Gawd Damnit... too hard

[EvilCabbage]

welp... I just cant do it. Im trying to write out a CV (I havent used one in years...) and now I need one, to basically justify my position with the company I currently work for. Im a contractor anyway, so its not a big deal for them to ditch me, but being put on the spot, then producing documentation, it just sh1ts me.

Im not a real paperwork guru anyway... I get two paragraphs into it, then decide I should re-write the whole thing from the start.. damnit all to hell.

[Akuma]

What the hell is a CV?

[cc_penguin]

[quote]Originally posted by Akuma:
<strong>What the hell is a CV?</strong><hr></blockquote>

I dunno, but it must be important if it has to justify his position with the company. Im glad Im not in your postition EC <= That means EvilCabgage Good luck on it

[Spaceman Spiff]

CV means Crepuscular Vermin. Mice and rats are examples of crepuscular vermin. When you spot any of the little suckers, most companies make you write out a CV report. I guess EvilCabbage hadn't seen any for awhile and couldn't remember how it was done. I just thought I'd let you know...

[Akuma]

[quote]Originally posted by Spaceman Spiff:
<strong>I just thought I'd let you know... </strong><hr></blockquote>

Thanks for the info Spaceman, my guess was way off!

[NeuromancerIV]

I feel your pain, one place i worked for got bought out by another corp, and every department got "reorganized". Meaning we had to fill out applications to keep our current jobs....

[Cleetus]

In my last job, the only way we could get extra money(we were not paid well) was to fill out a form explaining our job, and then what we planned to accomplish for the year. I was a pc tech, so I wrote down that I would fix broken stuff for the year. Some reason they didn't like that. Said I had to have 5 goals for the year, WHAT freaking goals, I am a tech, I keep things updated and clean, and fix what breaks. Hated the corporate BS so stinking much. Of course, I am still dealing with corporate BS today.

[techguy13]

[quote]Originally posted by EvilCabbage:
<strong>welp... I just cant do it. Im trying to write out a CV (I havent used one in years...) and now I need one, to basically justify my position with the company I currently work for. Im a contractor anyway, so its not a big deal for them to ditch me, but being put on the spot, then producing documentation, it just sh1ts me.

Im not a real paperwork guru anyway... I get two paragraphs into it, then decide I should re-write the whole thing from the start.. damnit all to hell.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Hey EvilCabbage I recently finished a HR certificate on top of a BA and have helped some friends prepare a resume ,one even got a job and he is a fine arts major, if you want someone to take a look and tweak your CV PM it my way. The following is an outline and procedure for getting a resume started. Finish a ruff draft and go back and clean it up over the next few days. Hope the following helps (forgive the formatting):

before you ever even start typing your resume, you’ll need a pen and a fresh
sheet of paper. Taking ten minutes to do the following self-exercise will save
you agonizing hours in front of the computer wondering, “What IS my
objective anyway?” This will help you to concisely and powerfully articulate
your abilities, skills, and goals before you begin actually writing your resume.
Take a fresh piece of paper and jot the answers to the following:
1. Consider these areas: education, work, internships/coops, volunteer, extracurricular. Name at least five skills that you have acquired from each category. Now write one-line summaries using active words.
2. Circle the abilities listed above that you’d like to utilize in your job. Are there
others that you may have overlooked? Add them to your list. Rank these skills
in order of most valued to least.
3. What have been the ten greatest accomplishments in your entire life? What
personal characteristic enabled you to fulfil your goals? What is your personal
definition of success?
4. Have you ever invented, discovered, planned, or organized anything for your
job or within your community? What was involved in these undertakings exactly?
The answers to these questions are a great starting point as you begin writing
your resume. You probably won’t use all of your answers, but this exercise will
allow you to focus upon the talents that you should emphasize. It will also highlight any valuable assets that don’t fit into standard categorization.
Now you are ready to write your resume. How best to show that you are
someone who can get the job done? Carefully choose active, positive words to
concisely describe yourself. (See the next page for suggestions.)
In a world of vanillas, you are strawberry swirl.

