How To Make Your CV Unique

A resume is a one-to two-page document summarizing your career objectives,  professional experiences and achievements, and educational background. To  stand apart from other candidates, you should consider the information in your  resume carefully and make sure that it is personal to you. 

Here are three tips on  making your resume unique to you:  

1. Customize your career objective. Think of your whole resume as a sales  tool; your career objective is your opening statement. You want your  employer to know what you want, not just restate what other people want.  

State your commitment to your career goal. If you are unsure of what you  want, how is your employer to believe that you really want the job at their  organization and you are not just applying because you want to get out of  your current work environment? Don’t be afraid to state what you want  from a job and from an organization.  

2. While you want to state your commitment, you also want to show that you  are willing to take action to achieve your goal. Indicate what direction or  action you are willing to take in order to accomplish your career objective.  Lastly, be specific about what you are looking for in a work situation. 

While  you can say that you are looking for a “challenging” environment, this  doesn’t mean anything to your employer, as people define challenges in  various ways. Avoid using generic and broad terms. Simply state what you  want, and what you are willing to do to get it.  

3. Highlight the best elements of your experience.This is the most commonly  missed aspect of writing a resume. The entire professional experience  section on your resume is unique to you. Take advantage of that. Use  power words to list your responsibilities, and make sure that you have a  winning attitude in each of statement.  

4. Focus on those responsibilities that best describe the skills you acquired  while in each job that make you the most qualified candidate for the  position you are seeking. Quantify your responsibilities when possible to  showcase to your potential employer that you are drive by results and are  capable of exceeding goals. Don’t be shy about promoting your  qualifications – you earned them with your hard work and dedication.  

5. Personalize your cover letter. The biggest mistake professionals make is  not spending any time on their cover letter. Your cover letter should  receive the same attention as your resume as they go hand-in-hand.  

Address your cover letter to the appropriate person at the company  (contact info is typically listed in the job description). Make sure to mention  what position you are applying for, and demonstrate how the information in  your resume aligns well with the job requirements.  Your cover letter also allows you to address any information in your resume that  may raise questions – take the time to do so, as you don’t want your resume  discarded because you chose not to create a personalized cover letter. 

Overall, make sure that your cover letter supports your resume and presents you as the  most qualified candidate for the job.  

ELECTRONIC RESUMES  There are two most commonly used methods for electronic resume submission:  uploading your resume to the employer’s web site or to the resume bank, and e- mailing your resume to the employer. Faxing or mailing your resume is virtually  an obsolete practice, because employers are heavily relying on software  programs that scan resumes for key words related to the available positions at their organizations.  

However, printed resumes are necessary for interviews. Thus, professionals  essentially have to have two versions of their resume. While there are numerous  resources for composing a more traditionally formatted resume, many  professionals are not sure how to create electronic resumes that will get noticed. 

Create a plain text file of your resume. While you want certain items on  your resume to stand out, you should still have a plain text file (.txt file) of  your resume. Most employers request a plain text file, because they can  run the file through computer software that scans your resume for key  words related to the available jobs. 

When creating a text file, makes sure  that you take the time to format the resume; check spacing and adjust any  lines of text that seem out of place.  Follow instructions of your potential employer. If the employer is asking  that you send your resume in the body of the e-mail, do not send them an  attachment. 

Copy and paste the plain text resume you have created into  the body of the email; take the time to check for potential formatting  changes. Do not try to format the text by making portions of your resume  bold, or change the font size or type. While you may have the email editor  which allows for this formatting, your potential employer may only accept  plain text messages. Stick to the basics for a successful transmission of your resume.  

Do Not save your resume as a PDF. This file type is typically larger in size, and  is not very common for an electronic resume, that your potential employer may  completely discard your email.  Test your electronic resume by sending it to a few friends via email. Because  they may be using different e-mail providers, or have different software than you,  they can let you know how your resume appears to them.
 
This will help you in  uncovering and correcting potential formatting problems, to assure that your  resume is in great form by the time it reaches potential employers.  Do Not make an assumption that including a resume in the body of an email is  the only information you should include in your message to your potential  employer. Even if the resume is copied into the email, you still need to let your  employer know a little bit more about yourself via a cover letter. 

However, since  you will include your address at the top of the email, feel free to start your  resume with a career objective instead of including the heading with your name  and address.    

INFORMATIVE TIPS FOR EMAILING YOUR RESUME  

In order to seek out and apply for the jobs you are interested in, you will most likely post your profile and resume on a job search web site, such as  monster.com or hotjobs.com.
 
