AN EFFECTIVE CV

and
JOB INTERVIEW
CPD – The Association of Accounting Technicians
(AATU)

By Lilian Bagambe, HR & Business Consultant, FlexiConsult Ltd

An Effective CV
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• WHAT IS A CV?

• WHY WRITE A CV?

• HOW TO WRITE AN EFFECTIVE CV

An Effective CV
What is a CV?
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• CV stands for: Curriculum (Course) Vitae (Life)

• In Latin means: “Course of ones Life”

• Used interchangeably with “Resume” which is American

• Dictionary definition: A summary of your academic and

work history.
Effective CV writing
Why write a CV?
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• Employment:
First introduction a prospective employer has with
you the potential employee.
Holds special power
The impression it gives can land you an interview

• Authority:
Credibility with clients if working on your own.
Assessment tool if you have the credentials
Effective CV writing
Why write a CV?
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• Media Relations:
If you deal with the media a lot, instead of interview
CV may be adequate and beefed up.
Press releases for Sole Proprietors.

• Education:
Non traditional students use them these days for
application to institutes of higher learning e.g
applications for MBAs. It looks good.
Effective CV writing
Why write a CV?
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• For You:
A nice morale booster as it is an indication of all
your successes. When you are feeling blue, glance
over your CV. Pumps up your ego and confidence
Effective CV writing
How to write an effective CV
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Presentation:
 As a rule, one or two pages maximum unless well
established and applying for Executive role
 Use good quality paper, No photocopies please!
 Correct spelling and grammar
 Consistent style and format. Don’t overdo underlining and
capitals
 Avoid humor
 Ask a careers advisor or third party to read through final
version
Effective CV writing
Why write a CV?
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Content - Style:

2 main ways of styling content:

 Chronological (Conventional)
 Functional or Skills based
Effective CV writing
Why write a CV?
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Content - Style:

Chronological (Conventional) style Characteristics:

• Style is like a list

• Limited in terms of design
• Was typical 30+ yrs ago when the typist did the typing
with no design
Effective CV writing
Why write a CV?
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Content - Style:

Skills Based style Characteristics:

 New style
 A lot of “active” and buzzwords
 Very expressive
 Sometimes leaves the reader confused as there is no
how and why connection
Effective CV writing
Why write a CV?
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Content - Style:
Ideal Style:
A combination of the two:
 A brief summary of skills, achievements that catches
your attention
 A convincing account of your career in the context of
job you are applying for
 A more detailed summary of your knowledge, training
etc
 These can be in chronological order.
Effective CV writing
How to write a CV?
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Content - Detail:

 Personal details
 Personal Profile/Career objective
 Education
 Experience
 Positions of responsibility, achievement, Interests
Effective CV writing
How to write a CV
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Content Detail: - Personal Details

 Keep it clear and brief, not more than ¼ page. Ideally at top of
main page
 Use your name as title of document. Never use “CV”
 Not necessary to include middle name
 Contact address or telephone should be where you are
contactable
 Create a work specific email address. No comics e.g
[email protected]. Ideally use your name
 Not usually necessary to include age, sex, religion, marital
status
Effective CV writing
How to write a CV
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Content Detail: - Personal Profile/Career

objective
 Not critical. Could drop if you have a space issue
 3-4 lines maximum.
 Avoid generic skills statements e.g “hardworking”. Rather
qualify statements e.g
“Proactive marketing graduate with over 3 years
experience organizing successful campus events.
Participated in well received group project creating a
complete marketing campaign. Seeking a challenging
position in marketing environment”.
Effective CV writing
How to write a CV
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Content Detail: - Education

 Stated in reverse chronological order with most recent
first going back to secondary level education
 Include dates, institution and town. Full address
unnecessary
 Market your later education and professional training
more
 Use language familiar to Employer
Effective CV writing
How to write a CV?
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Content Detail: - Experience

 All work experience counts. voluntary, paid or shadowing
 Focus on your responsibilities and achievements in roles
and how skills were developed e.g

June 2007: “A variety of customer service roles including bar-

work, waitressing and telesales. Developed an awareness
of customer relations mgt. and improved my influencing
skills when working with challenging clients under
pressure”.
Effective CV writing
How to write a CV?
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Content - Detail: - Positions of responsibility,

achievements, interest
 Used to demonstrate motivation to pursue other activities &
initiative to develop skills
 Beyond this, listing outside interests has little value. Risk
recruiters stereotyping
 Avoid generalizations e.g reading, socializing…Not unique.
Revelation of not much character. If you say use clubbing,
may give employer impression of long nights, hangovers, etc.
Effective CV writing
How to write a CV
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Content - Detail: - Referees

