We live in a society where change is continuous and competition is increasing. The days of full employment are long gone. Advancement in technology has led to a reduction in the labour force. A single job advert can result in a company receiving hunreds, if not thousands, of replies.

1. 117 May 2020 Learning to Market Yourself with Your CV by Engr. Dr. M. F. Akorede
Learning to Market Yourself
with Your CV
by
ENGR. DR. M. F. AKOREDE, SMIEEE, MNSE
Senior Lecturer
Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering,
University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.
E-mail: akorede@unilorin.edu.ng
Office Address: 10G16
H/P: 08187432274

2. 17 May 2020 Learning to Market Yourself with Your CV by Engr. Dr. M. F. Akorede 2
Presentation Outline
 Introduction
 Definition of CV
 Reasons for Rejecting a Candidate
 Information to Include in CV
 Length of a CV
 What Makes a Good CV
 Samples of Good CV
 Beyond a Good CV
 Conclusion
 Further Reading

3. 17 May 2020 Learning to Market Yourself with Your CV by Engr. Dr. M. F. Akorede 3
Introduction
 We live in a society where change is continuous and
competition is increasing.
 The days of full employment are long gone.
 Advancement in technology has led to a reduction in the
labour force.
 A single job advert can result in a company receiving hunreds,
if not thousands, of replies.
 For example, 133,324 were shortlisted for 6,000 jobs in the
just conducted Nigeria Police recruitment.
 Companies now recruit fewer graduates, which means there
are plenty of qualified people, but with little or no work
experience.
 So how do you stand out from a multitude of applicants?
 How can you make an immediate, positive impact on the
reader?

4. 17 May 2020 Learning to Market Yourself with Your CV by Engr. Dr. M. F. Akorede 4
What is a CV?
 A CV (Curriculum Vitae) or Résumé is a document that
highlights your skills, achievements and experience in such a
way that the reader is motivated to meet you.
 The objective of a CV is not to get you a job, but to get you an
interview or meeting with the employer.
 Write a CV that speaks directly to the hiring manager's
problems, and you are half-way to getting the job.
 Since a multitude of candidates will apply for a single vacancy,
most employers spend just a few seconds scanning each CV
before sticking it in the 'Yes' or 'No' pile.
Some employers may spend as little as
45 seconds skimming a résumé before
branding it “not of interest”, “maybe”
or “of interest. --Towers Hamlyn

5. 17 May 2020 Learning to Market Yourself with Your CV by Engr. Dr. M. F. Akorede 5
Reasons for Rejecting a Candidate
 When asked what would make them automatically reject a
candidate, employers responded:
 CVs with spelling mistakes or typos 61%
 CVs that copied large amounts of wording from the job posting
41%
 CVs with an inappropriate email address 35%
 CVs that don’t include a list of skills 30%
 CVs that are more than two pages long 22%
 CVs printed on decorative paper 20%
 CVs that detail more tasks than results for previous positions
16%
 CVs that include a photo 13%
 CVs that have large blocks of text with little white space 13%.

6. 17 May 2020 Learning to Market Yourself with Your CV by Engr. Dr. M. F. Akorede 6
What Information Should a CV Include?
 Personal Details: Normally these would be your name, address,
date of birth (although with age discrimination laws now in
force this isn't essential), telephone number and email.
 Should you put a photo? May be No, to avoid discrimination.
 Education and Qualifications: State your university, period of
attendance, and degree obtained, with dates.
 Mention your grades unless poor!
 Work Experience: In stating this, endeavour to use action
words such as developed, planned and organised, etc.
 For example, all of my work experiences have involved
working within a team-based culture. This involved planning,
organisation, coordination and commitment….
 Industrial Training experience could be stated here, especially
for fresh graduates without work experience.
 Include work in a shop, bar or restaurant, if any.

7. 17 May 2020 Learning to Market Yourself with Your CV by Engr. Dr. M. F. Akorede 7
What Information Should a CV Include?
 Skills: The usual ones to mention are languages (effective
communication skills in English, and basic French), computing
(e.g. good working knowledge of MS Access and Excel, plus
basic web page design skills), driving (full current clean
drivers’ licence), and leadership skills (President…).
 Hobbies and Interests: Don't put many passive, solitary hobbies
(Reading, cinema, travelling, playing computer games) or else
you may be perceived as lacking people skills.
 Selectors will interpret these as a solitary individual who
doesn't get on with other people.
 Travel: travelled to Kano by train last holiday break in a group
of four people, visiting historic sites and practising my Hausa
language.
 Reading: helped younger pupils with reading difficulties at sch.
 Any interests relevant to the job are worth mentioning.

