1. Stop providing useless information. Truth of the matter is don’t put irrelevant information on your CV unless they are relevant for the position you are applying for. 2. Correct your mistakes. Nobody will ever be impressed by a CV if it contains grammar and spelling errors. Use software such as Microsoft Word to write and make sure spell-check is activated. 3. Don’t lie. Even if you should tell the recruiter what he wants to hear, lying is not an option. While your CV is meant to bring out the best professional features that you have, adding some fairy dust to the point where you lie about your experience is utterly unnecessary. Not only are recruiters very intuitive about these things, they can also call your past employers for reference. If the information does not match the things you’ve added to your CV, it’s highly unlikely for that company to ever call you in for an interview. The more important the job opening is, the most likely that your background will be verified. 4. Don’t bore people with your CV. In other words, try not to write more than 2 pages in the A4 format. Having a very long and boring CV can only mean 2 things: you’re either really bad at organizing and resuming information or you have tons of “experience” and skipped from one job to another, which is also a huge minus. The more you can make proof of stability at your past workplace, the more your new recruiter will be impressed by your capacity to fit in and get the job done. If you do have a lot of experience and courses and qualification, sort out the relevant ones and write the most recent ones. A job you had 30 years ago is probably not going to make a difference right now. 5. Meaningless descriptions – OUT. “I am an artistic and sociable person, very passionate about what I do, people-oriented, good listener, etc.” Truth be told, it all just seems like a description copied from one CV to another. No one cares if you are artistic if your job is to handle the logistics of a supermarket. Being a sociable person does not make a difference if you want to apply for an opening as an accountant.
By Strive Masiyiwa A few weeks ago I went to the doctor. I will tell you what he said about my health at the end, but first read this: Twenty years ago, I arranged to meet a well-known British international businessman who invested a lot in Africa at the time. We agreed to meet for dinner at a leading hotel in London. After a good meeting, we started to walk out of the restaurant when he suddenly collapsed in the lobby. There was total pandemonium as they rushed to get medical assistance. Being London, an ambulance arrived in minutes. I jumped in the back with him as paramedics wrestled to keep him alive. He had had a heart attack and had to have triple bypass heart surgery. Sadly he died a few weeks later. He hadn't been sick and his sudden death surprised everyone. And yet as I reflected on it, and later discussed it with a doctor friend who knew him, I realized he was very laid back about his health despite having a hectic business life. Even during our dinner...
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