CV Writing: A Quick Guide for Jobs Hunters in UAE

If you have come to this website you will almost certainly have gaps in your CV.

Don’t panic, you are not alone.  Lots of people have gaps in their employment history. You do not need to justify these gaps but you do need to explain them.

I have seen many job hunters in Dubai that they are applying for jobs in UAE with Poorly Designed CV. Whole CV writing guide is for all Job hunters in any county but Jobs seeker in UAE should pay more attention.

It is perfectly understandable and acceptable to have taken time off to look after a relative, after a period of ill health or to bring up children. Indeed, for those of us with teenage children the opportunities to work part time when we were first pregnant just did not exist on the scale that they do today. It was all or nothing. Any employer will understand this.

Writing your CV will also help you identify any gaps in your skills, knowledge or abilities. You can then take positive steps to remedy these by taking a course or updating your qualifications.  This is how you can easily reach interview table after reading a guide about CV Writing and after that, you can start applying for job vacancies in Dubai.

What have you done in the time you have been away from the workplace?

The answer is certainly not “nothing”. Your personal achievements are very valuable.

Did you organize your local playgroup? A support group? Do you sit on the PTA? Did you project manage your house extension? All of these show organizational skills, communication skills, negotiation skills, time management skills and the ability to work as part of a team. All are highly valuable qualities that an employer will be looking for. So don’t undersell yourself.

You may be looking to pick up the threads of your old career or you may be looking at a complete career change.

Do your homework and look at job sites to see what employers are looking for. Draw up a list and start to match your skills with those requirements.

Ask around. Everyone is talking about networking so use yours. Do you know a friend of a friend who could help you?

Paying for a professional CV service can be costly and if family budgets are tight it may not be an option.

We have included the basic Do’s and Don’ts of CV construction. Follow our guide and write a professional CV to get you that interview.

Your CV acts as your personal advertisement and enables prospective employers to see what you can offer them. Therefore the structure and presentation of your CV are crucial.

Your CV is designed to get you the interview. The average employer spends no more than 30 seconds looking at a CV so it is crucial that you make a good impression quickly and sell yourself.

Employers generally have the same objectives; developing their business, creating new products and services, gaining market share and so increasing their profits. They are looking for candidates that can help them achieve their goals.

Employers are willing to know what you can do for them, “I feel that working for a charity is what I want to do at this stage in my life” is all about you and nothing about them.

It is essential that you tailor your CV to each job application.

One size does not fit all and although this is a time-consuming process it is time well spent and will vastly increase your chances of being invited to interview.

Read the Job Description carefully. If this is a bit vague, look at their company website to get an idea of their company ethos. Look at their competitors and try to build up a picture of the sort of qualities needed in that industry, sector or role.

Tailor your CV accordingly by providing relevant experience to support your application.

Remember, the purpose of the CV is to get you an interview. Employers are busy people so keep it short, no more than two A4 pages, and keep it interesting. If you can’t fit everything into two pages you probably need to cut it down or take unnecessary waffle out. Don’t say in twenty words what could more concisely be said in ten. Remember, the purpose of the CV is to get you an interview rather than tell your whole life story.

Your CV should be easy to read with relevant skills and experience easily identifiable.

Steer away from elaborate fonts and colored, textured papers with pictures. Times New Roman and Ariel are the two most popular fonts. It is perfectly acceptable to highlight your name in a different font from the rest of your CV but don’t go for anything too flouncy.

Clearly, differentiate between sections of your CV by using clear space.

Each section heading should be in bold. Don’t make the text so small that an employer need to strain their eyes to read it and don’t use anything smaller than 10, and ideally 11, 0n font size.

If you are going to use bullet points, make it a simple dot.

Avoid abbreviations.

Always, always check your spelling and grammar. If you can’t be bothered why should an employer?

Your CV is your advertisement.

