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Part One |
Your
CV should be
your "passport to
new opportunities" |
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Different
countries have different traditions
as
regards
curricula vitae. For example, German companies traditionally
prefer hand-written CVs because they use graphology to analyse
their candidates. However, this would seem very strange (even
prehistoric) in the English-speaking world.
You
are bound to have a CV and you may even have one in
English. However, it is almost certainly
out
of date. It is much more complicated to get your CV
up-to-date when a job which really interests you
crops
up than if you regularly modify it. For example, are
your referees really the most appropriate people to give a
character reference? Will your tutor from university even remember
who you are? A surprising number of people
send
off badly-presented or out-of-date CVs - don't be one
of them! |
The
Basics |
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Your
CV should tell a company who you are and why they
ought
to be be interested in you. Make sure all information
is relevant and keep it concise.
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Your
CV should put your experience and qualifications in a
favourable light but you should not lie about anything. You
should be able to provide
further
information about anything which is on your CV.
Any
hesitation
or inability to do so will suggest to the interviewer that
what you have written is not "the whole truth and nothing
but the truth".
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Your
CV should be two or three pages long. One page suggests you
don't have enough experience or training, four pages is too
long.
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More
and more job advertisements
nowadays
ask for a photograph of the candidate. In theory this is to
help them to recognise candidates. In practise, especially in
the service sector, looks count. Don't just use any old
passport photo, but try to get one which looks right for the
job in question.
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Don't
use coloured or textured paper because employers may want to
photocopy, fax or scan your CV. If you insist on using
expensive paper or coloured ink, or including a photo on your
CV, test how well it copies.
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Remember
that increasing numbers of companies are asking for
applications over the Internet. You should have access to the
Net so that you can apply for these jobs.
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It
used to be fashionable to begin a CV with a
punchy
statement about yourself (e.g. "An enthusiastic
team-player who is sociable, ambitious and energetic").
This type of thing is plainly ridiculous since nobody is going
to write the truth (e.g. "Boring, lazy misanthropist who
only works to pay the rent"!). Fortunately this isn't
fashionable anymore so don't bother.
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Work
Experience |
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List
employment in reverse order. Your current or most recent job
first, your first job last.
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The
first page should include all contact details (permanent
address, telephone numbers, fax, e-mail) and educational
achievements (degrees, diplomas and language certificates).
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Give
your job title and a description of your
current
and last job including your responsibilities. Try to give it
more meaning by including some numbers (e.g. how many people
you managed, the size of the
budget
you dealt with,
etc.).
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Try
to include some information which reflects your performance in
each job you mention (profits generated for the company,
contracts signed, etc.).
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If
you have worked for
SMEs,
rather than multinationals, don't just give the name of the
company, describe what they do.
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Give
most detail about your most recent activities and less about
what you were doing four, five or more years ago.
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Source:
Think in English |
GLOSSARY |
as
regards: in relation to, in terms of (en lo que
respecta a)
you are bound to have: I'm sure you have (seguramente
tienes)
out of date: obsolete, not up to-date, antiquated (desactualizado)
crops up: (colloquial) appears, arises (surge, aparece)
send off: post, send by post, send in the mail (despachan,
envían)
ought to be: should be (deberían estar)
further information: additional or extra information
(información adicional) |
any
hesitation: any pause before speaking because of uncertainty or
nervousness (cualquier duda o vacilación)
nowadays: these days, in recent times (hoy en día)
punchy statement: dynamic, vigorous opinion (declaración
fuerte o dinámica)
current: present (actual, corriente)
budget: a financial plan detailing how much money an
organisation expects to earn and to spend
you
deal with: (in this context) you were responsible for
(por el cual fuiste responsable)
SMEs: Small and/or MediumSize Enterprises (PYMEs o
Pequeñas y Medianas Empresas) |
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Click here to read
PART 2 of this article |
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MAS "TRABAJO Y EMPLEO"
FORO
INICIO |
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