My CV - your comments please

LoBo

Hi folks,

I'm currently in Australia on a 1yr visa and cannot get a job interview for a position in IT...

I've recently updated my CV so it includes an IT skills section right up front - opinions & ideas for improvement much appreciated:



Cheers

Colm

WhiteWashMan

YUCK!!!!!!

OMG!

your CV is offensive to my eyes!!!!!!!



ok. it might be wise for you to change some of your CV about.
sor a start, you have a summary. a nice thing, but usually only put on a resume. dont mix the two, they are completely different.

secondly, having your work experience should come next.
start with you current or most recent job and work back.

dont use paragraphed writing for you positions.
use bullitt points and make them concise. add in everything you do. you current job should fill most of your first page, because this is what you are working on.

next, put in your technical abilities, and certificates. put in what you studied in colelge and the mark. i recently received a cv that just said a BSc in something or other. i didnt know if they had got their degree, or if the failed it. as far as i was concerned they had been to college.

add in certs, and add in your working knokwlegde of apps, hardware, prog. languages etc.
DO NOT put in your year experience.
often your cv will go through a junior HR admin and they will have a list of things they want. you could be brililiant, but if you have 2 years of excel work, and the job demands 3, you could be in the bin before you even see an interview board.

there is no need for your internet address, unless you are showing of home made websites or its pertinant to your career. if its just home draw pictures of you killing your lecturers, they might not be recieved too well!

instead of word and excel (everyone uses them!) say you have knowledge of the full office suite

put in some personl info at the end. give yourself a bit of personality. tell them you love studying the mating habits of the lesser serengeti rhino or something.
always tell them something that makes you like intelligent (reading, studying, home study, self starter) and also tell them that you like doing social things (going for a beer, bbq's, team sports) as this will show that you can get on with people.
believe it or not, its just as important that you fit into an organisation as it is that you can do the work.

nice graphics and lines....
nice, but leave them out!
you cv will be crushed and abused and mixed and put into the HR dept. own cv format. the easier it is for them, the happier they will be. you cannot sell yourself by having nice pictures on a cv, you do it by having you cv neatly laid out, having it plain and having it simple. dont crush everything into 2 pages. if you need 3, use three. use common sense.

and lsat of all, sell yourself in your cv!

i found a fantastic thing on MSN last week that showed what words to use. or maybe someone posted it here. if anyone knows it, please post it up as it was fantastic. it had words that you should use in a cv, and words you shouldnt.
use positive words.
and make sure that you tell them all the good things you do.
i do this
i do that
i arrange
i organise
i am in charge of
i have been credited with

etc
etc

now go, re-write your cv and post it back up

hope this helps.

Borzoi

Ow, that hurts me eyes.

Basicly what wwm said but additionally you give your address as NSW, I now it's Australia but many won't.

Are you Aussie? you never mention it specifically.

I'm recruiting for an engineering job at the moment, and having to get visa's is not something I want to be arsed doing - so you have to make a special pitch regarding same.

Though in all honesty. if in doubt I'll pass over you, I don't have the time to check out things on your CV.

Meant to add, your referee is an old neighbour of mine, bit worrying when people you've grown up with are references on CVs

DannyD

tHERE IS too much clutter.
Use bullet points.
Cut down on some of the waffle.