How do you concisely and positively show your future employer that you are
the most qualified applicant for the job? The following words are great to utilize
in describing your experiences and accomplishments. They can be changed as
needed. For example: “While a Network support technician at Company X, I
collaborated with staff from each of the seven departments to develop a new
system for reporting software error. Upon my implementation of this enhanced
system, efficiency of repair time was increased by 48%.” Be as specific and,
when possible, give quantities (dollars saved, sales increased, efficiency improved, etc.)

50 Irresistible Active Words:
1. accomplish
11. conduct
21. generate
31. make
41. propose
2. achieve
12. contribute
22. implement
32. market
42. research
3. adapt
13. coordinate
23. improve
33. monitor
43. sell
4. analyze
14. create
24. increase
34. motivate
44. start
5. attain
15. delegate
25. initiate
35. negotiate
45. supervise
6. balance
16. design
26. integrate
36. obtain
46. support
7. calculate
17. develop
27. interview
37. organize
47. train
8. collaborate
18. direct
28. invent
38. plan
48. travel
9. communicate
19. enhance
29. investigate
39. prepare
49. work
10. complete
20. evaluate
30. lead
40. present
50. write

All Things Considered
Probably the most important consideration as your write is your intended
audience: your future employer. Do some research into the company. What are
its goals? In what direction has it been moving in the last five years? Are you
responding to a specific job description? How do your experiences and skills fit
the description?
Important information needs to stand out and be easy to find. Your resume
should be well organized and pleasing to the eye. Top, bottom, left, and right
margins should be at about 1 inch. Use a standard font, such as Times New
Roman, Helvetica, or Arial, and use italics, bolding, and underlining sparingly.Remember that your resume may be scanned, copied, faxed, etc. a multiple number of times.
They sell themselves short.
Your resume is an advertisement for you. Don’t sell yourself short.
Make it your prospective employer’s job easy and give them a reason to call
you in for an interview. Actually, give several! Tailor your resume to the job
description for the position(s) that you are seeking. Show exactly how your capabilities and accomplishments particularly satisfy the employer’s requirements.
If you have a qualification that doesn’t fit under any of the usual categories, list
it anyway—create a category. List computer languages and software
experience and be as specific as possible. Quantify, quantify, quantify (those
things that are a direct result of your work. Example: “As an administrator, I was
responsible for increasing federal grants to my academic institution by 110% in
a 2-year period.)
What exactly are the standard parts of the resume mentioned earlier?
Component by component they are:
Personal Information
While these two words may bring all kinds sordid tidbits to mind, all they really
refer to in the context of your resume are your name and address. At the top
center of the page, write your name (no title), address, phone number and e-mail
or fax if you have those.
You need not include: social security number, marital status, age, race, religion,
health, citizenship, a second mailing address, or parts of your name that you never use (for example a middle name.)
Profile
This is also known as a “summary.” Some resume-writing guides will refer to
this statement as your “objective;” however, a profile statement is much more
impressive. An “objective” describes what you are looking for in a job or what
you want the job to do for you, whereas the “profile” details what you have to
offer your prospective employer, what you can do for him/her. This section is a
concise and succinct list of your skills, in order of most to least relevant. Refer
back to your self-assessment and the list of action words and try to match your
skills with the specific job requirements. Remember that this is the first thing
that the hiring official will read and that those first 30 seconds are crucial. Don’t
hesitate to “sell yourself” by highlighting all of your strengths.
Education/Honors
List the name of the institutions, degrees, dates awarded and honors and
awards (GPA higher than a 3.5 is appropriate to include.) Begin with the most
recent and work your way back. Emphasize items like collaborative or group-related experience, communication skills, and the ability to work according to a deadline.
Work Experience
There are two ways to list this information:
Functional: Arrange experience by skill to highlight your abilities. Sample
headings: leadership, computer skills, publications, etc. This style focuses on
results and achievements.
Chronological: The most common format for resumes. Start with your most recent position and work your way back. Remember your ABCs:
1.Achievements—Tangible end-results. Quantify these whenever possible by citing figures like monetary funds saved, efficiency improved, sales increased, etc. that show a direct result from your work.
2.Benefits—How does your job experience make you uniquely qualified for this position? How will you satisfy this prospective employer’s needs?
3.Capabilities—What and how will you deliver? A sample resume featuring each kind of format is available at the end of this tutorial.
Related Activities/Additional Information
Use this final section to highlight any related academic, professional or
community organizations in which you hold office or additional information.
Describe in detail leadership roles. Computer software, languages or knowledge
may be listed here (or even given their own separate heading if applicable.) In
some cases you may wish to indicate willingness to travel or relocate. The key
to this section is that items be relevant to the position you are seeking.
Otherwise, do not include them.

