Producing the CV to get your next job in marketing

Introduction Producing the ideal CV is a very subjective issue. Whilst there's no right and wrong answer there are some simple rules that will help you to produce a document that is both functional and interesting. Always remember that your CV is the most critical document in your search for a job, more important than the covering letter. It is the first opportunity for a potential employer to get to know you. First impressions count so it needs to be good. Network Marketing (www.networkmarketingjobs.com) and The Book (www.thebook.uk.com) have been offering this advice to candidates registered with them for over 10 years. To create a good CV you'll need to consider the following: Audience Structure Content Length Presentation Audience It is critical to be conscious of the reader who will be making a decision on whether you are invited to first interview. In most instances it will be the recruiting manager however there are still some companies in which Personnel have the responsibility for the first sift. If a line manager is reading your CV he or she will want to see recent and relevant work experience. If Personnel have responsibility they may be using a scoring process whereby you will have to state different relevant skills on the CV to be considered. For each you must ensure the information they need is easily understandable and logically presented. Structure The structure to a cv can be very simple. We are not trying to confuse the recruiter so try and make it as simple as possible. Try using the following headers. Personal Details Education Experience Company Profile Position (repeat the previous two for each role) Additional Information/interests Personal Details Name Address including postcode Contact numbers including mobile Email address Date of Birth Qualifications Put qualifications in reverse chronological order - i.e. your most recent qualification first. This is likely to be your most relevant qualification and so should be the one read first. Do put qualifications right back to GCSE/O'level but don't detail each one, a number will do for example '8 GCSE's'. Believe it or not - this should have taken you about half of the first page. Now the main part of the CV - Experience There are many different views on structuring this element of the CV however we firmly recommend providing information in reverse chronological order showing your most recent first. This relevant and recent rule applies throughout the CV. It is vital you communicate clearly who you worked for, job title and between what dates. For example: Employer : Network Marketing Position : Recruitment Consultant Dates : 6/98 to Present Company Profile Don't assume the reader will know your current company or understand it's relevance to their market place. Provide a brief one-line explanation of the company including size, product or service and area that you work in. Put the URL of your company on there too to help them out. Position Explain the level of the position, what the reporting lines are. Describe the key responsibilities of the position. Use this area to highlight key competences that will be of interest to the reader. Although we would usually advise against using 'buzz words' it is essential that you spell pout the disciplines within marketing that you have been involved with. Don''t assume that the reader will know. Detail key achievements during your time with the company. These will demonstrate that you are a commercially focussed marketer who understands the impact of marketing on the business as a whole. Repeat this process with previous roles that are highly relevant to the application. For roles not demonstrating skills relevant to the application summarise in one line to save space. Additional Information Round off the CV with a couple of lines explaining your personal interests/hobbies. These are important as they may demonstrate how you could fit into a close knit marketing team. General Guidance Length In an ideal world a CV should be approximately 2 pages. Any recruiter with a pile of CV's to look through will initially glance at the first couple of pages of each CV to find proof that the candidate has the relevant skills. Any information that forces the CV to be longer than two pages should be about your interests and activities or additional skills not covered in the main body of the CV. Presentation Choose a clear type face/font Make effective use of bold, itallics, underline but don't overcomplicate the document. Be consistent throughout. Remember that the CV will most likely be downloaded from an email so use a well recognised package such as word or if you are in a more creative environment Acrobat. Try and make it look visually appealing by using logos of the companies you have worked for alongside your experience section. Salary and Benefits package details can be left to the covering letter. It is not enough to demonstrate the relevance of your experience in the covering letter - this should be done in the CV. There's no need to put references on - these will be requested and followed up once an offer is made. Final Checks Read your CV carefully checking spelling and punctuation. Ask a third party to check it, they will probably spot errors that you don't. A common area for mistakes is dates. Do a final check on layout. Try emailing the document to yourself to check that it prints in the required format. We hope this provides clear guidelines regarding your CV however, once registered with Network Marketing we will be delighted to offer constructive criticism wherever necessary.