Composing an effective resume (CV)

Today, having a resume is «a must» to get a good job. The international name for a resume is CV (Curriculum Vitae, which stands for a description of your life). And the international crewing and shipping companies are also used to this acronym «CV», which is frequent to be used nowadays.

CV can be useful when you apply for a number of vacancies, making a mailout. It may also be of use on a personal interview.

 

Making a CV fr om a scratch is a difficult process, which takes lot's of time and efforts. You may ask specific agencies to help you compound a CV professionally, but their services will cost you money. Let us give you some advice on how to make CV by yourself.

 

So, the traditional structure for any CV is as follows:

1.       Text header: to whom it may concern and fr om whom it comes (please, indicate your name and position here).

2.       General information (name, date of birth, marital status, address, telephone, e-mail) — personal data of the applicant and a close relative.

3.       Career (job) objective — the aim of the applicant is to get a specific position in the company.

4.       Education and Training — (when and wh ere did you study, what qualification did you get)

5.       Qualifications (Certificates of Competence) — diplomas, qualification certificates (training centers, institutes or universities, validity periods).

6.       Work experience (Previous Seagoing Experience) — (name, class, horsepower specification of the vessel, owner of the vessel, position aboard, period of work).

7.       Skills — (please, focus on what you do best).

8.       Interests — any of your interests or hobbies.

9.       References — some references from your previous employers.

 

This structure allows for deviding a CV into some parts that are easily understood. It is essential to compose a CV in such a way, as it would be easy to read it fast, because crewing managers usually take just 30 seconds to read one document. You shouldn't describe all the detailed specifications of the vessels you worked on. Just indicate the information, which would be useful for the employer.

 

The CV of an A/B or a seaman should occupy 1-2 pages (A4 format page), the font size should be 12-14, the line pitch should be single (1). Indicate your full name, full address, marital status, email and mobile phone (don’t forget to write your country and city codes, depending on wh ere your addressee is located) at the beginning of the document. Then, indicate the place, dates of your education, your certificates (begin with the most important one for your employer). After you describe your work experience, professional skills and achievements, indicate 2-3 references from your former employers, who will give you a good evaluation as a worker. This will save your time and the time of the crewing agency.

It is vital to attach a good photo to your CV. If you looked unpleasant or bad when they took your photo, you can use Adobe Photoshop to clear out unpleasant locations on your face or you could opt to take new photos. The profile picture is highly important if you are applying for a work in a foreign company, as there is no possibility to meet with the crewing manager in person.

 

If you've just started your career, you could take advantage of emphasizing the fact that you are young, have a strong desire to work hard and learn a lot and grow professionally and make your carreer. Do not hesitate to show your positive features, like dignity, social skills, hardworking, lack of bad habbits, etc.).

 

Some advice on making a good CV:

1.       Name your file in such a way as to show immediately its owner. It will make it easier to find it. For instance: «Peter Kolotov – 3rd Mate»).

2.       Save your file in .doc format. The file size should not exceed 300 kb. This will guarantee it is easy to download and read it on any device.

3.       Use ready-made templates for CVs in Microsoft Word.

4.       Save your file in Word 1997-2003 format (File – Save As – choose «Document Word 97-2003» in the format section).  

5.       Do not use archives when sending documents. When sending certificates, name scan-copies with the name of the document.

6.       Do not use color fonts and different formating within one document.

7.       Use emails with .com domains (for example, gmail.com), when sending your CV to foreign companies, as some international companies activate filters on Russian email services and your email could not go through these filters and might be rejected.

8.       Before starting to make your own CV you might want to see some good examples of some one other's CVs to get a clue how it looks like. You might also want to read dedicated articles or a book, illustrating how to compose such documents.

9.       Double check your CV for any errors or mistakes. If you write it in English, then it is reasonable to ask someone who speaks English fluently to check it.

10.   Re-read your CV one more time, show it to an independent person, ask advice from someone who is experienced in these kind of things.

 

If you've made your CV correctly, then you might say that you've approached to your aim for about 70 %. The rest of 30 % of your success will highly depend on how you act during the personal interview.