From our many years of experience at MSELECT we believe we have a very good understanding of what employers look for in a candidate CV. Employers operating in our sphere of Iraq, Kurdistan and Iran have adapted their staffing requirements to the local talent market. We see that an employer in our region may not necessarily be looking for the same information on a CV as they would in Europe, for instance. In other words, the optimum CV in our region will contain differences to CVs from other parts of the world.
In this article, we explain what you as a job seeker should include in your CV to maximise your chances of being noticed by employers.
What Employers Want To See On Your Resume - Iraq and Kurdistan
1. Profile Summary
The personal summary has gained increasing importance in our region as candidates do not use cover letters. Therefore, the summary in effect has become a condensed cover letter.
Here is an example of an effective CV profile summary:
As a highly motivated and results-orientated manager within the luxury hotel sector, I have a proven track record of providing exemplary levels of service to a broad range of guests, including VIPs and high-profile individuals.
As you can see in this example, for your own CV personal summary explain where you are coming from and that you have the industry experience in relation to the requirements of the job you are applying for, A succinct explanation of what you bring to the table should then follow. We advise you to maintain a summary within a range of 50 to around 200 words.
A personal profile is also referred to as a career summary, personal profile statement, profile statement, resume summary, and summary of qualifications.
2. Objective
This is not to be confused with the above profile summary. Objectives are a short, to-the-point statement and must be specific to each job application. This is your opportunity to explain the type of work you wish to get into.
Below are 3 examples based on specific career level:
A) For career changers - Accomplished administrator seeking to leverage extensive background in personnel management, recruitment, employee relations and benefits administration in an entry-level human resources position. Extremely motivated for career change goal and eager to contribute to a company's HR division.
B) Entry-level workers - Dedicated IT graduate pursuing a help-desk position.
C) When targeting a specific position - Elementary teacher for ABC School District.
3. Skills
List all technical skills which could be required for the job you are applying for, together with any training courses you have attended, mentioning the title, training provider, location and date. This is also where you add your languages and proficiency level.
4. Education
Add education from diploma to higher, mentioning subject title, qualification (e.g. BSc), institution name, location and graduation year. A common mistake we see in this section is the inclusion of high school certification.
5. Work History
The employment section should support and validate the profile summary, objective and skills. This is where potential employers are convinced to interview the job seeker.
Start with the latest first, mention the company name, location, and to/from dates. For each different employer, describe the business briefly and how you were involved. Follow with a list of duties and key achievements during your time in the position. Achievements will be a key point of discussion in any interview.
Do not list jobs in detail from more than 10 years ago.
6. Personal Interests
To show your human side, we recommending adding some personal interests. Again, this could be discussed in an interview should the interviewer have common interests.
Our recruitment team at MSELECT have created a template based on what employers look for on a CV for the Iraqi and Kurdistan region. Please contact our team for a copy if required.