TIPS & TRICKS
Before a potential employer ever meets you, they'll first read your resume or CV. These documents, plus the cover letter that accompanies them, is your only chance to make a good impression on the employer. Fail to stand out from the crowd, and you can be sure you won't receive a call back for an interview. You certainly won't find your place on any shortlists without a stellar CV, either. Knowing that, how can you improve the quality of your content? We don't all start out as resume writers. Let's start with the first thing any employer reads if it accompanies a resume: the cover letter.
Basics of the Cover Letter
The cover letter is your chance to introduce yourself and explain why you're a good fit for the advertised position. There are many elements to successful cover letter writing. First is gauging the appropriate tone to take. The tone varies based on the employer. For some, take a more personable, friendly tone. You aren't necessarily looking to be casual, but to appear like you fit the company culture. In other cases, you'll want to button up your writing and assume a very formal style. The tone you use depends on your perception of the company and the job.
Remember that this letter is more than just an introduction. Identify the criteria outlined in the job listing. Examine how your skills meet those requirements. Also, think of how your experience empowers you to meet the demands of the job. Now transform that information into a concise summary. Your cover letter needs to convey what experience is applicable and why it suits you for the job. Finally, conclude respectfully.
You should do this all on one page. Do not submit cover letters over one page unless instructed specifically! A cover letter that's too long simply won't be read at all. At the same time, one which is too short won't get your point across. It is thus important to balance these factors carefully.
Remember that this letter is more than just an introduction. Identify the criteria outlined in the job listing. Examine how your skills meet those requirements. Also, think of how your experience empowers you to meet the demands of the job. Now transform that information into a concise summary. Your cover letter needs to convey what experience is applicable and why it suits you for the job. Finally, conclude respectfully.
You should do this all on one page. Do not submit cover letters over one page unless instructed specifically! A cover letter that's too long simply won't be read at all. At the same time, one which is too short won't get your point across. It is thus important to balance these factors carefully.
What Should Be in Your Resume?
After reading your cover letter, an employer will flip to your resume to see that you can back up your claims. Solid, professional resume writing harmonises many elements into one document. These elements include:
After gathering all this information, put it into a solid, cohesive format. However, don't overwhelm the reader with info. Trim down things to the most relevant facts without sacrificing how they highlight your ability.
Doing your CV writing works much the same way, though you'll want to spend more time enumerating all your accomplishments. Now is a good opportunity to remember all the awards you've been given, associations you've been a part of, and more. Employers will want to see all this info or it could be disqualifying.
- Contact details, presented professionally (be sure to avoid personal nicknames and "cute" emails)
- A list of your core skills which are most relevant to the job, laid out concisely
- Your educational history, training and certifications if applicable, and all other earned qualifications; this is a vital section. Don't neglect it!
- An account of your work history. You need to carefully judge how far back to build out your work history on the resume. Some jobs want to know more; some need to know less.
- References. It's vital to be able to supply an employer with quality employment references to verify your work history.
After gathering all this information, put it into a solid, cohesive format. However, don't overwhelm the reader with info. Trim down things to the most relevant facts without sacrificing how they highlight your ability.
Doing your CV writing works much the same way, though you'll want to spend more time enumerating all your accomplishments. Now is a good opportunity to remember all the awards you've been given, associations you've been a part of, and more. Employers will want to see all this info or it could be disqualifying.
Nailing the Selection Criteria
Finally, what if you need to provide a selection criteria response with your professional CV? The employer may want to know exactly how you meet certain requirements. Here's a hint: be very specific. Don't just state that you have some skills. Drill down into why you have those skills and how you acquired them. Provide plenty of clear examples from your work history of scenarios that relate but avoid wordiness. By addressing the selection criteria this way, you stand a better chance of reaching the short list.
Feeling a Little Overwhelmed?
If you're concerned that you won't be able to do yourself justice, don't worry — it just takes practice to understand how to represent yourself. However, that process can also take a substantial amount of time and effort. That's time you may not always have when you're busy on the job hunt.
CV Pro's professional resume writers and cover letter writing can help you to lock in more interviews while spending less time tweaking the same documents over and over again. Not even sure where to begin? Check out our personality assessment test — it's an excellent launchpad for writing to meet selection criteria and more.
CV Pro's professional resume writers and cover letter writing can help you to lock in more interviews while spending less time tweaking the same documents over and over again. Not even sure where to begin? Check out our personality assessment test — it's an excellent launchpad for writing to meet selection criteria and more.
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