i.

WHAT IS RESUME
ii. WHAT IS CURRICULUM VITAE (CV)
iii. WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR CV/RESUME?
iv. HOW TO FORMAT A CV/RESUME
v. PURPOSE OF A RESUME
vi. TYPES OF A RESUME
vii. THINGS THAT MAKE RESUME TO BE EFFECTIVE
viii. WHY RESUMES ARE IMPORTANT FOR JOB SEEKERS
ix. DIFFERENT BETWEEN RESUME AND CV
x. CHARACTERISTICS OF A PROFESSIONAL RESUME
xi. KEY SECTION A PROFESSIONAL RESUME/CV MUST POSSESS
xii. WHAT IS COVER LETTER
xiii. TYPES OF COVER LETTER FORMATS
xiv. QUALITY THAT LEADS TO HIGH JOB PERFORMANCE
xv. WHAT IS LINKEDIN

WHAT IS RESUME?
A resume is a formal document that provides an overview of your professional qualifications,
including your relevant work experience, skills, education, and notable accomplishments.
Resume helps you demonstrate your abilities and convince employers you’re qualified and
hirable.

WHAT IS CURRICULUM VITAE (CV)?

A curriculum vitae, often abbreviated as CV, is a document that job applicants use to showcase
their academic and professional accomplishments. It is used to apply for positions within areas
where a person’s specific knowledge or expertise is required. A curriculum vitae is usually
longer than a resume and must include the information that the recruiter needs to verify the
skills, experience, and educational qualifications of an applicant.

WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR CV/RESUME?

The information include in the CV may vary from one applicant to another, since some
applicants may choose to include only the information that is relevant to the job they are
applying for. The following are the typical components of a curriculum vitae:
1. Personal information
At the top of the curriculum vitae, write your full name and contact information such as phone
number, registered mail address, home address, social media links etc. Below the contact
information, include information that describes who you are.
2. Education
Education information includes a list of the education programs you pursued and the years and
name of the institution you attended. Ideally, you should include information on college,
graduate school, and post-graduate schools you attended, the courses you pursued, and the year
when you started and graduated from the school.
3. Work experience
The work experience section requires you to list your recent work experience that is relevant to
the position you are applying for. For each position you’ve previously held, indicate the name of
the employer (company), your specific roles, and the duration of the employment.
Also, make sure to give a summary of the duties you performed at each company and any
accomplishments/awards given by the employer. List the relevant work experience starting from
the most recent positions you held.
4. Honors and awards
If you’ve been given any awards either at the academic level or during your previous
employment, list them here. The awards may include dean awards, honorary degrees,
presidential awards, professional certifications or awards, or awards given by an employer for
excellence.
5. Skills
If you possess certain skills and you have not mentioned them in the other sections in the
curriculum vitae, list them here. The skills may include language skills, computer skills, driving
skills, advanced software skills, skills related to the aspiring position etc. They should be
relevant to the job you are applying for and be precise.
6. Publications and presentations
If you’ve published academic or conference papers, you should list them in this section. You
should include papers that you have solely written, those co-authored with other people, as well
as those you have contributed to. Remember to indicate the name of the papers, year of
publication, and names of co-authors, if applicable.
7. Membership in professional bodies
The prospective employer may require the applicants to be members of specific professional
bodies. This section mostly applies to select positions such as Accountants, Engineers,
Surveyors, IT professionals, etc. List all the professional bodies and associations that you belong
to and the status of your membership.
HOW TO FORMAT A CV/RESUME
The following are some of the rules that you should follow when formatting your curriculum
vitae:
1. Length
The CV should not be too long and not too short. The length of the CV depends on the education
and working experience you have amassed over the years. For entry-level positions, the CV
length can be one to two pages, while the length can go up to 10 pages for positions that require
higher qualifications and more experienced personnel.
2. Font size
When writing a curriculum vitae, use a font that is easy to read and apply it to the whole
document. The recommended font styles include Arial, Calibri, Cambria and Times New Roman
(mostly used). The font size should be between 10 to 12 points. The headings should be boldened
to distinguish them from the other information and make the CV organized.
3. Proper grammar and spelling
Sending a CV that has spelling, tense, or grammar errors would only serve to spoil your chances
of getting shortlisted for an interview. Before sending the CV to your prospective employer,
make sure to check it several times to correct any errors. Alternatively, ask a friend to review the
CV for any errors.

