The other day I was in a postgraduate class on research methods and the lecturer, who also happens to be my supervisor, asked me a question about how I would go about starting my research. A thousand thoughts came to mind and I thought quickly about how best to answer the question; I decided to keep it simple and short. After I had given my answer she looked somewhat disappointed and went on to ask another person who gave a longer answer which she seemed pleased with.

Getting back to my room, I started to ponder on the whole thing, I realised I could have also given the long version of my answer which could have been more interesting-I had failed to communicate the value I possessed. I then related this to how a whole lot of people who actually ‘know’ are regarded as people who do not know because they did not pass off the impression of knowing when given the chance. Often times, it takes a long while before one gets another opportunity- the whole experience gave a new meaning to the saying “opportunity once lost cannot be regained”.

Relating this to the average job seeker, it is common knowledge that most job seekers only have ONE chance to impress a recruiter whether with a CV or in an interview. To make matters worse, it is said that it takes the recruiter about 6-8 seconds to scan through a CV. The challenge therefore is how to make your 8 seconds count. Here are a few tips that come to mind
1. Forget everything you know- I know this sounds crazy but the truth is most times what we know is often that which hinders us from getting to we are going. A whole lot of job seekers have doing the same things and expecting different results, truth is you will wait a long time. The world is changing at a super-fast pace and most persons are oblivious of these changes. This New Year, I would advise that you burn your old CVs, delete them from your phone and hard drives too and prepare a new one from scratch.
2. Avoid Clichés – Believe it or not, most CVs look the same. Having something that every other person has does not make you special or stand out. Avoid those common words on most CVs, subjective words like ‘creative’, and ‘innovative’. These words are just your opinion, there is no way to determine if you can really do these things just by looking at your CV. If you must include them, then also add an achievement section that outlines where you have demonstrated innovation or creativity.
3. Communicate Value- It is important you communicate, as much as possible, what you have to offer the recruiter. Most persons have a boring objective at the beginning of their CV stating how they hope to grow while also adding to the organisation blah blah blah. This New Year, I advise that you scrap the Objective and embrace the Summary. Start your CV with a paragraph about who you are, what you are, what you have to offer and what you are looking for. This gives a quick overview of your CV and might just be what would get your CV to the accepted pile.
4. Numbers- We are in the era of data. Data is everything today, it’s the new crude oil. In my opinion, a CV without numbers has lesser chances of getting selected. Numbers help communicate achievement. Need I say more?
Finally, remember that products are not bought, they are sold.


Have a productive job search in 2016
Cheers

CC: lalasticlala

Tanx bros..
Keep it up!

No effort is lost
Keep trying
Keep praying
Keep believing
One day, everything is gonna work out perfectly.

Mteewww

educative

Please

thumbs up @op. i still want to add one more little thing.........

A cv is primarily to help you get a job, all jobs have various requirements and as such it will be an advantage to customize your cv to suite a particular job interview. Employers want to see a relationship between your cv and the position you are seeking for. This is why doing a background check on the company is good practice.

Let your hobbies, skills and job experience as well as your objective statement be relevant to the job specifications. If a particular item is irrelevant to getting the job, please do not add it.


All the best!

K

CV doesn't work in this country, man no man is the only thing that works

Okay sir

Thanks. Can you show us a format ... That story too much

Hmm.. Well done! Your observations and thoughts no make sense @ all

ur head dey tanda. modified

noted

A pictorial example will be much more appropriate and appreciated.

ok

Alright...

This is actually a lovely write up. Good job Ops.

If you are in search of a job, please follow the ops instructions.
I have truly seen too much of " hope to grow while also adding to the organization blah blah blah"
God bless.

mtchwwwww! Are you an HR... tell us before we believe.

Plenty plenty misguiders, misguiding an unguarded minds.

Seems everyone has gotten a job in nairaland

No one is commenting
It's ok

fulfillbill:
mtchwwwww! Are you an HR... tell us before we believe.

Plenty plenty misguiders, misguiding an unguarded minds.

It's tiring I tell you.

The sad thing is HR in Nigeria conflict on what exactly they want on a cv.

It's no more bullet points, it's numbers. Sigh

Welll said

Dahveydson:


It's tiring I tell you.

The sad thing is HR in Nigeria conflict on what exactly they want on a cv.

It's no more bullet points, it's numbers. Sigh

Exactly what is frustrating, you hear of this rule today, tomorrow another, all in the name of change.

Sad!

A good CV shouldn't be more than a page. For your CV reviews, contact me now. Thanks

Enof of all diz CV bla bla bla.....each organization has its own CV format. Moreover, if you are connected, nobody cares if your CV is written in pidgin... They will call you.

Never give up....

Didn't take me 8 seconds to read the write up.

Great post from the op.

Dragnet, SHL, Workforce PQ & Answers are available on this thread https://www.nairaland.com/2685888/myjob-mobile-app-android

lovely

In Nigeria today is not updating or doing a new CV from d scratch is by Gods grace!I have seen were they employ people with even a CV. So everything na God.