CVs and Resumes

Winter 2009 – Kardan University

Presenter: Matin ZahiD
1- Where am I NOW?
2- Where do you want to be?

3- How might I get there ?

4- Which Way is the Best?

5- How can we ensure arrival ?

Agenda
▲ CV or Resume?
▲ Anatomy of a CV
▲ Anatomy of a Resume
▲ The CV vs. the Resume
▲ CV – What does it mean ?
▲ Things you should avoid
▲ Resume – What does it mean ?
▲ 4 Resume essentials
▲ Common resume problems
▲ Get your resume in Action
▲ Cover Letter
▲ Resume Sample
▲ CV Sample 3
CV or Resume?
Rhetorical Purpose or Function
▲ CV - to demonstrate expertise - academic or research
contexts
▲ Resume - to demonstrate ability and fit - most other
contexts

Form
▲ CV - as long as expertise warrants - unembellished facts,
quality by affiliation
▲ Resumes - never more than 2 pages, quality by
evidence of impact

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Anatomy of a CV

▲ Identification
▲ Education
▲ Awards and Scholarships - if research focused
▲ Teaching Interests - broad, undergrad focused
▲ Research Interests - specific, supervisory potential
▲ Research Experience and/or Publications
▲ Teaching Experience
▲ Professional training, languages, technical knowledge
▲ Professional affiliations, related non-academic experience
▲ References

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Anatomy of a Resume

▲ Introduction - the ‘abstract’ of your resume

▲ Experience - research, teaching, service,
other…
▲ Education
▲ Skills - integrated into experience or separate
section
▲ Publications - if relevant
▲ Other …

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 The CV vs. the Resume
▲ Goal: To present your full academic
history including teaching research,
awards and service
▲ Length: As long as necessary
▲ Focus: To demonstrate your
academic achievements and
scholarly potential
▲ Essentials: Lists of publications,
presentations, teaching
experiences, education, honors and
grants
▲ Extraneous: Activities unrelated to
academic pursuits
▲ References: Include on separate
page
▲ Goal: To demonstrate that you have
skills and experience necessary to
succeed within the position your are
seeking
▲ Length: 1-2 pages
▲ Focus: To represent your skills and
experiences, both job-related and
volunteer
▲ Essentials: Skills and experiences
you have gained related to the job
you are seeking
▲ Extraneous: List of publications,
presentations and classes you have
taught
▲ References: Do not include
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CV – What does it mean ?

The word CV comes from the Latin name

Curriculum Vitae
Which means “course of life” or Simply
“Life Story”
A Curriculum Vitae includes a summary of your educational and
academic backgrounds as well as teaching and research experience,
publications, presentations, awards, honors, affiliations and other
details.
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Things that you should Avoid:
▲Don’t write CV at the top.
▲Don’t put picture unless it is requested.
▲Don’t put any attachment unless it is requested.
▲Don’t use poor quality paper and printer.
▲Don’t use photo-copied CV.
▲Don’t use Capital letters in writing the whole CV.

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Things that you should Avoid:
1- ABBREVIATIONS:
AFPCA , GHWIHT , MRSRM , ZESN , TWTN
Too Many abbreviations make your CV unreadable, Avoid it unless it is
commonly recognized .
Remember The Rule:
KISS :Keep It Simple & Smart
2- NEGATIVE WORDS:
Boring , Fired , Hate, Conflict, Blocked ..etc Catch recruiter Eye.
Remember The Rule:
If you have some difficulties , Keep them to the interview, but you have to prepare
yourself.

3- COLORS:
It is not a show, Don’t use colors to make your CV attractive

Remember The Rule:

Attractiveness is a matter of content,
“Colors” in the CV is like a full make up lady in a FUNERAL 10
Things that you should Avoid:
4- SPELLING, GRAMMER & PUNCTUATION
MISTAKES:
Spelling mistakes is the poison to your CV.
Write your CV , read it , re-read it and re-read it and re-read it and re-read it
………..

Remember The Rule:

Spelling mistake is a sign of Careless person, if you want to be at that position , Do
IT!
Use a spell check or consult a professional writer.

5- UNNECESSARY INFORMATION:
Gender , Religion and detailed Martial status as examples of unnecessary
information in your CV.

Remember The Rule:

Employer doesn’t care that much about what your children are doing.
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Moreover, it is not your Autobiography.
Things that you should Avoid:

6- WORD ARTS, Clip Arts, logos & Graphics:

Remember The Rule:
“Colors” in the CV is like a full make up lady in a FUNERAL

7- Using a very Big or very small font size & the unusual
fonts:
Fonts to be used (English): Fonts to be used (Arabic):
▲Arial ▲Arabic Transparent
▲Verdana ▲Simplified Arabic
▲TimeNew Roman
▲Tahoma

Fonts Size to be used:

10 - 12
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Resume – What does it mean ?

Résumé is French, and means "summary", although the actual derivation is

attested as via the past participle of French résumer (meaning generally

Resume which specifically means… “To

Summaries”)
A resume is a one or two page summary of your
skills, experience and education, brief and concise -
no more than a page or two
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4 Resume Essentials

1. Proofread your resume.

• "I read it when I wrote it!“
• Put your resume in front of people you trust - your boss
excluded - and listen seriously to their suggestions.

1. You are what you read. (Read more).

• Buy/Borrow books.
• Browse the internet.
• Visit general libraries.

1. Be a resume voyeur.
• Look at other people's resumes whenever you get the chance.
You'll find good ideas - and bad ones.
• Consider using the best ideas for your own resume, as long as
they relate to your experience.

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4 Resume Essentials

4. More resumes…….. More chances.

• You finally updated your resume, but you
shouldn't stop there.
• You should update your Master CV on monthly
basis maximum.
• If you're going to apply to a variety of jobs,
make sure you have a resume tailored for
each.

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Common resume problems:

• Too long / too short.

• Hard to read.
• Wordy.
• Non Professional.
• Lacking a career objective.

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Action Verbs
Get your resume in Action

▲ "Responsible for hiring new employees.“

▲ "Recruited new hires for the company."

▲ "Responsible for maintaining the client

database.“
▲ "Maintained client database."

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Get your resume in Action

▲ Start with actions commands / verbs.

▲ Past tense is mostly preferred.

▲ For the current position, you may use the

present continuous tense.

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Cover Letter
Contents of A Successful Cover Letter
• Your name and contact information.

• Recipient's name and contact information.

• Identify the position you are applying for and mention where
you found the announcement and when. If you have been
referred through a person, mention their full name and title.

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Contents of A Successful Cover Letter
• Introduce yourself, your educational degree and your
current employment situation.

• Begin by stressing your interest in the company and

display some knowledge of its activities and/or
achievements.

• Identify your strength areas and why you think you match
the position requirements.

• Highlight your biggest achievements and refer to your

resume for more details.
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Contents of A Successful Cover Letter
• Close the letter by promising the reader to contact them on a
specific day and time to schedule an interview.

• Thank the reader for taking the time to read your letter.

• Sign your name preceded by "Sincerely," "Cordially," or

"Best Regards."

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Cover Letter
Example
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Resume

Examples
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CV Examples
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Thank you…