8. 17 May 2020 Learning to Market Yourself with Your CV by Engr. Dr. M. F. Akorede 8
What Information Should a CV Include?
 List of Publications (if any): Your publications in form of
conference papers, journal articles, essays, technical reports,
etc, should be listed properly.
 Use links to websites to avoid long explanations.
 References: A reference is the name and contact details of
someone you have worked for.
 It could also be your former project supervisor, head of dept, or
a lecturer in the dept to whom you are familiar.
 Human Resource (HR) people often contact your reference to
cross-check your claims.
 A reference should contain name, position, workplace address,
email address, and telephone number of your referees.
 NOTE: It is very important that you seek the consent of your
referee prior to stating it on your CV.

9. 17 May 2020 Learning to Market Yourself with Your CV by Engr. Dr. M. F. Akorede 9
How Long Should a CV be?
 There are no absolute rules.
 However, generally a new graduate's CV should cover no more
than two sides of A4 paper.
 In a survey of American employers, 35% preferred a one page
CV and 19% a two-page CV, while others said the length
depends upon the position applied for.
 It should be borne in mind that as employers are getting more
and more CVs, they tend not to have the time to read long
documents.
 However, you should not leave out important items, or crowd
your text too closely together in a bid to reduce the length.

10. 17 May 2020 Learning to Market Yourself with Your CV by Engr. Dr. M. F. Akorede 10
What Makes a Good CV
 Writing a good CV could be one of the toughest challenges of
job hunting.
 However, the following guides would facilitate things for you:
 Keep it Real!: Usually a CV should not be more than two pages
of A4 paper.
 Employers spend a few seconds looking at any one CV, and a
surefire way of landing yourself on the “No” pile is to send
them your entire life story.
 Keep it to the point, and save those little details for the
interview.
 Tailor it: Take time to change your CV for each role that you
apply for.
 Research the company and use the job advert to work out
EXACTLY what skills you should point out to them.
 They will appreciate the obvious effort.

11. 17 May 2020 Learning to Market Yourself with Your CV by Engr. Dr. M. F. Akorede 11
 Include a Personal Statement: Don’t just assume the employer
will see how your experience relates to their job.
 Instead, use a short personal statement to explain why you are
the best candidate for the job.
 This should be reflected in your cover letter.
 Don't Leave Gaps: Leaving obvious gaps on your CV
immediately makes employers suspicious and they won't give
you the benefit of the doubt.
 If you have been out of work, it can be a worry but just put a
positive spin on it.
 Did you do a course, volunteer work or develop soft skills such
as communication, teamwork or project management? If so,
shout about it!
What Makes a Good CV

12. 17 May 2020 Learning to Market Yourself with Your CV by Engr. Dr. M. F. Akorede 12
 Keep it Current: You should always keep your CV up-to-date
whether you are looking for a job or not.
 Every time something significant occurs in your career, record
it so you don't later forget them to be included in your CV.
 Avoid Avoidable Errors: Employers do look for mistakes on CVs
and if they find them, it makes you look really bad.
 If you are unsure of spellings, then use a spellchecker and ask
someone else to double-check what you have written.
 Be Honest: Blatant lies on your CV can land you in a trouble
when it comes to employers checking your background and
references.
 You may be caught at the interview stage when you suddenly
can't answer questions on what you claim to know.
 The worst thing you want is to start work and then lose your
new job for lying.
What Makes a Good CV

13. 17 May 2020 Learning to Market Yourself with Your CV by Engr. Dr. M. F. Akorede 13
 Be Specific: By backing up your achievements with numbers, it
makes selling yourself much easier.
 For example, when writing your work history, don’t just say
that you increased sales; tell them you increased sales by 70%
over a six month period.
 Make it Look Good: We live in a world where image is
everything, and that also goes for your CV.
 Use bullet points and keep sentences short.
 Use the graphic design trick of leaving plenty of white space
around text and between categories to make the layout easy
on the eye.
What Makes a Good CV

