know accounts, trial balance preparation or bank reconciliation. Or, if you are an IT professional, it’s silly to you are an expert in MS Office, when even a school kid is an expert. If you decide to mention or list your skills then make sure it is specific to the requirements of the job applied for.

Avoid saying general things like strong negotiation skills, team player, hardworking, keen learner, self-starter … really, it’s a waste…Instead of saying that you are a team player, talk about how you handled a team of people and successfully launched a new product or achieved a deadline. It becomes real then.

# Direct attention to specific skills that are important to the employer. This may include a technology platform, a software, a methodology or a specific knowledge that is important for the post, and leave out generalities.

Or if you can show something specific for example a language, familiarity with a territory and country or a specific qualification that you think would be advantageous to the employer – show that.

6) Good Communication

Good communication skills are a basic requirement for all jobs. So, your CV must show how good a communicator you are – both verbal as well as written.

# A well written resume with good language, no grammatical errors with clear thinking and presentation reflects a person with good communication, language and written skills.

7) Confidence

You have to project yourself as a confident person and your CV is a direct platform for showing your confidence.

There are many ways to project confidence. Your expertise and success must be clear – and visible. A poorly made CV shows low self-esteem and reflects poorly on your presentation skills and professionalism. Are you proud of your CV?

Also make sure your LinkedIn profile and your CV are updated and well presented. You must look smart & professional everywhere and all the time. No one wants to hire someone who can’t take the trouble of creating a good CV.

# Confidence is an intangible quality that shows because of a smart CV. Make sure you show it.

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To know what your CV reflects to recruiters and hiring managers — get a FREE EVALUATION AND FEEDBACK of your CV, by mailing your CV to     limasehgal@gmail.com      and get tips and advice on how you can improve the impact of your CV and boost your job search.

Also feel free to follow me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/limasehgal/ for regular CV tips, vacancies, interview tips and advice on how to conduct a successful job search (and let me know so I can follow you back)

Looking for vacancies? Go to our jobs section at www.jobnetonline.com/jobs for more

7 Things You Should NEVER Include On Your CV

Job seekers tend to focus on what to include on their resume, but it is equally important to know what NOT to include on your resume.

What information to include is in your hands, but remember that even small mistakes can backfire and reflect badly on you and in turn hurt your chances of getting shortlisted.

Here are a list of things that you should NOT include on your CV.

1) Personal Information; What to include and what to exclude:

The basics of personal information that you have to include are Name, Address, Email, and Mobile. This information is necessary for a person to contact you. Make sure that all contact details are current and in working condition.

– Address
Your address has to be a place where you can be reached.

#Avoid giving an address of some remote location even if it is your permanent address. If you have no permanent address or you are changing locations frequently, do not list it. You can give an email ID instead.

– Email IDs
Your email ID must be in working condition and you should frequently check it.

You can include up to 2 email id’s on your CV. Just ensure you do not include your current company ID on your CV.

# Do not include email IDs that are descriptive – like sexysanjoo, chooserekha , Manjeetforsuccess – Please choose a mature email ID for your job hunt- the best ones are simple with just combinations around your name.

– Links.
You should include links and details of your Linkedin profile, Skype and website, and to your portfolio.

# What not to include are links that make a person move out of your CV and into your company or college website or to other places on the internet.

– Photographs.
Your photograph needs to show you with a frontal view, in formal attire and a smile. There should be a clear background behind you. Prepare 2 versions of your CV –with and without a photograph.

# Avoid sending your CV with a photograph, unless it has been asked for. Someone may reject you for no reasonable fault but just because of how you look. Also remember, photographs are graphic files and are heavy to email, which can lead to technical difficulties in opening your CV or email.

