The single most important document you have is your CV (in the USA it is called a Résumé - the term "CV" is used for academic workers in the USA). Your résumé is not just a label of 'ingredients', but it is a marketing document, or ADVERTISING, that is meant to make your phone ring. A résumé is supposed to attract attention to you and win an interview. If you are winning interviews with your résumé, it is 'selling' and it is probably good.

To win the job, you must interview well.

Did you write your résumé yourself? Did you just guess what it should look like? Here are some things you should always do with your résumé:

• Have someone else (a smart friend) look it over and comment
• Have someone else check for spelling mistakes/typos
• Consider using a professional service run by native-speaking Americans.
• Does it look neat, and is it easy to read?

When you write your résumé, people are most concerned with what you have done recently, so list your resume in reverse-chronological order. That is, from your most recent job going backwards. The important things should be at the top.

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Newspaper articles are written with a headline to catch the readers' attention, then the story develops with the most interesting facts in the first paragraph and details and supporting facts following. In general, your résumé should read like this.
If you know what the recruiter is looking for, put it right up top in the summary so that they will continue reading! Suppose they are advertising for someone experienced with Java Applets. If you have this information hidden on page or 3 of your CV, the recruiter will never even read it that far. If you put a summary at the top: "Java Applet Expert with 5 years experience..." ; the recruiter will be sure to read further!

Another pointer is to try to somehow format your résumé so that really interesting things appear at the top of pages or paragraphs. Say you worked for the Big 4 or a large well-known company at one point. Try to fit this in so that it is at the top of one of the pages and not hidden away at the bottom.

Remember, you are writing an advertisement! Win that interview!

In order from top to bottom, it should contain the following parts in the following order:

1. Summary
2. Professional Experience
3. Education
4. Training (if any related to the job you are seeking)
5. Skills Summary
   
   

 

Your résumé should look nice and clean and not use fancy graphics that just clutter it up - unless they are top quality and you are applying for a job as a graphic designer or some other type of position which requires artistic and aesthetic abilities. Below, you will see the clean look employers like in this sample two page résumé. Click on them to download a template in MS Word.