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CV Writing Commandment #1: Thou shall know the needs and concerns of your would-be employers and address them in your CV

This is the foundation of writing a CV. Employers only care about their needs and concerns. In fact, the reason they hire people is to come and meet their needs, solve their problems, and help them achieve their goals. Want to get hired fast? Then keep this CV writing commandment in mind.

CV Writing Commandment #2: Thou shall tell employers in your CV why they must employ you

When employers don’t see why they must employ you, they won’t. Most employers take gambles when it comes to selecting those to interview, because they find it difficult to spot an outstanding applicant. And this is because most CV writers don’t tell employers why they should employ them and not someone else. To take control of the process, tell employers why they must employ you. You can do this in your profile or objective statement section of your CV. Warning! Focus on the needs of the employers.

CV Writing Commandment #3: Thou shall include your accomplishments and not your responsibilities

Most jobseekers and CV writers focus on previous job responsibilities instead of accomplishments. There is a BIG difference between responsibilities and accomplishments. For instance, a Webmaster could be responsible for driving traffic to a Website, but how do you tell if he actually succeeded in driving the needed traffic to the Website. See? Employers always look for what to base your future performance on, and your accomplishment statements will help them do so. Obey this law and your CV will get you an interview quicker than you ever thought possible.
CV Writing Commandment #4: Thou shall give specific information

Nothing could be worse than telling the truth in your CV but being perceived as lying. When it comes to CV writing, perception is everything. Don’t give room for your employers to think you’re economical with the truth. Spell out everything specifically. Instead of writing “Attracted traffic to company’s Website”, write “Attracted an average of 1,750 targeted traffic daily…”

CV Writing Commandment #5: Thou shall keep your design and formatting simple

Your CV is meant to get you an interview not to win you an award as the best designer in the world. Keep your designs and formatting simple. Stick to one font style. Avoid floral borders and shadings. Keep everything simple. This is one of the commandments of CV writing that if ignored can cost jobseekers their jobs.

CV Writing Commandment #6: Thou shall include action-words that give power to your CV

Most of CVs are powerless. Make your own powerful by including action-words that give power to your CV and stand you out as an action-oriented person. Action words are simply verbs that you can use to start your accomplishment statements and include in your profile and other key places in your CV. Words like…Reorganized, pioneered, initiated, solved, and so on.

CV Writing Commandment #7: Thou shall avoid timeworn, hackneyed phrases at all cost

I filled many positions successfully, I can type fast, and all sorts are some of the hackneyed phrases that jobseekers riddle their CVs with and make them lifeless. The above claims beg the question – “By exactly how much?” The commandment is to do without them.

CV Writing Commandment #8: Thou shall include soft skills employers value in the workplace

In today’s job market, employers place high premium on soft skills such as leadership skills, communication skills, ability to work well under pressure, ability to work well with others (teamwork), self management, and so on. Include them in your CV.

CV Writing Commandment #9: Thou shall not lie or be dishonest in any part of your CV

Don’t imitate corrupt and desperate jobseekers who lie in their CVs to sound to very qualified. In case you never know, employers hire consultants to do many background checks for claims made by applicants they are about to hire or already hired.

CV Writing Commandment #10: Thou shall proofread your CV for both typographical and grammatical errors as many times as possible

Your spellings and grammar tell a lot about you. An error-riddled CV portrays you as a careless person who lacks a sound scale of value while an error-free CV exposes you as a person committed to excellence. Guess what? Employers are looking for people who are committed to excellence. Proofread your CV a many times as possible. Give it to your friends and family members to help you proofread as well.

The 10 laws of CV writing are meant to be obeyed and not broken.

You can get more tips and key CV writing principles in my e-book: How to Write Outstanding CVs that Make Employers Excited to Meet You! For more info, email me at myceevee @ yahoo . com

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