Tips for Candidates

Candidate Advice – … on how to put together a “ Right CV” – if you are looking for a job now, you must read!

Hope everyone is well during this difficult and uncertain time in Hong Kong.  I would like to give some advice to those of you who are in the process of putting together your CV/Resume and are currently looking for a new role.

It is very important to put together the “ RIGHT “ CV!  I mention the “ RIGHT” CV and not “ a good” CV, because I don’t want you to fake your credentials or mislead anyone about your past experiences.

Here are my tips on putting together a “ RIGHT” CV.

A CV/Resume should not be too colorful and creative.  It should be easy to read and contain all the important parameters about you that your audiences need to understand immediately. These are, your name, your email, your address, etc.

How to structure the positions that you had and how to describe them efficiently? Very simple:  think to yourself, what are the 5 tasks I do daily?  And what do my boss and colleagues like about me?  And what are you best at when you are doing your job? Some people are strong in number crunching or using excel, some are stronger in achieving sales targets/fund raising and some are good at organizing events or writing.

What are the DO’s?

Always add your contact information at the top of your CV including your email, phone number, so hiring managers can contact you immediately if they are interested in your profile.

Add a concise introduction of your current employer, if the company you are working for or have worked for is not well‑known brand in the market place.  This will help your audience in getting to know you quicker.

Add the MONTH and Year of your employment history. The month is important as there is a 11 months gap between Jan and Dec.

Add your Education Credentials below your name and contact details.  So people can easily access which school(s) your went to and which subject you graduated.

What are the DONT’s?

I notice that many candidates like to write a long cover page when they apply for a position. That is a waste of your efforts, because most of the Human Resources Managers, hiring managers or recruitment consultants will have no time to read it.

Some people think peppering your CV with “big words“ and “technical jargon” is useful.  It is not true.  You are not writing an essay to apply for an Ivey League University.   Never write your CV utilizing “big words”, complicated grammar and “technical jargon” that only you understand.  You need to write your CV with the layman in mind.  Your goal should be a CV that everybody can understand and speaks to a wide audience.

Never copy and paste from a JD (= Job Description) onto your CV.  You should write it like you are speaking to your future boss and introducing yourself in an authentic manner.  I delete a CV when I see the following things: and/or and he/she on the CV.  Signs like these tell obviously that the person writing the CV has simply copied and pasted from the company’s JD.  Think about it this way:  how can someone offer you a job when you cannot explain in your own words what you do each day?

Don’t repeat the same lines over and over, even if your current role might be similar to the previous one.  You should strive to show your audience that you’ve learned and advanced from your previous roles.  In practice, I notice many people simply copy and pasting the same lines word for word among the past 3 roles that they held… this is not attractive to any Hiring Manager.

Never add the grades you achieved on your CV, unless you are a straight A student or have achieved similar academic distinctions.  I see many people putting “ D” and “E” on their A‑ level results… I am thinking… Hummm！

DON’T feel bad just because you didn’t graduate from university or from an “elite” school.  Be confident in yourself, your experience and your ability to adapt to the ongoing changes.  Most importantly, believe in your 200% that you are willing to give to your future boss and the company you are about to join!