Curriculum Vitae

How to Write a Better Resume

CV Writing: Tips and Advice

In our office we are constantly deluged with CV's - often unrequested. Unfortunately, there are far more people looking for work in Qatar and the rest of the Gulf than there are positions for them. To get the job - or at least an interview - your CV needs to stand out from the rest.

Keep it Short

Assume the person reading it has to read through another hundred before he can have his break. It's a boring job. Keep your CV short and snappy - a page if you have just qualified, two pages if you have a lot of experience. Techniques such as bullet pointing help you to compress a lot of information into a small space. Make your CV stand out, and you will be picked out.

Detail

Cut out all the unnecessary details. Focus on what is important to an employer - if they want to know more they can find that out in the interview.

Make it Attractive

Use the latest formatting techniques to make your CV pleasing to the eye. In addition to bullet points, lay the CV out well using appropriate colours, fonts, headings, sub-headings and tables.

Skills (or Personal Profile)

Increasingly, skills sections are being delegated in favour of what people have achieved in the past. Personally, as an editor I would be far more impressed by a writer who could cite experience writing for the New York Times than someone who states that they have good writing skills.

Include a Picture?

There are two schools of thought here. One suggests that it no longer a good idea to include a picture on your CV. Employers shouldn't be influenced by how you look. On the other hand, many Qatar employers seem to like it.

We suggest you take a good, unbiased look at your picture. If your picture portrays reliability and enthusiasm, by all means add it. If, however, you look like a deranged serial killer just released from prision, leave it off.

Tweak your CV

Tweak your CV so that is suitable for the job you are applying. It's probably not necessary to completely rewrite it, but do focus on the achievements most appropriate for the job in question. You might also want to include key words from the job description in your CV.

Check your English

Just because Qatar is an Arabic country doesn't mean your boss won't be from the West. And without English, you just can't function in Qatar. Make sure your CV is checked for spelling, grammar and appropriate vocabulary before you send it off! (Strangely, many people manage fine without Arabic!)

Sign Up for A Free Review

No matter how good you get at writing CV's, you are never going to be as good as someone who does it professionally. Fortunately, we have teamed up with James Innes, author of the CV Book, to provide free CV reviews for QV readers. Click here to read more.

Ready to submit your CV? Return to our Qatar Jobs Listings, or check out tips for finding work in Qatar.

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