Executive CVs, Career Resume, Curriculum Vitae
How to write them

The most frequently asked question of any head-hunter is "How should I lay out my career details?"

In truth if you were to ask a dozen recruiters what they require in a CV, it is likely that you would receive twelve different answers. However, if you stick to a few simple rules you cannot go far wrong.

Firstly, no need to waste your money on having a cv prepared on your behalf by a " CV specialist". Why entrust something as important as your next career move to someone else. Besides, recruiters can spot them a mile off and will tend to discard them.

CVs -What to include: 

Personal details at the beginning of CV. It is one of the biggest gripes of recruiters that they have to trawl through details to find personal details hidden at the back. It is a rule of thumb that the material at the back of the CV is that which the candidate wants to keep hidden (not always the best is kept till last!)

Include contact telephone numbers, e-mail etc. After all, you need to make it easy for the recruiter to contact you throughout the day. 

Relevant qualifications etc. should always be included. 

Career details: The most relevant area of any CV is the last five years so your summary must be in reverse chronological order. Items of interest will include:

i.   Company Name (size, turnover and market sector, where possible). If you do not include the name of your current employer in an attempt at being more anonymous, it is unlikely that you will be considered for interview. If you are working for the client in question, it is better that it is known at this stage.

ii.   Job Title and to whom you report.

iii.   Overall responsibility including people, financial, objectives etc

iv.   Achievements. This is the most important part of your details and should reflect the requirements of the vacancy brief.

Clearly the most recent appointment will have the most information with the earlier positions having only brief detail.

It is good practice to have the most recent position to start on page one, it draws the recruiter in. In total you should need only three pages to get your message across. Lengthy CVs are a waste of time and are unlikely to be read past the first couple of pages in any event.

It goes without saying that there should be no spelling mistakes - that's what your spell checker is for. However, make sure that you have your word processor set up for UK spelling as there are a number of anomalies between US and UK spelling. The most common mistake is the misspelling of curriculum vitae!

Do not attach a photograph (unless specifically requested). They tend to make the file overly large, are not necessary and give the recruiter the opportunity to say no. Not everyone may share your opinion of your good looks. (In fact we know of recruiters who will reject such applications out of hand.)

REMEMBER that the prime objective in sending your details is to get in front of the recruiter so keep it simple and to the point.

2003-4 Directors-Online Ltd