Writing your CV

It is vitally important that your CV is well-written and presented because it serves as your initial introduction to any prospective employer. In order to achieve its purpose – i.e. to get you to the interview stage – your résumé will need to clearly summarise your qualifications and experience and demonstrate that you are a suitable match for the vacancy in question. (Need help? We now offer a CV Review service)

A strong résumé therefore represents your opportunity to make a favourable first impression and should include the following:

Personal information

Contact information (address, telephone and email)
Date of birth and nationality are also useful

Academic & professional

Your accounting designation, the institute, and the year it was obtained
Your degree, where you studied with dates attended, and grade obtained
Summary details of your secondary/high school with dates attended, and results

Employment history

For each job: position title, employer name, and dates worked there
Provide detail on your responsibilities and experience gained in that role
Examples of clients and industry sectors you may have worked on
Any experience of the financial services sector and US GAAP should be highlighted
Explain any gap periods in your resume

Experience and skills

Identification of your transferable professional skills is key
Include details of your core experience and skills: e.g. leadership, planning and organising, meeting deadlines, bringing assignments in on budget, technical skills, problem-solving, communication skills (oral, presentations, writing reports), commercial awareness, strategic thinking, interpersonal skills, flexibility and adaptability, and personal motivation

Other useful skills

Details of your IT literacy e.g. which applications you are familiar with
Any other skills, such as fluency in other languages apart from English

Other interests

Include information on your hobbies and personal interests (e.g. sports, travel, voluntary work, other activities)

References

If offered a new job, you will be required to provide contact information for references but it is not a requirement to include them on your resume

Ideally, your resume should be two to three pages long and will need to properly cover all the above in order to achieve its objective.

Need help with your CV?

Your CV is your calling card to employers and its purpose is to get you an interview. It's therefore vitally important that it ticks all the right boxes and attracts interest in you, particularly in these challenging economic times.

We now offer a CV Review service. Priced at £25 (approximately US$35), this facility represents an investment in your future. Help differentiate yourself from other job-seekers by enlisting the input of one of our experienced recruitment consultants for feedback, advice and constructive comments for improvement of your CV.

To request this confidential service, please make payment here using a credit card (a separate window will open) and be sure to include your correct email address on the form. Once payment has been received, we will email you direct to obtain your CV and start the review process. The whole process usually takes just a couple of days.

We look forward to helping you.

Yours sincerely,

Thomas Burton ACA
HAMILTON RECRUITMENT
London, August 2009

PS: For a limited time only, we are offering our downloadable e-book Finding Employment in Bermuda & the Caribbean (value £10/$15) FREE when you register for our CV Review Service