Has your CV become your epitaph? Well let’s change that.

The CV is not a biography, but a way to show what you can do for the hiring manager.

For many of us writing and submitting our cv’s is just a daily occurrence, we regularly send our cvs to selected employers we even make such documents readily available to everybody hat cares to view it.

But do you realise that such documents are viewed subjectively by someone in the human resources team with their own bias and subjective outlook on life looking for reasons not to employ you. Some of us find tat or names alone are enough not to employ us it might sound foreign, where. It’s illegal you may say, but that never stopped unfair treatment and discrimination in the past so why would it stop them now. In times of economic hardship the first ones to feel the heat is the foreigner or someone with a foreign are sounding name. When they ask you to fill the Equal opportunity form, please don’t be fooled they use it to discriminate against you as companies become more ethnically cleansed.

Who does the cleansing? Human Resources. How do they cleanse? By your epitaph that you carefully compiled and sent to them, If you are 50 or over a twenty something human resources clerk has no true concept of  your life experiences and what they mean and does not even care.

Now more than ever is the time to become self employed or if you must try this for your next CV.

 List your work history reverse chronologically starting with your current or most recent position. For each position you have held, show the dates you had the position, the place of employment and your title. Flesh out each job you have had with a summary of specific skills, tasks and responsibilities to give an idea of the scope of the position and your duties.

Review the listing or advertisement of the position you are applying for and make a list of the qualities and skills they need. The point is to focus your CV on what you can do to help the company you are applying to achieve its goals, rather than just give information about yourself.

List accomplishments under each job you have had, in bullet point format, tailoring them to the needs of the job you are applying for as much as possible. Be as specific as you can. For a sales job, show increased sales percentages in a past position, or what the amounts were. For a management position, show your expertise by listing successful projects or similar achievements.

Place your name and full contact information at the top of the CV, and be sure to include telephone and email information. List other skills or relevant interests at the end of the CV, such as language or computer skills.