Dos and Don'ts of CV writing

You want to make your CV the best document but at times you may commit mistakes which can cost you the opportunity. Here are some pointers to keep in mind as you start working on your CV. They will help you in making your CV friendly for the recruiters to read and a better chance to get it shortlisted for an interview. 

Note that what we are going to discuss here are just the suggestions, not the principles carved in stone. If you want to do things against them knowingly, we advise you to do that. 

Dos of CV writing

• Make your contact details i.e. the phone no. and e-mail address available at the very beginning of your CV.
• Use a formal e-mail address (preferably a combination of your first and last name) rather than using an e-mail address like funnymonkey@xyz.com
• Write an appealing career summary/executive summary at the beginning. You have got 30 seconds to impress the recruiter. Your career summary should attract them to read the CV. 
• If you have got work experience, keep a focus of your CV on your experience, responsibilities and achievements. 
• If you have just passed out from college, write about your education qualifications, projects and other qualities in you which put you apart from other people in your batch. 
• Use impactful words which demonstrate you in control of things.
• Rank the achievements in order of priority. 
• Write about your interests out of work. They demonstrate your personal qualities. 
• CV is a formal document. Use white or light coloured A4 size paper and formal fonts. 
• Put un-important things on the second page, towards right side.
• Include some numbers to quantify your achievements. They make your CV more powerful.
• Write short and crisp sentences using punctuation marks properly. 
• Maintain the same tense through out your CV 
• Provide enough breathing space in your CV. This makes it legible. 

Don’ts of CV writing

• Resume or CV on top. The reader knows that it’s a CV. You don’t need to mention it. 
• Lies about your candidature in CV are highly unadvisable. They may get you the entry but are not difficult to find out. When found they will lead you to embarrassment. If you manage to get yourself hired based on these lies, they may cost you the job when found. 
• Flashy fonts and colourful or glossy paper. CV is a formal document, keep it simple. 
• Photographs until asked or compulsorily required for the position. 
• Usage of ‘I’, ‘my’. They make you sound egomaniac. 
• Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. They convey your lazy and not serious attitude. 
• Your age, number of kids, age of kids, father’s name, mother’s name, passport number.
• Abbreviations or jargons which HR people might not understand. 
• Mentioning health problems. 
• References until asked 
• Current or expected salary until asked 
• Mention of reasons for leaving the last jobs 
• Right alignment of the CV content  

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Dos and Don’ts of participating in Group Discussion

As you have to participate in a Group Discussion. several questions spring across your mind. You want to know what actions and gestures can get you positive points and what can cost you the selection. Here’s a list of Dos and Don’ts of participating in the GD.

Dos of participating in a GD:

• Listen to the subject carefully
• Put down your thoughts on a paper
• Initiate the discussion if you know the subject well
• Listen to others if you don’t know the subject
• Support you point with some facts and figures
• Make short contribution of 25-30 seconds 3-4 times
• Give others a chance to speak
• Speak politely and pleasantly. Respect contribution from other members. 
• Disagree politely and agree with what is right. 
• Summarize the discussion if the group has not reached a conclusion. 

Don’ts of participating in a Group Discussion 

• Initiate the discussion if you do not have sufficient knowledge about the given topic.
• Over speak, intervene and snatch other’s chance to speak.
• Argue and shout during the GD
• Look at the evaluators or a particular group member
• Talk irrelevant things and distract the discussion
• Pose negative body gestures like touching the nose, leaning back on the chair, knocking the table with a pen etc.
• Mention erratic statistics.
• Display low self confidence with shaky voice and trembling hands.
• Try to dominate the discussion
• Put others in an embarrassing situation by asking them to speak if they don’t want.

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