14. 17 May 2020 Learning to Market Yourself with Your CV by Engr. Dr. M. F. Akorede 14
Sample of a Good CV

15. 17 May 2020 Learning to Market Yourself with Your CV by Engr. Dr. M. F. Akorede 15
Sample of a Good CV

16. 17 May 2020 Learning to Market Yourself with Your CV by Engr. Dr. M. F. Akorede 16
Beyond a Good CV
 As mentioned earlier, the objective of a good and successful
CV is to get you an interview or meeting with the employer.
 Your ability to advance your career depends on many factors,
and most of them have nothing to do with your past job titles
or the amount of experience you have managed to cram into
your CV.
 A study revealed that 63% of employers place an equal or
greater value on “soft skills” — the intangible capabilities
related to a candidate’s attitude, work ethic, and ability to
handle pressure.
 Building Effective Relationships: The most successful people
don’t become successful all by themselves.
 Companies want to see that you know how to build
relationships that lead to success.
 Be prepared to give interviewers examples that show how you
went out of your way to help someone in the past.

17. 17 May 2020 Learning to Market Yourself with Your CV by Engr. Dr. M. F. Akorede 17
Beyond a Good CV
 They want to see that you care about the success of the
company — not just your paycheck.
 Doing Your Homework: Interviewers want to see that you have
put effort into researching the company before you come in
the door.
 The author of “The 73 Rules of Influencing the Interview”,
recommends asking questions that showcase your knowledge
and research skills.
 If the company is considering expanding to another country,
for example, bring up that fact and then ask about any
challenges that might result from the project.
 This will prove that you have done your homework and are
interested in more than just getting a job.

18. 17 May 2020 Learning to Market Yourself with Your CV by Engr. Dr. M. F. Akorede 18
Beyond a Good CV
 Providing Tangible Examples: It is always more effective to
show an interviewer proof of your accomplishments.
 Any job applicant can say he or she has done something, but
the applicants who show they have accomplished something
are the real superstars.
 Showing Gratitude: Once you have nailed the interview, your
work is not done yet — you still have to write the thank-you
note.
 While email follow-ups are great, a handwritten thank-you
note is even better, according to an expert.
 If you really want the job, you will need to show the
interviewers that you have all the intangible qualities that
make a fantastic employee.

19. 17 May 2020 Learning to Market Yourself with Your CV by Engr. Dr. M. F. Akorede 19
Conclusion
 No doubt, we live in a society where thousands of qualified
applicants jostle for the few available jobs.
 One of the first steps towards getting a desired job is writing
of good CV.
 The objective of a good CV is to secure you the opportunity to
interact with the interviewers but not to get you the job.
 To get the job of your dream, you certainly need beyond a
good CV.
 Building effective relationships, doing homework properly,
providing tangible examples, showing gratitude, etc, are very
essential ingredients to secure a good job.

20. 17 May 2020 Learning to Market Yourself with Your CV by Engr. Dr. M. F. Akorede 20
Thank You!

21. 17 May 2020 Learning to Market Yourself with Your CV by Engr. Dr. M. F. Akorede 21
Further Reading
1. “10 steps to a successful CV” retrieved May 29, 2018 from
https://www.totaljobs.com/careers-advice/cvs-and-
applications/successful-cv.
2. A. Wallwork, “How to write a CV to get your dream job”, retrieved May
29, 2018 from https://www.sns.it/sites/default/files/allegati/13-08-
2015/howwritecv.pdf.
3. P. Mcgee, “How to write a CV really that works”, 4th ed, How To Books
Ltd, Oxford, UK.
4. How to market yourself with your CV, retrieved May 29, 2018 from
https://www.theguardian.com/careers/careers-blog/how-to-market-
yourself-with-your-cv-clare-whitmell.
5. W. Arruda, “Six Things Beyond Your Résumé That Will Land You The Job
Of Your Dreams”, retrieved May 29, 2018 from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamarruda/2017/11/14/six-things-
beyond-your-resume-that-will-land-you-the-job-of-your-
dreams/2/#6d14073d37f4

22. 17 May 2020 Learning to Market Yourself with Your CV by Engr. Dr. M. F. Akorede 22
Questions?