PURPOSE OF A RESUME
Purpose of a resume is to provide a full overview of a professional history. The goal of a resume
is to convince employers you’re worth interviewing. To that end, A resume is the valuable tool
you can use to highlight your experience to prospective employers.

TYPES OF A RESUME
There are four mains types of resumes:
1. Chronological resumes
2. Functional resumes
3. Targeted resumes
4. Combination resumes
Chronological Resumes
A chronological resume opens with an introduction, and then provides an overview of your
professional history in reverse-chronological order (meaning your most recently held position is
listed at the top). The chronological resume format is the most common type of resume used by
job seekers today and is suitable for candidates with a variety of different experience levels.

Functional Resume
A functional resume is formatted to focus on your skills and abilities, rather than your
chronological work history. It’s preferred by professionals who want to draw attention away
from their traditional work experience, such as those who are changing careers or have
significant gaps in their work history.
While like other resume formats, functional resumes are unique a few keyways:
 The resume introduction and skills section are longer and more detailed than usual.
 The work experience section is de-emphasized.

Targeted Resumes
A targeted resume is a resume tailored for each position you apply to. This means highlighting
any highly relevant skills and experience you have and writing your resume to focus on these
qualifications.
To write a strong targeted resume, scan through the job listing for the position you want to fill.
Typically, hiring managers include the skills, responsibilities, and traits that they want candidates
to possess in the job description. Then, highlight these qualities on your resume to demonstrate
that you’re an ideal fit for the position (if you have them).

Combination Resumes
A combination resume is a format that (true to its name) combines the best aspects of a
functional resume and a chronological resume. While a chronological resume focuses heavily on
experience and a functional resume emphasizes skills, a combination resume typically leverages
both work history and skills equally to demonstrate your qualifications. Combination resumes
are ideal for candidates who have extensive experience or a highly developed set of skills that
they want to showcase.

THINGS THAT MAKE RESUME TO BE EFFECTIVE

1. Outlines your relevant skills and experience
2. Displays the benefits you offer employers
3. Grabs the attention of employers
4. Matches you to the position
5. Lead to an interview
WHY RESUMES ARE IMPORTANT FOR JOB SEEKERS
1. A resume along with a cover letter, is an essential part of the hiring process, and is a base
requirement to be considered for a position.
2. A good resume is the first part of your application any hiring manager will see, so it’s
important that it conveys your qualifications accurately and convincingly.
3. A resume offers employers a digestible overview of your relevant skills, employment
history, education background, and accomplishments. Based on this information, they can
make an informed decision about whether they want to interview or hire you.
4. A resume is an important tool for your job search because it offers a page or two where
you can display your top skills and qualities.
5. Resumes help employers make hiring decisions and help you get interviews. That's why
it matters how you structure your resume and what information you decide to include in
it.

WHY DO EMPLOYERS CARE ABOUT YOUR RESUME?

Employers use resumes to get a deeper understanding of candidate skills, strengths, and
experience. Your resume should reflect achievements, awards, educational background,
experience, skills and any other outstanding accomplishments that align with your career path
and goals. Your resume is your first point of contact with the employer and sets the tone for
subsequent steps such as first interview, second interview, pre-screening, and on-boarding.

