The 5 Things You Must Know to Write a CV (Curriculum Vitae) That Will Get You a Job Interview

Your CV is the one and if badly written your only opportunity to interact with a hiring manager. It is imperative that it is well written and appeals to the reader. There are a number of things that you can do that will ensure the hiring manager not only reads it thoroughly but is left with no option but to get you in for an interview.

1. YOUR CV IS YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION

When applying for a job, you only get one opportunity to make a first impression. Whether you are applying to a company direct, or through a recruitment company your first impression will be through your CV. It is for this reason that you pay close attention to what you write and how you write your CV.

For each vacancy there could be hundreds of CV's that managers or recruitment consultants need to look through. Initially they will scan each one for about 30 seconds. You need to give them a reason to take a longer look and then give you a call.

2. SELL YOURSELF

Most people think that a CV is designed to simply be the tale of your working life so far and that if people want you they will see what they need to see and give you a call. This couldn't be further from the truth, if you are looking for IT Jobs in Australia the market is quite competitive and as such you need to take the bull by the horns and give yourself the best possible shot. Be confident in your abilities and let that shine through when you write a CV.

3. TELL A COMPELLING STORY

Whether you're an IT Project Manager or a Help Desk Analyst you have a story to tell and you should make sure that the story is one that the reader can't put down.

Each role that you have had needs to tell what you did, how you did it and what your achievements were.Give us a list of the skills that you utilised in that role, but also give us in plain English a few paragraphs that explain how you went about your work.Remember that you made important contributions, tell us what they were.

4. KEEP IT CLEAN AND READABLE

A CV that is all over the place and is quite hard to follow, probably won't get read. Your CV should always be:

Written in reverse chronological order andBe written in plain English.

Start with a summary that gives a clear indication of what you have done and where you want your career to go. Move onto your Education and Skills Matrix and then your employment history.

When looking for job opportunities the more readable your CV is the more chance it will be given more than just a 30 second scan. You should use a quality CV template and look through a number of sample CV's before committing to your final draft.

5. BE CLEAR ABOUT THE SKILLS YOU HAVE

All the points that I have gone through in this article have had a recurring theme of confidence and clarity in your CV. Your skills matrix must also follow this theme. There is no need to list every single skill or piece of technology that you have ever used, but should be a comprehensive list of your skills that are clear strengths.

It is important that you cover all of the major skills that a particular job opportunity requires and that you give an honest reflection of the level you have obtained. Remember there is no point exaggerating in this respect as it will quickly be found through quality interview questions.

To reinforce the skills matrix, at the end of each job in your employment history, provide a list of skills and technologies that you worked with in that role.

Graeme Isaacs from IT Success Recruitment Services has reviewed thousands of CV's and is one of Australia's foremost experts in IT employment. If you would like more information on writing a CV, or to download a quality CV Template or Sample CV then simply go to http://www.itsuccess.com.au/ or call 03 9982 1333 and Graeme Isaacs and the team at IT Success can advise you on all aspects of your IT Career.