How much should you inflate your CV?

by Koon Mei Ching

The past few weeks since I came back into the recruitment scene, I have noticed quite a few complaints from HR
managers about inflated CVs. I thought it interesting to find out what they were concerned about.
Fair enough, you read all about the right way to write a resume, what you should focus on, what you should enhance and
how you should say the things you want to say. What you get in the end should be a well-crafted piece to market your
skills and experience in your chosen field.
What actually happens? It seems that many of you may be better students than we thought! The latest concern among
time-pressed recruiters is that the CVs submitted do not truly represent the candidate invited for interview. If you state
that you were able to manage an extensive project from resource-allocation to budgeting, you have better make sure you
can back that up in the interview.
I remember running screening interviews for a large multinational a year ago. The initial screeners would whittle down the
field of candidates by reviewing their CVs by looking at their skills, educational backgrounds and extra-curricular activities.
I was actually really amazed at the number of super-candidates emerging from that process. I was regularly slotted to
interview students and experienced hires with quite the impressive list of achievements!
However, during the interview, I was often sorely disappointed. For example, there was a student who was President of
many societies and organisations at his university. When I probed him further on his role and achievements within these
positions, he told me that there were five members in total, and that he had organised two picnics to local parks. Even
though I wanted to find some nugget of brilliance in this candidate by giving him the benefit of the doubt, I emerged from
the session disappointed and rather annoyed that he had tried to cheat me as an interviewer.
Guan, the Chief Structural Engineer at a global luxury car manufacturer in the USA, was telling me about his own
experience hiring yesterday. He was looking for senior designers who could hit the ground running, and he invited a
candidate who seemed to glow in his resume. What the candidate did not know was that he was going to be tested in his
skills. Despite an elaborate enhancement of his design experiences in his CV, when he was put to the test, he could not
even get past the first half. When asked why he could not do as his resume dictated, he said: "I could do it, if you gave me
instructions on what to do."
Needless to say, neither my university graduate nor Guan's experienced candidate got called back for a second interview.
It is important to learn the difference between writing a good honest CV and inflating it. If you do a good job of the former,
you will get through based upon your own merits if you are right for the job. If you manage the latter - inflation - you may
get your foot in the door for the first round of interviews, but your cover will be quickly blown, and it will leave a very bad
taste in the interviewer's mouth. That will most definitely kill your chances of progressing any further, and even ruin the
potential to keep a relationship going with the recruiter for future opportunities.
So be wise and honest when writing your CV. It is not fictional storytelling; it is an autobiography that should know the
difference between who you are, and who you wish you could be. The reader will find out by the first chapter.

Resume writing tips and types of resume

A good job hunter knows that a good resume is the key to an interview invite and ultimately, to employment. Aside from a summary
of your abilities, work experience and education, a resume should reveal your unique selling points to entice a potential employer to
BUY you.

The secret to an irresistible resume is to address the specific need of a specific job. A tailored resume has infinitely more impact
than a one-size-fits-all. To write such a resume, first organize information under specific headings such as education, work
experience, achievements, skills and activities. When everything is on paper, decide on the proper format to play up your
outstanding qualities that fit the jobs requirements.
Here are several types of resume for your reference.
1.

Chronological resume
o

Recommended for candidates with solid working experience and a progressive job history in a specific field or
history, and who would want to continue along this similar career path.

Most employers prefer this style as it is based on facts, and easily digestible.

2.

3.

4.

Very conventional, emphasizing on itemized employment history.

Important to present career milestones in reverse chronological order, starting with current position and moving
backwards. Each position contains a description of relevant responsibilities and accomplishments.

Functional Resume
o

Suitable for fresh graduates and job hoppers hoping for a career change.

Helps to cover seemingly disconnected experiences by displaying transferable skills and related achievements.

Organize work history into sections that highlight skills and accomplishments deemed most appropriate for the
position applied for. Always include the company name in bulleted description of your accomplishments. Do not
miss out at least a brief chronological listing of your work experience.

Combination Resume
o

This format tries to merge the best features of the chronological and functional type resumes by incorporating
both a chronological work history and a skills and achievements section. Top focus is on skills and
accomplishments, followed by work experience.

Though some employers will find this format long, repetitious and confusing, this type of resume can be good to
someone with good editing skills.

Electronic Resume
o

Adopted by many people to send resumes to electronic resume banks and make on-line job applications
through JobStreet.com.

The resume is sent by email or can be viewed on the Internet. Specially formatted for scanning and searching
by optical scanning systems.

Fast becoming an increasingly popular and acceptable form of job application as it is fast, effective and
convenient.

Comes in different file formats but most common are plain text, rich text and hypertext.

RESUME WRITING TIPS

1.

2.

Know Your Objective

o

What job do you want? What are the skills and requirements necessary for this job?

Keep them in your mind as you write your resume so that the interviewer reading it will see that you are the
person they are looking for.

Compile all your information

3.

4.

5.

6.