Do...
Have a trusted friend (or two or three) proofread.
Use active verbs to describe your experience and skills.
List items from most important to least.
Be concise. Eliminate things that are not relevant.
Laser print on plain white paper.
Try, whenever possible, to tailor to a job description

Don’t...
Sell yourself short.
Bother stating “references available upon request.” That is assumed. Have a separate sheet available with that information to give if it is requested.
Use underlining, bolding, italics excessively.

Content:
Name is at top and highlighted by bolding or larger size type; address and phone number information are correct and complete. Each entry demonstrates a skill or accomplishment. These are consistent with the job requirements. Descriptions use active verbs and verb tense is consistent (can use past tense for everything to avoid confusion, even present job.) Repetition is minimal.
There are no spelling mistakes or typos.
Has been proofread by yourself and at least one other person.

Organization:
Hold the paper at arm’s length. Is the page too busy? Is there too much “white space” anywhere? Are there areas that are too crowded? Is information easy to find?
Best assets are listed first.
Dates of employment are easy to find and the format is consistent.

Format:
It looks like a published document and is visually pleasing.
It can be easily scanned. · There is no blurring, marks, or faint letters. Fonts are conservative; bolding, underlining and other effects are kept at a minimum.
Congratulations! You are now ready to submit your resume. You will need to
send it with a cover letter tailored to the specific job for which you are
applying.

[Cleetus]

I have a headache now.

[King Grover]

damn dewd that was a lot of werdz

[Renée]

[quote]Originally posted by EvilCabbage:
<strong>welp... I just cant do it. Im trying to write out a CV (I havent used one in years...) and now I need one, to basically justify my position with the company I currently work for. Im a contractor anyway, so its not a big deal for them to ditch me, but being put on the spot, then producing documentation, it just sh1ts me.

Im not a real paperwork guru anyway... I get two paragraphs into it, then decide I should re-write the whole thing from the start.. damnit all to hell.</strong><hr></blockquote>

I feel ya, man. I absolutely HATE redoing a CV. And to think, I used to do it for other people as a side job. That and letters of application and the like. Not that there's anything I could do to make it more fun, but if you want input or help, I'd be happy to oblige. PM or email me if so...

[quote]Originally posted by Akuma:
<strong>What the hell is a CV?</strong><hr></blockquote>

Oh, yeah...curriculum vitae. Another word for résumé.

[Spaceman Spiff]

[quote]Originally posted by Renée:
<strong>

Oh, yeah...curriculum vitae. Another word for résumé.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Doggonit, Renée, you ruined my inventive response...

[Renée]

And it was definitely inventive! That much more fun to ruin...

[Spaceman Spiff]

But I spent a couple of minutes thinking that one up. Did you like how I used the word "crepuscular"? Crepuscular is a cool word. It doesn't mean what it sounds like...

[Sowulo]

[quote]Originally posted by Spaceman Spiff:
<strong>But I spent a couple of minutes thinking that one up. Did you like how I used the word "crepuscular"? Crepuscular is a cool word. It doesn't mean what it sounds like... </strong><hr></blockquote>

Heh, heh, certainly not but I write poetry and 'crepuscular' just doesn't flow like 'gloaming'....