Effective CV Writing

By Nick J. Alexander

If you have ever had to read CV after CV you will appreciate two things - reading average CV after average CV is tiring and reading average CV after average CV is boring. So when your CV arrives in front of a recruiter why should they think that yours is going to be any different?

The number of people going for jobs with the opinion that their CV is brilliant is staggering. The number of people going for jobs with a brilliant CV is minimal.

Why? Because people just cannot be bothered to put in the real effort that’s required to turn them from “rejected” to “definitely interview”.

Why? Because people don’t understand the basic premise that if your CV doesn’t make you look like a serious contender very quickly you will get flushed. Recruiters simply don’t have the time.

So the bad news is that for the staggering majority all is lost. The good news is that if you’re reading this far you’re not going to be one of them, and that puts you in the box-seat!

This book shows you how to construct a tight, eye-catching, persuasive CV designed to impress a recruiter very quickly.

But... if you’re not prepared to put in the serious effort required to achieve this - save your money and don’t buy the book!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nick J. Alexander
• Release date: Jul 17, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310657764

Nick J. Alexander

Nick Alexander has worked for some of the largest multinationals in the world and has extensive experience in Sales and Marketing. An experienced recruiter Nick has seen some of the best and much of the worst examples of CV's and resumés; that's why he decided to write a series of straight-talking, no-nonsense guides to selling and marketing yourself to potential employers in this rough, dog-eat-dog world of economic recession.

Book preview

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter One –Why Effective"

Chapter Two –What’s Important to Me?

Chapter Three – Your Main Selling Points

Chapter Four – What is a CV?

Chapter Five – Why Do One?

Chapter Six – What Should it Not Be?

Chapter Seven – Basic CV Errors

Chapter Eight – What Employers Want

Chapter Nine – Self Assessment

Chapter Ten - Personality

Chapter Eleven – Positive and Negative Words

Chapter Twelve – Measurable Achievements

Chapter Thirteen – Types of CV

Chapter Fourteen – Setting Out Your CV

Chapter Fifteen – Covering Letters

Chapter Sixteen – Job Advertisements

Chapter Seventeen – Recruitment Agencies

Chapter Eighteen – Sending Out Your CV

Chapter Nineteen – And Lastly, Not Everybody…

Effective CV Writing

Nick J. Alexander

Copyright 2014 by Nick J. Alexander

Smashwords Edition

INTRODUCTION

Let’s get real. You’re reading this because you want to improve your lifestyle don’t you? You want more money. (Don’t we all?!) And let’s be straight. There’s nothing wrong with that. Whether you want it to support your lifestyle or whether you want to give your family a better life isn’t the issue. The issue is that you want to do better. You want success! You bought this book because you were looking for tips on how to improve your CV weren’t you? So if you’re looking to improve your CV you’re looking to improve your prospects. Maybe you need a job. Maybe you’re trying to go for a new position. Either way this isn’t about sending out a CV. It’s about Selling and Marketing Yourself for money.

Do you sell products or services for a living? If you do you will know what is involved in getting someone to buy from you. And you will know the complex issues that are involved – although they may not seem that way. But if you don’t then you are at a significant disadvantage because selling yourself is no different to selling a product or service.

By purchasing this book you have already set yourself apart because you have decided to do something about your situation. Something that goes beyond a couple of cosmetic niceties that most people stop at when compiling their CV. Some even go to an agency to do it for them. Are they strong? No, of course not. Winners and successful people don’t get others to try and make them look good. They do it themselves! You won’t get on if you don’t stand out.  So you must become your own best product.

This for some people is the beginning of the problem.  It does not come naturally to many to be assertive or to be seen as promoting themselves. However, in the race for jobs there are not so many timid and shy candidates who win.  Self-deprecation, modesty and understatement don’t result in employers and agencies beating a path to your door. You must learn to sell yourself and your CV is the starting point. Just imagine for a moment… will the candidates you’re in competition with be thinking the same? Or do you think they will be working hard at presenting themselves in the best light? Of course they will!

No-one is advocating that your CV represents anything less than the truth about you, your experience and your abilities. It’s just that there are ways of presenting information about yourself. Research would indicate that most recruiters would, on average, spend less than two minutes reading a CV. Two minutes! Some, I would venture to suggest, are consigned to the waste-bin with nothing more than a quick glance.  Your challenge is to make the most of the window of opportunity to grab their attention before the window slams shut.

This book has been designed