 Personal Profile/Career objective

 Education
 Experience
 Positions of responsibility, achievement, Interests
Effective CV writing
How to write a CV?
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Use of Language:
 Information must be specific using both qualitative and
quantitative information where relevant
 Avoid vague statements without evidence of achievement such
as: “attended clinics”, “Collected data”
 Use active and NOT passive language E.g
“ I was responsible for archiving files” WRONG
“ I led the team in archiving of files for the Finance
department and were able to complete 2 days earlier than
planned. This experience improved greatly my communication
and influencing skills were improved as a result.”
Effective CV writing
How write a CV?
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Covering Letters

 A CV should always be accompanied by a covering

letter.
 Letter is even more critical if the application is
speculative.
 Cover letter shows interest in the organization
 Shows Professionalism.
Effective CV writing
Checklist
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1. Do you like the look overall?

2. Have you got the ordering the way you want it to be?
3. Have you used plenty of “action” words to describe your
experience and skills?
4. Is the language “passive” or “active”?
5. Have you described achievements rather than just tasks
undertaken?
6. Is terminology explained where necessary?

7. Is it grammatically correct and spell checked?

8. Have you used good quality paper?

Effective CV writing
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Q&A?
EFFECTIVE JOB
INTERVIEWS
 Effective Job Interviews
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Know the Organization

 Research. This is your chance to make your interviewer's
jaw drop

 Study the company you're aiming for to better understand

its accomplishments and overall system

 A good source is usually the company's website, if available

 Being able to talk about the organization with confidence

will fully imply you're doing the homework
Effective Job Interviews
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Dress Code:

 Dress to impress! Companies need to know that you're a

professional, not just the person next door who rarely
takes care of the way he/she dresses

 Usually a conservative suit (black or gray, for instance)

would do the job, and your future boss will love you for
it
Effective Job Interviews
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Common questions:

Be ready to answer some common questions! Examples:

 Why did you leave your last job (if any)?

 What do you consider to be your strengths and
weaknesses?
 What did you enjoy the most about your last job ?
 What are your future career goals ?
 Why do you think you would be a good candidate ?
 Effective Job Interviews
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Giving Answers:
 Whatever questions the interviewer asks you, make sure
you answer in a detailed, yet concise way
 They simply need to know the why, what, how, etc
 Give a fair answer, tell them about your strong and
weak points, but try to emphasize some of your qualities
 Your answer should be relevant to the job for which you
are being interviewed
 Keep your self-introduction professional!
Effective Job Interviews
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Attitude:

 The interview is not all about being overly serious.

 While sitting on the hot seat, smile frequently and
actually MEAN IT.
 Send a powerful message that you're a humorous
person
 Remember, the interview is not a "game"
where you are trying to outsmart the interviewer to get
the job
Effective Job Interviews
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Manners:
 Eat in the company of others during a dining interview.
Not eating could demonstrate a lack of manners and
perhaps your inability to work with others
 Observe the behavior of the others at your table. Judge
the table's level of adherence to dining protocol and
match it to the best of your ability. Remember that
you're at an interview, not a dinner party.
 Plan to interview at a relaxed pace. A formal dining
interview can take longer than one in an office, so plan
for 2 to 3 hours.
Effective Job Interviews
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Manners - Cont’d

 Do not be the first to uncover your plate. Notice the

position of your utensils.
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Self

 Think about what kind of person you would like working

for you and convey that to the employer

 Just list off a few characteristics that you see yourself as

having. Make all of the characteristics sound as positive
as possible.

 A job interview is NO TIME to be shy. Brag about

yourself. It's expected. Be positive and upbeat
Effective Job Interviews
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Self – Cont’d

 With complete honesty, don't try to make yourself

better than you are, but don't pull yourself down,
either

 Make sure you are familiar with your CV. VERY

familiar

 Because this is such a common question, it may be a

good idea to sit down ahead of time and list 4-5
qualities.
Effective Job Interviews
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Keep in Mind:

A person is defined in three ways:

 (1) who he is right now,

 (2) what he has done in the past, and

 (3) what he will become in the future.

Effective Job Interviews
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Q&A?