2) Do NOT include statements of self praise and emphasis:

Many job seekers tend to put in declaratory statements in their “Objective”.
Here are some examples:

Objective: “Talented, multifunctional visionary seeks …”
– “Looking for middle or senior position with an organization where I can contribute…”
– “Award winning national sales manager looking for a challenging work environment… “

No company or recruiter is interested in what you want and what you are trying to say so vehemently. They are interested in only what they want.

# Cut it out- Create a short summary instead- just 2 to 4 points maximum telling them what your expertise is, so that your value to them is clear from the start.

3) Do NOT include explanations for job changes in your CV.

Many job seekers find it necessary to explain why they left a company in the past.
For example-“Left company because – I had a baby, had an accident, left to avoid relocation, got retrenched, company closed down, left because of no growth prospects, daddy got posted abroad” – The reasons are varied.

This is highly avoidable because the explanations you give can have different interpretations for different hiring managers. Lets take the example given above to get an idea on how others may view it.

Example: She had a baby last year so she has to cope with a 1 year old kid’s problems- She would be taking leave whenever the kid falls sick. Oh he had an accident? Maybe he is a rash driver or is he hiding a disability related issue? She left because daddy got posted out? So next time daddy get another posting she will quit. Got retrenched, company closed down, left because of no growth prospects ? Hey this may be a person with a problem – probably someone who gets shunted our easily – Maybe because he is dispensable?

#Do not give reasons for leaving a company on your CV. The reasons can be misinterpreted. You can give an explanation for a job change when you are called in for an interview instead.

4) Do NOT include your salary details.

Job seekers tend to mention their current salary details or give their CTC ( Cost To company ) figures in their CV. They mention it either with their current job, or give salary figures for all the jobs that they have worked in.

Including salary details on your CV is a fundamental blunder. This is because companies have different structures for salary preparation. And if you don’t fit into their structure you may get rejected. They may also reject you because you are over their budget.

By including it, you are creating a reason for rejection without getting a fair chance to be called for an interview where you get a chance to negotiate or compromise.

# Never include your salary details on your CV. Give yourself the chance to discuss and negotiate your salary requirement during the interview.

5) Do NOT include references, unless specifically asked:

There was a time when references were a necessary part of a CV. Job seekers used to go through a lot of trouble getting references from impressive contacts.

Today , there is no need to give references on your CV. If you are a job seeker, employers know that you can produce references. So you do not have to say – “References on request”.

In today’s environment a reference check happens to be the employer’s privilege. Every company has their own requirement- It could be talking to your client, your boss, other ex- employers, your colleagues. So if you are selected for a position, they will probably ask you for a specific kind of reference.

# Avoid putting references on your CV when there is no need for it. It makes your CV unnecessarily long. You can produce them when specifically asked to do so.

6) Do NOT include family details.

Job seekers tend to include information about their marital status, kids, employment details of spouse/ father ,religion.

This kind information creates impressions about you that you have no control over. Suppose a company is not keen to hire a person who is married, why take the chance of getting rejected without a fair chance? Personal data is not compulsory to show. People are keen to know what you can contribute to their organization. So stick to showing your expertise rather than your personal life.

And never mention your religion on your CV. This is often a ground for prejudice and getting rejected.

# Avoid giving personal information on your CV.

7) Do NOT include a conclusion statement at the end of the CV.

Remove the oath bearing statement at the end of your CV that says- I declare that all information is true and updated to the best of my ability – along with a date and signature. It is understood that you shouldn’t lie. Also, it is a CV not an affidavit.

# There is no need for it at all. It is redundant and it just occupies space.

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Stay clear and concise on what you want to show on your resume. There is so much competition out there, you cannot afford to make mistakes in what you communicate to others through your CV.

For a FREE EVALUATION AND FEEDBACK on errors and mistakes on your CV, mail your CV to      limasehgal@gmail.com      and get tips and advice on how you can improve the impact of your CV and boost your job search.

Also feel free to follow me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/limasehgal/ for regular CV tips, vacancies, interview tips and advice on how to conduct a successful job search (and let me know so I can follow you back)

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