An employer is looking for the ideal candidate and this is your pitch to him or her to convince them that you are worth investing in. Your CV should include the following:

Name, address, contact numbers, and email. Make it easy for an employer to contact you. Check and double check that the numbers are correct or you will wonder why no one ever calls!

If you have a jokey email address change it. Get yourself a new, more professional email to go with the new professional you.

Age discrimination is now illegal in the recruitment process. However, we would advise you to leave out your date of birth just in case.

An employer is not allowed to discriminate with regard to your marital status. It is up to you whether you want to put it in or not and whether you include that you have children. There may be circumstances where having a family will put you at an advantage, working with children for example.

Employers want to know what you can do for them. Your personal statement part of your CV is your first opportunity to impress.

In one paragraph you need to capture the attention of the reader and encourage them to read on. Highlight your professional attributes and goals making each sentence a positive selling point for you.

Look at the Job Description. What do they want from a successful candidate? Tell them that you can do it.

Simply stating that you have good communication skills doesn’t tell the employer why you are the right person for the job,  instead,  phrase it in a relevant and positive way such as ” I use my excellent networking and communication skills to attract and retain high net worth individuals.”

Sum up your unique selling points, state your accomplishments and how these will help you succeed in the job you are applying for.

Your personal statement part of your CV is your first opportunity to impress. In one paragraph highlight your professional attributes and goals making each sentence a positive selling point for you.

The skills section of your CV is crucial. Here you can really sell yourself and demonstrate those skills that show what a positive contribution you will make to the employer's organization. Again, read the Job Description carefully and understand what skills are important to that role within that organization and create matching skills.

Skills to include are Teamwork, Initiative, Flexibility, and Communication, Problem solving and Technical skills.

Be specific. Just saying “I have excellent communication skills,” says nothing about what your skills are and why they would be valuable to the employer. Match your skills with those required in the Job Description and use examples from your previous employment. Jobs Hunter can also read some more cv mistakes for jobs in Dubai.

You will need to quickly convince the employer of your suitability for the role.

List your most recent position first including dates. Continue in reverse chronological order. Include measurable results. Again, highlight within this section those results that tally with the role applied for.

Again, listed in reverse chronological order. If you have recently obtained an Open University degree or other professional qualification you may want to include this straight after your personal statement.

If your work experience is stronger, or your education some time ago, include it after your employment history.

If you are currently taking a course or have gained other qualifications then creating a Personal Development section will highlight that you have kept body and mind busy.

There is no need to list every O level, CSE, and GCSE separately. A simple “8 O Levels grade A-C” is adequate. State any A Levels with grades “French A, Economics B, Maths C” and Degrees or professional qualifications with grades ”Ba (Hons) Business Law.

This section enables the potential employer to get a more rounded picture of you and perhaps help them to decide how you would fit into their team.

Think of the adverts for Foxtons Estate Agents and the snowboarding lover of action sports. If your favorite thing is to jump out of an airplane every weekend that may help to persuade them to give you an interview if they like what they see on the rest of your CV. But make sure you really are a member of the Extreme Sports Club or you may find yourself interviewing with a parachute strapped to your back!

If your Facebook page includes photos and details of your recent fundraising activities, perhaps the picture of you crossing the line at the London Marathon or your voluntary work then yes. If it’s just pictures of you and your friends on a recent night out, then no.

Do be aware that employers are increasingly checking out the social media pages of potential employees. If you’ve got some rather embarrassing pictures and comments on there get rid of them before you start your job search.

Unless they specifically ask you there’s no need to put a list of references on your CV. The time for that is when you’ve been offered the job.

CV or resume is the document which explains you behind your back. Employers come to know who you are and what you've done just by reading your resume. CV is the touch point for you where you can meet your customers; employers. Resume should be so much powerful so any employer see and ask i want to meet this person immediately. It's all about creativity. Check these examples how people are using creativity in their resumes. 

This guide is written by Umar Arshad. He is Chartered Accountant cum Internet Entrepreneur groomed in Startup Culture , Loves to write on different topics .