These search engines allow you to upload your  resume in a Microsoft Word or text file format, or create one using their forms.  Outside of the job search web sites, e-mailing your resume as form of  application has become commonplace. However, each employer or headhunter  has different rules on the file they will accept via e-mail. Most companies will  accept an attachment in Microsoft Word – this is why you have to be conscious  of the font type and size, as well as margins you are using when composing  your resume.
 
If a company is requesting a text file, you should follow these  steps to convert your Microsoft Word document into a text resume: Select File, Save As  Name the file; as a best practice, use your name as the file name, and use  underscores as spaces  Under Format, select Text Only  Select Save  Now that you have converted your file to a text file, make sure to open it and  review how the spaces, tabs, and bullet points have transferred over. You may  need to do some edits in order to format the resume to fit the file type.
 
Note that  the plain text file doesn’t allow for bold, italicizing or underlining. Make sure that  all your text is left justified and that the spacing is correct.  If an employer asks that you include your resume in the body of an email, treat  this as a text file when formatting. Copy and paste your whole resume in an  email.
 
Keep the font styles basic; use Arial or Times New Roman fonts and keep  the size at 10 or 12 points. Adjust all the spacing and bullet points as  appropriate. A good rule to follow is to keep the email simple – avoid bold or  italicizing text since you don’t really know the type of email software your  recipient is using or if the accept HTML or text emails only.  

If you are sending your resume as an attachment, format the body of your email  as a cover letter. At the top of the email, include your name and address, as well  as the address of your recipient. Typically, the address can be found either on  the job listing or at the company’s web site. If you are sending the resume in the  body of the email, follow the same guidelines in terms of the email content.  

Don’t make an assumption that including a resume in the body of an email is the  only information you should include in your message to your potential employer.  

If the resume is copied into the email, you still need to let your employer know a  little bit more about yourself via a cover letter. However, since you will include  your address at the top of the email, feel free to start your resume with a career  objective instead of including the heading with your name and address.  

Much like proofing is critical in perfecting your resume, testing how your resume  is displayed in a body of an email or how it opens as an attachment via another  computer is important. Rally your friends or family for help, and send them  sample emails with your resume included in the body of the message or as an  attachment. This will provide a great opportunity for you to assure that your  resume is reaching your potential employers in the format that is clean and  professional.

PRINTED RESUMES  As professionals, we rely on the Internet to search for jobs and on e-mail to  apply for them. We create our resumes and cover letters to fit the electronic  format, so it is not a surprise that having to print out a resume can result in  concerns and mistakes.  First, let’s discuss when a printed resume is needed.

While you are completing  numerous job applications online, you still need to have a printed resume to  bring on an interview with you. You also must keep in mind that it is very likely  your potential employer will print out your resume from a job search web site or  from the message you sent expressing your interest in the job. 

Thus, it is very  important that you print out a test copy before submitting your resume to  employers to assure the layout is what you want it to be.  As a rule, when printing out your resume, make sure to use white or ivory paper.  You can get a stack of resume paper at any office supplies store. You will want  your resume to appear as clean and professional. 

Do not use color paper, or  change the color of the font in order to make your resume stand out; your  employer will find this unprofessional and childish, which is not the first  impression you want to make. If your resume is longer than one page, print out  multiple pages.  

Don’t print on the front and the back of a single page; rather, include headings in  your resume file, indicating page numbers and print each page on its own sheet  of paper. You should not have any handwriting on your resume; make sure that  page numbers are in fact printed along with the rest of the resume content.  

Make sure that you let your resume sit on the printer for a few moments before  picking it up. This will help you avoid smudging the ink of the paper, especially if  you are using an Ink Jet printer. You want to assure that the resume doesn’t  have any smudging, stains, or crumpling when you are handing it to your  potential employer. 

First impressions are important – you don’t want yours to be  that of someone who is sloppy and careless.  When going in for an interview, you should bring multiple copies of your resume  with you. Some people think this is not necessary because your potential  employer already has your resume. This is a common misconception. You  should always have several copies of your resume printed out and with you  when at an interview.  

Often times, the hiring manager may ask another associate to meet you during  the interviewing process, and he/she may not have a copy of your resume.  Having extras makes you look professional, prepared and organized, which  helps you set your best foot forward.  

Additionally, it is helpful that the copy of the resume you bring in for an interview  has a complete list of references. You can include the references directly on  your resume (typically at the bottom of the page), or you can include a separate  sheet of paper with the list. 

The first option is preferred, because it provides the  employer with all of the critical information about you in one place. Including  your references preempts the employer from asking you for this information; it  also shows that you are seriously interested in the available position.  

Having a well-formatted, clean and professional resume will only help you make  a great first impression, and help you get the job you are truly interested in.