The importance of your CV

Your CV is your personal marketing document and provides a potential employer with their first impression of you. You need to ensure that your CV stands out from the crowd - but for the right reasons!

As the Gulf is fast becoming westernised your CV should be in line with accepted international format - we recommend using the UK format and standards, include the correct content, and be the right length. Any deviation from this can result in it being ignored, or worse, deleted altogether!

Our strong understanding of CV requirements and international recruitment experience allow us to translate your experience gained in other countries into the Gulf.  By highlighting your key transferable skills drawing out the richness of your work experience, and giving it Gulf context we help you secure the best position available!

Hints for writing your CV

Format

Your CV should be in Word format, not PDF, and should not be password protected. It is very important to lay out your CV so that it is easy to read and presents all the key points at a glance. Our Global CV template is free to download and illustrates the accepted format.

Front page:

• Your nationality, visa status and availability should all be included at the top of the front page
• It should be a summary of your personal details (make sure your personal email address is appropriate), education and qualifications, and key skills
• It is not necessary to include:

      -  A photo
      -  Your marital status
      -  The number of children you have
      -  Your religion
      -  If you have a driver's licence
      -  The words ‘Curriculum Vitae'
      -  A cover sheet
      -  Colours other then grey or black

Content

Make sure all key details are included in your CV, so no opportunity is missed because information is incomplete.

The focal point of your CV should be your work experience. Emphasise your most relevant experience (you do not need to include any roles you had while studying).  Remember that employers in the Gulf may not have heard of your current employer, so make sure you include company information on your CV.  

You will be expected to go into significant detail with regards to your most recent role. For roles you had longer than five years ago the date from and date to, company name and job title will suffice. 

Generally speaking they are looking for a consistency of CV in the Gulf and recognised big international company names on your CV carry a significant weight.

Length

Your CV should really be no longer than four pages (including reference details). Your most recent role should be the focal point of your CV, and be longer in length than previous roles - approximately ¾ of a page to one page long.

Important to note!

We cannot stress enough how important it is to know what organisations your CV has gone to. We advise you to keep a written log and not to apply to organisations at random.

Unsolicited applications without any direction or plan to your approach will most likely see your CV ignored and will severely hinder your chances of obtaining work at a given organisation. This is where we can help!

For CV advice that makes the difference, speak to one of our experienced consultants on info@globalcareerlink.com.

Please also feel free to download our CV Template below.

Resources - click icon to download PDF

CV Template