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What is a CV?

Wiktionary describes the answer as:

This is a very narrow, yet accurate description for what is the fundamental introductory document of the majority of the working population. It is the first impression you make with either a future employer or a recruiter working on behalf of an employer. It can make you. It can certainly break you. It gives you the opportunity to identify and more importantly differentiate yourself from all the other candidates applying for a new working role. Some people will tell you it should be a certain way and others will contradict that certain way. Keep reading this article for the True Definition of a CV. Click this link for our Professional CV Services.

Myth: A CV can only be 2 pages long.

Truth: No one knows for certain when this came into popular belief but it most certainly came after an even older belief that a CV could only be one page long. Either way this myth persists and terrifies people but if you consider some facts about the nature of the employment landscape of the last decade you will soon realise how you can break the mould and have a 3 page CV.

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Myth: They have a job that might interest you.

Do not believe the recruiter that phones you and says that they have a perfect role for you unless they can tell you who the role is with and the name of the contact. Be direct and push hard. Give no quarter. Your professional CV is the best thing they have seen since the first morning coffee and it deserves their respect, as do you.

Know your Enemy:

The recruiter is a fickle creature that sees you as a bonus payment. It has at any one time between 5 and 10 versions of you that it believes could win the role and guarantee that bonus payment appearing in its pay slip. Cunningly, it will feign interest in you to determine suitability for a role and if you falter when you answer its questions then you can be certain of one outcome. Exclusion from interview.
Your CV has to be impressive enough to make the recruiter’s hands sweat and its voice tremor with excitement when it asks if it “could please put you forward for the role?”

Myth: Bullets will make your CV look ordered and to the point.

Truth: No they will not but they can. We use bullets for all of our CVs but we use them to give purpose and clarity, we do not add them to a list of 10 items with the vain hope that the list becomes more interesting. Recruiters and employers lose interest in lists without purpose. Bullets will not cure this.

Myth: Its a good idea to put your picture on a CV.

Truth: Never, under any circumstance should you put your picture on a CV. If you choose to do so then you are asking the reader to form an opinion on your looks. We all know it is against the law to discriminate, unfortunately there are still a lot of people that will. Why take the risk?

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