Professional CV Writing
What is resume?
Résumé : A résumé is a document used to present backgrounds and skills. A typical résumé contains a summary of relevant job experience and education. The résumé is usually one of the first items, along with a cover letter and sometimes an application for employment, which a potential employer sees regarding the job seeker and is typically used to screen applicants, often followed by an interview.
What is CV?
CV: A curriculum vitae (CV) gives an overview of a person's experience and other qualifications. In some countries, a CV. is typically the first item that a potential employer encounters regarding the job seeker and is typically used to screen applicants, often followed by an interview, employment.
Difference: The résumé is comparable to a curriculum vitae (CV) in many countries.
What is cover letter?
A cover letter, covering letter, motivation letter, motivational letter or a letter of motivation is a letter of introduction attached to, or accompanying another document such as a résumé or curriculum vitae.
Job seekers frequently send a cover letter along with their curriculum vitae or application for employment as a way of introducing themselves to potential employers and explaining their suitability for the desired position. Employers may look for individualized and thoughtfully written cover letters as one method of screening out applicants who are not sufficiently interested in their position or who lack necessary basic skills. Cover letters are typically divided into three categories:
- The application letter or invited cover letter which responds to a known job opening
- The prospecting letter or uninvited cover letter which inquires about possible positions
- The networking letter which requests information and assistance in the sender's job search.
What to use, CV or Resume?
In Bangladesh both are in use. It is not important how you name the document but your document must present your experiences and qualifications convincingly for the position concerned.
Why high quality CV or Resume is required?
Today’s job market is highly competitive. Employers recruit the best candidate where CV/resume and cover letter are the first documents to impress the employers. Therefore; the applicant must present his/her documents in the best form to draw the attention of the recruiters.
There are lot of professional CV/resume writing service providers available in the world. This service has made it necessary to write the CV/resume in the best possible with the right words. Improper presentation of facts shall cause rejection of even the best candidates.
How to write a CV?
- Do not use same information for every CV.
- Customise your CV basing on job description and qualifying requirements.
- Write a powerful covering letter summarizing your strengths, abilities to shoulder the responsibilities and express your deep interest in the position.
- In some cases candidate is asked to state the reasons why he thinks that he is an outstanding candidate for the job (usually characters are limited). The same content may be included in the cover letter and in the profile of the CV.
- Choose the most powerful words very concisely and express your strengths most convincingly. Use the common terminology relevant to the position or area of work so that it catches the employers’ eyes instantly. Keep the language simple and easy for understanding by any reader. Remember, usually initial selection or preparation of long list is done by junior employees.
- Military professionals have a diverse and rich experience. They need to present their experience skilfully so that the civilian employers can understand the requirements of their skills for employment.
- No error is expected in CV/resume.
- Do not make the CV/resume unnecessarily long.
What is the best CV/resume format?
- Most of the organizations requiring regular recruitment ask for CV in prescribed formats.
- Asking for submission of CV online is becoming common.
- Organizations recruiting irregularly usually do not ask for CV/resume in any prescribed format. In this case selection of is left to the applicant’s wish.
Some guidelines for various level of employment:
Student and Entry Level:
Students do not have much relevant experience in early stages of career. At this stage we need to start with the quality rather than quantity.
Resume for a beginner should clearly demonstrate the abilities, strengths, and motivation to assume new responsibilities and challenges.
Present your academic and extracurricular achievements to distinguish yourself from the others.
Professional and Mid Career:
As an experienced professional you need a skillfully designed presentation demonstrating both the depth and breadth of expertise.
Resume must show a core set of professional or technical skills, an ability to solve problems, and a broader set of administrative and interpersonal skills.
Portray yourself appropriately to meet new challenges and prove your ability to be a team player in any type of organization.
As an experienced executive, you need a carefully crafted marketing document demonstrating your record of profitability, productivity, and continued growth.
Resume must show that you consistently seize opportunities and deliver results in order to create a compelling value proposition.
You must be presented as an innovative, visionary leader with demonstrated experience of a manager who has succeeded in planning and leading the execution of strategies that impact the base line.
Craft a unique resume to showcase your most relevant qualifications and achievements for the next challenge.
Military career has unique set of skills and capabilities which are desirable to a civilian employer — if the employer clearly understands how your skills relate to their organization and requirements.
Your professional experience need to be appropriately portrayed as having the skills necessary to meeting new challenges in a civilian environment.
Your resume must show that you consistently deliver results in order to create a compelling value proposition.
Craft a job-winning resume by converting your military experience — into civilian terminology while showcasing your most relevant skills and achievements.
Suggested CV format (customise it to your style/requirements):
|Institution||Location||From||To||Degree||Major Subjects studied||Results||In person/ online|
|4||Training/Professional Courses/ Certification|
|Institution||Location||From||To||Certificate/ Degree||Results||In person/ online|
|MS Office Suite|
|6||Professional Experience relevant to the position (prove adequacy for the position)|
|From-to (start from the last/current)||Position/Title||Organization||Duties Performed||Reason for leaving|
|9||Professional Association||Name of the professional organization|
|11||References (if any)|
My Academy shall start its online professional CV/resume writing services from June 2015.