Interviewers see lots of CV’s and to be honest most of them look the same. The internet has a lot of information about resumes- to help you out we have picked the eyes out of the best of them. So that you can make your CV stand out.
Format
There are lots of formats out there; here is one that won’t go too wrong:
- Personal details
- Career statement
- Present position
- Career history (ensure that any gaps in employment are accounted for)
- Education and qualifications
- Clinical skills and experience
- Research
- Quality assurance
- Teaching
- Learning
- Summary
The basic principles aren’t rocket science
- Write more than one resume
- Write in complete sentences
- Quantify your resume
- Pay attention to professionalism
- Make your resume aesthetically pleasing
- Do not lie on your resume
- Try not repeat bullet points
- Do not make spelling and grammar errors
From website www.resumegenius.com (software and guide) for 10 Commandments of good resume writing
Describing your experience is the meat of your CV- here are a few methods you can try to make your CV stand out.
Methods for describing experience
WHO Method
Michigan State University
- What you did
- How did you do it (skills strategies, methods, tools, attitudes)
- Outcomes
Experience bullet points
3 Parts of a strong bullet point:
- 1st: Action Verb (should always be first)
- 2nd: Quantifiable Point
- 3rd: Specific and relevant job duty
Example: “Managed a busy clinical team with an average of 50 new admissions per weekend while doing general medicine registrar at St Elsewhere”
Suggestions for a Summary Statement
From Rockport Institute: How to write a masterpiece of a resume.
“Here are the most common ingredients of a well-written summary.
- A short phrase describing your profession
- Followed by a statement of broad or specialised expertise
- Followed by two or three additional statements related to any of the following:
- breadth or depth of skills
- unique mix of skills
- range of environments in which you have experience
- a special or well-documented accomplishment
- a history of awards, promotions, or superior performance commendations
- one or more professional or appropriate personal characteristics
- A sentence describing professional objective or interest.
You would not necessarily use all these ingredients in one summary. Use the ones that highlight you best.”
Suggestions for a Career Goal Statement
From Rockport Institute: How to write a masterpiece of a resume
So many resumes we see make a gallant effort to inform the reader. But we don’t want the employer to be informed; we want them to be interested and curious. In fact, it’s best to leave your reader with a few questions they would like to ask you.
In your assertions section, state your Objective – your intended job. Ideally, your resume should convey why you are the perfect candidate for one specific job or job title. There is debate out there about whether to state an Objective, but in conclusion we think it’s a good idea. Keep it to the point, and keep the employer front and centre as your write.”
Useful Resources to Make Your CV Stand Out
BMJ Careers
A useful resource for general career advice and specifically tailored to medicine
BMJ Careers – CV writing skills, Interview Skills
TEDX
Your Future Success Is Not In Your Resume But Your Capability: Kevin O’Connor at TEDxLUC
Inspiring talk on the principle that it’s not about you
Video on Generic Resume principles around formatting
Forbes Aug 27 2014 6 Secrets of Great Resumes, Backed By Psychology
Great article on how to get a job at google
- Quantify your impact
- Makes your interests quirky
- Show the competition (came 4th out of 10,000)
- Ask an employee for feedback
- Associate yourself with big brands
- Reinforce key message (rule of seven)
For many more tips and advice please visit our Blog.
To have your CV reviewed by an AdvanceMed HR Expert, click here for more info.
– Dr Matthew Links www.nextmeded.com.au
Great essential article, good journalistic work !