List down your personal particulars, education history, extra-curricular activities including positions held,
employment history, seminars attended, achievements, etc.

Ensure the dates are correct. Leave out hobbies/interests, parents occupation etc.

Sort information under specific headings Education, Work Experience, Achievements, Skills, Activities.

Start with your Name and Contact details

o

Write your full name, postal address, house and mobile numbers, email address.

Leave out your marital status, sex, race, parents name and occupation, birth details, etc.

Write your Employment details

o

Starting with your most recent work, list down all the jobs you have had, company names, dates of employment,
position titles.

Using bullet points, write the job description, nature of work and responsibilities held for each position

Use key words: responsible for, coordinating, prepared, managed, monitored, presented, accomplished,
achieved, analyzed, delegated, etc .

Highlight your achievements/job responsibilities.

List Education details

o

Lead with your highest education level to the lowest, include grades like CGPA.

State courses or papers studied, e.g. Psychology, Contract Law, Multimedia.

List activities like societies/clubs, position held and accomplishments if they are relevant to the job you are
applying to. Otherwise, leave them out.

Include your Skills

o

7.

List down your computer skills, language skills (and different dialects) including proficiency in reading and
writing, and soft skills (public speaking, presentation, etc).

Reference
o

Not totally essential but if you need to mention references, choose people who know you personally and can
give a good impression of you to the potential employer.

Remember to give your references contact details.

8.

Make sure you inform your referees that they may receive calls from your interviewers so that they can prepare.
Send them copies of your resume so that they know who you are and what you did.

Miscellaneous
o

Be short and concise

Resumes are usually read in only 30 seconds or less, so you have to be brief and go straight to the
point.

Resumes should be a maximum of two pages long. Use Size 12 fonts (Times New Roman or
Garamond font) for easy read. Use three pages only if you have extensive professional experience.

Use italic or bold fonts only to indicate important information or section breaks.

Use a good printer, no stray marks, splotches, uneven or blurred letters.

Use high quality A4 paper, white only. Do not use flashy colours like pink or red.

Be honest

Do not inflate your resume. Make sure you can back up what you claim. Do not cheat/lie.

Check for spelling and grammar mistakes

Make sure your resume is free from spelling or grammar mistakes.

Ask someone reliable to check it for you.

Do not depend on your word processors Spell Check function.

Most importantly, proof read until your resume is perfect.

Use Power Verbs

Action words add oomph to your writing and enables you to describe clearly.

How To Write A Winning and Marketable Resume

"Your resume is the first point of contact with a prospective employer; so make sure it gives a good first impression"
Do you know that a typical executive job advertisement in Saturday's The Straits Times Recruit page can easily attract an average
of 100+ job applications? How would you like to stand out among the crowd and be selected for the interview?
As a HR professional and certified resume writer, I have had the opportunity to vet thousands of resumes and sat in several
recruitment interviews. What became obvious was that those outstanding resumes usually get the attention of the HR Manager

faster and therefore put them ahead of the rest in terms of getting an interview and of course, the job offer.
But what makes a resume outstanding?
Basically, it answers the following questions, which most resumes do not:

"Why should we hire you?"

"What can you value add to our organisation?"

"How can you best contribute to our company?"

Here are some additional tips which you may wish to consider before you submit another resume:
1.

Start your resume with a summary of qualifications, which consist of three to five statements of your career experience.
Unless you are a fresh graduate or intend to switch career, it is not appropriate to start your resume with an objective. I
have observed that many executives, including senior management tend to overlook this, and miss out on the opportunity
to highlight their best attributes right upfront, for example, " 15+ years of product marketing experience".

2.

List your professional strengths next. Don't just give general statements but use keywords or buzzwords that companies
and recruiters need to see, for example, "Marketing management", "Cost controls", and "Product training".

3.

Highlight your achievements. Be clear and specific about what you have accomplished under different job positions or
titles. Don't just state your job duties and responsibilities but go a step further to show the impact or results of what you
have accomplished for the organization. Wherever possible, quantify your achievements, for instance, "increased sales
turnover 80 percent through new product launch and innovative pricing strategies".

4.

Having written your job responsibilities and achievements, you should then present your educational qualifications and
training. The most common practice is to state the degree earned, name of university and year of graduation. Be true to
what you say. For example, if you complete a three-year course but did not graduate, do not say that you have gotten the
qualification.

5.

Put some effort to make sure the overall layout or presentation of your resume gives a good visual appeal. Format your
resume well. Choose the correct font size and layout to avoid too much white space. Also avoid cramming too much on
one page. The overall effect should be that your resume projects a touch of class and professionalism.

Do remember that your resume ought to be a "marketing masterpiece" and not just a mere collection of past histories. Your resume
is the first point of contact that determines if you should be granted an interview. It is therefore important to put your best effort in
creating a good first impression.
For a free resume critique, please email your resume to steven@resumeasia.com. Confidentiality guaranteed and absolutely no
obligation.