It has been an education reading through hundreds of CVs from applicants wanting to teach in Abu Dhabi. Now that I have perused about 300 CVs, these are the common errors I’m wading through.
From global-workplace
- Your name. In some countries it seems a common practice to put a surname before a first name. This is very confusing for the reader especially when they are foreign names. van Niekerk Helga. In many countries, the reader would not know which is first. To avoid confusion, write your CV in such a way that it says, “name” and “surname”.
- Date of birth. This is very important, as many positions have an age restriction.
- Nationality. This is one of the first things potential employers look for.
- Contact details. Email addresses are often missing, especially if applicants have applied via a job website. Employers don’t want to try and jump through hoops to try and contact you.
- The photograph. It’s a good idea to put a recent photograph of yourself on your CV. Make sure it is appropriate and not one that is of you draped over a bar, or in a bikini (unless you are applying for a beach job!). The photo must be clear and you, as the subject not 100m away. You can be smiling. Don’t put up a photograph of you with someone else. You alone close up, looking at the camera with a smile, dressed appropriately is great.
- Qualifications need to be clearly displayed. With teaching posts, it’s important for us to know how long you studied for especially if you did a diploma in teaching, so don’t just put 1999. Rather put 1997-1999 – then we will know it was 3 years. The same applies for your degree. Also, very importantly, name the institution at which you qualified and the qualification you have received.
- Experience – outline your experience from latest employment to most distant. When you are well experienced, it can be irritating scrolling down pages and pages of dates to find the latest employer.
- Cover letter. A long descriptive cover letter is not needed. I love to see a cover letter, but no more than 2 to 3 sentences. I will look at the sentence structure to check for English, age, qualifications and experience. It can be the content of an email with the CV attached.
- Presentation of the CV. Many applicants just don’t understand that when you shoot off a CV in haste, it shows. Make sure the font is large enough to read, it’s clearly and neatly set out. Google “CV Templates” to see how it should be done and follow their example. Spell check it. Check the grammar. Read through it a few times. Give it to others to read so they can give you a different perspective.
- Format – PLEASE do not send a photograph of a CV or a CV that has been scanned in skew or sideways. The person receiving the CV just won’t take the time to scrutinise a difficult to read CV.
To get a good job, you want to start by doing a good job with your CV. It will make a huge difference for the person who has to open it!
Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might
Keep the smile going!
God bless you!
In His Grip,
Helga xx 🙂