8 things to make an impressive CV

In the article 12 things your CV should not have we discussed the common errors applicants make when drafting their CVs or resumes. Following the article we received a large number of queries from readers, asking what information should they include in their CV, to make it impressive.

This article is an attempt to help the readers design an impressive and user-friendly CV. If you ensure that you include this information in your CV, the chances of it meeting the interviewer's expectations are increased.

~ Begin with name and contact details
Make this information available at the beginning of your CV. This should include your postal address, phone number (preferably mobile number) and e-mail address (only one). If a company wants to call you for an interview or needs to communicate with you for any further information, they will look out for this information. If it is buried somewhere inside the CV it will not only put them off but also reduce their chances of contacting you.

~ Write an appealing career summary
This is your chance to bring forward relevant strengths and skills to the recruiter. Everything in your CV should support your Career Summary. If there's anything that doesn't support your Career Summary, you should reconsider listing it.

You should write your Career Summary around your skills, attitude, knowledge and experience. There are two schools of thought on writing the career statement.

Some people think that it should be a short 30-40 word paragraph while others give it liberty to be covered in 4-5 bulleted points. Whatever you decide on, ensure that everything relevant that you want to sell to the prospective employer is covered here. At the same time, it should not become nauseating.

~ Focus on your work experience, responsibilities and achievements
If you are an experienced candidate, your work experience is your main asset. Include the details of the relevant jobs you have done in the past. You should present your work experience in a chronologically descending order ie the last company first.

This should include the name of the company, your designation and tenure followed by your job responsibilities and achievements. It is always better to present this information in bulleted format rather than a clumsy paragraph. Mention some figures when you talk about your achievements.

For example:
Worked as Business Development Manager for XYZ Company from June 2000 to January 2004.

Job responsibilities:

• Setting up 7 franchisees across 4 countries
• Maximising the business from existing customers to the tune of $ 200,000 

~ Your next asset is your educational qualification
Educational qualifications play an important role in the recruitment of freshers. If you are a fresh candidate, focus your CV on your qualifications and achievements during your student life. 

~ Write about your out-of-work achievements, interests and hobbies
These reflect your personality and skills. Present the relevant achievements in the order of priority ie the most important achievement first. Similarly, present your interests as well. Write about the achievements that display a facet of your personality. For example, if you have been the president of your college, do mention it. It shows your leadership skills.     

~ Write short sentences with more impactful words
Lengthy CVs put the recruiter off. Keep the sentences short and use words that demonstrate your hold of the situation like managed, arranged, supervised etc.  

~ Formal font faces
A font like Verdana-10 should be good for the content while the Name at the top can be written in Verdana-12, with a bold font face.

~ Use the same tense through out the CV.
Changing the tense in every second line leaves the reader confused and annoyed.

Now, put together both the articles ie 12 things your CV should not have and 8 things to make an impressive CV. Draft and re-draft your CV keeping the points mentioned, till you are satisfied that you have presented the facts in the most impressive and convincing way.

The author is a contributor to www.CareerRide.com, a website that addresses technical and personal aspects of an IT interview. CareerRide provides sample CV and question-answers for personal and technical interviews.