DIFFERENT BETWEEN RESUME AND CV

A resume is a summary of your skills and experience over one or two pages, a CV is more
detailed and can stretch well beyond two pages. The resume will be tailored to each position
whereas the CV will stay put and any changes will be in the cover letter.
CV – long, covers your entire career, static
Resume – short, no format rule, highly customizable

CHARACTERISTICS OF A PROFESSIONAL RESUME

1. Short Paragraphs
2. Targeted Résumé
3. LinkedIn Profile URL
4. Branding Headline
5. High Impact Performance Profile
6. Core Competencies
7. Strong Work Experience
8. Length of Work Experience.
 9. Keywords (ATS)
10. Education

KEY SECTION A PROFESSIONAL RESUME/CV MUST POSSESS

Five main section a professional resume/cv must possess are:
1. Heading (Personal Information)
2. Professional Summary
3. Work History
4. Skills
5. Educational Background

Others include:
i. Awards
ii. Professional certifications
iii. Publications and presentations
iv. Technical skills

WHAT IS COVER LETTER

A cover letter is a one-page document that you submit as part of your job application (alongside
your CV or Resume). Its purpose is to introduce you and briefly summarize your professional
background.

TYPES OF COVER LETTER FORMATS.

Application Cover Letter
This is the standard cover letter used alongside a resume during a job application. The
application letter is geared toward a certain job, and it is tailored to the skills and specifications
listed in the job posting.
Prospecting Cover Letter
Like the application cover letter, the prospecting cover letter is written by a job seeker to a
company of interest. However, this type of cover letter inquiries about open job positions in
general. It is not a response to a specific job posting.
Networking Cover Letter
The networking cover letter is the black sheep of the cover letter family. This type of cover letter
is the most casual and tends to be the shortest. It still comes from the job seeker, but rather than
being sent to a company, it is sent out to former colleagues, mentors, friends, and other contacts.
It informs the recipient of the person’s status as a job seeker and asks them for help in their job
search.

QUALITY THAT LEADS TO HIGH JOB PERFORMANCE

1) Ability to Learn
Every organization has a specific set of knowledge that every employee will need to acquire to
be successful at their job. Whether it’s learning technical knowledge, specific work processes or
how to effectively navigate the organization, being able to acquire it and get up to speed quickly
is very desirable to most organizations. It is after the initial learning curve that organizations start
to receive a return on their hiring investment. The shorter that curve is (i.e., high ability to learn),
the more successful new hires are in their new jobs.
2) Conscientiousness
Conscientiousness is a personality trait encompassing many characteristics desirable to
organizations. People who are high in conscientiousness are dependable and reliable. These
people are more likely to follow through, work hard, pay attention to details, and plan and
organize their tasks. Let’s be honest, organizations like employees who work hard for them,
show up reliably and those willing to go the extra step to make the organization better.
3) Interpersonal Skills
For most jobs, you do not need to be an extrovert, but it is important to get along with others. In
many organizations, you will be part of a team. New hires need to work with others on their team
and across departments. Sometimes team members disagree; how these disagreements are
handled makes a big difference in job performance. Successful employees are typically
cooperative, diplomatic, and tactful.
4) Adaptability
Things change. Processes change, jobs change, priorities change, markets change, leaders
change…things change. It’s important for employees to be able to adapt and continue to be
effective even when changes are occurring. Organizations are looking for people who can roll
with the punches and keep up with the demands of their jobs.
5) Integrity
Honesty. Morality. Virtue. Organizations want to be able to trust their employees. They want
employees who will not lie, cheat, or steal. There is nothing more valuable to organizations than
their intellectual property; leaders want new hires who they can trust to not give away company
secrets. This also means making the right decisions for the company and looking out for the
organization’s best interest.
WHAT IS LINKEDIN
LinkedIn is a social network that focuses on professional networking and career development.

WHY LINKEDIN IS IMPORTANT

Your LinkedIn Profile Builds Trust and Credibility
A well written LinkedIn profile will give you credibility and will establish you as a trustworthy
potential employee. Every time a recruiter contacts you, you can be sure that they've looked at
your profile.