10 Tips for Writing a Great CV Guest post by Elinor Bat-Genstein, Founder & Managing Partner of CommuniTech. Elinor has worked as Marketing Director, Product Marketing Manager, and Sales Operation Manager in the Israel high-tech industry since 1996. Elinor established CommuniTech in order to develop best practices and domain expertise, with a special emphasis on Product Marketing for global companies, so as to utilize her personal strength in this domain.
Today CommuniTech is concentrating on placement of, and training for, Marketing and Sales position worldwide. Growing up in Paris gives Elinor a clear advantage while helping Israeli organizations in placement projects for their European subsidiaries. Before founding CommuniTech, Elinor was the marketing director at the Israeli Mobile Association (IMA), Global Director of Marketing at Personeta, and Product Marketing Manager at Amdocs, from where she has a vast and global network of candidates. Learn more about Communitech here: www.communitech.co.il.
Today when the market is full of excellent candidates – the first buffer for you to get an interview is your CV. Your CV is your most important marketing tool – worth investing.
1. Personal Details – Must: Name/ Phone number and email
Do not forget email; companies use it for communication!
You can add other parameters like if you are born elsewhere – but marital status, children and your age are not relevant for getting a job and should not be listed
and no picture on the CV
2. Try not to exceed 2 pages (and yes – we know you have a lot to write about yourself)
Do not have more than 5 bullets on each position
3. Font: people are reading your CV.
If you want recruiters to like you use: Ariel font – size 11
4. Colors: I personally adore it; if someone is writing the company names in another color, it makes it easy to follow
5. Companies’ logo – if you worked for well known companies – add the logo to the CV – this always makes an impression
6. Executive summary – personally I am not a fan, but in some cases when it is hard to categorize the person, try to have a short one : write 4 bullets about
a. The role you can perform
b. Your market experience – Telco/ Web / Security/ Clean-Tech
c. Geographic expertise (Europe / APAC / Africa etc.)
d. Your strengths
7. Always write a short sentence about the companies you worked for – do not assume all recruiters know all the market (i.e. ” leading provider billing-ordering and CRM for telecom and IPTV”)
8. Education vs. Work Experience – what comes first? The order should be as follows: if you went to a well known university: put in on the top page (you worked hard to get in and it worth credibility). However, if you chose an unknown university but your career path is impressive: put the education on the bottom (and spare us your high-school name…and “megama”)
9. Prizes and awards: write about every single prize you ever got and if your company gave you a bonus awards / top grades – mention that as well.
10. Tips per roles:
a. Sales: write your customers’ names and size of deals
b. Marketing: write which PR agency / firm you used and which conventions you promoted
c. Engineer: write about all the technologies you are familiar with
A good CV is all about MARKETING!
Yesterday was the second time Sphinncon took place in Israel. Sphinncon is “a version of the Search Marketing Expo (SMX) Conference, but tailored as more of a low impact and more social gathering for search marketers” (taken from the event booklet). Barry Schwartz from Search Engine Roundtable, Search Engine Land, and RustyBrick, was the organizer, and the Jerusalem College of Technology provided the venue.
I really enjoyed the event and here’s why:
- It was in Jerusalem: We Jerusalemites are always schlepping to Tel Aviv for internet and technology related events.
- Good networking: The crowd was awesome. I had a great time schmoozing.
- Impressive panelists: I may not have had to schlep, but some pretty amazing speakers did schlep from around the world to come to this event, like Vanessa Fox, Dixon Jones from Majestic SEO, and Tomer Honen from Google’s Ireland office.
- Good food: Especially the caesar salad and the hot chocolate cake thingy. Yes, I’m shallow. And the fact that I got a free pen really made this event aces in my book.
- Funny people: Sam Michelson from Five Blocks did not disappoint. His title slide said he was going to talk about “Reputation Management for the Mossad.” Turns out he was kidding (though right now they probably could use some rep management). Loved that. Gil Reich from Answers.com was pretty entertaining too (check out his post about the best everything at Sphinncon).
Here’s what I think could be better:
- More useful content from the speakers. I did learn a few new things, but the presentations I heard were nice but kind of fluffy. I got the feeling that the speakers didn’t want to share any really valuable information with the audience.
Check out Barry’s run-down of the event for more details, speaker information, and photos.
Update: I forgot to mention something very important. The last Sphinncon didn’t have any women panelists or speakers, and although I thought the event was great, that bugged me and I wrote about it. For some magical Google reason, if you search for the term Sphinncon Israel, that post is always in the top 10 results. Anyways, this Sphinncon really made up for that with a good number of women panelists. I wouldn’t say it was 50-50, but I think this industry is not 50-50. A quick glance at the crowd certainly seemed to indicate that this is a guy-dominated industry, which is fine, but it was nice to see women represented too. So thanks Barry!
WordPress for social media and SEO
I was on a panel about social media with Vanessa Fox, Debra Askanase and Roi Carthy. I spoke about how to set up WordPress to be the hub of your social media and SEO activity. Here are the main points. The presentation is embedded further on:
- Your internet presence must be based on a hub which is your blog, or website combined with a blog. WordPress is a great platform for creating that blog or website/blog.
- WordPress is great for SEO. Yes, there was recently a kind of “WordPress SEO showdown” between Michael Gray and Robert Rolfe about whether WordPress really is good for SEO. Rolfe says it’s not because the permalinks (URLs) that you can set up are limited and not perfect from an SEO point of view. Gray says that WP is not perfect, but its benefits outweigh the disadvantages.
Sidenote: before I got up to speak Barry told the audience he wanted them to see something. Then he searched for the term Sphinncon Israel in Google and our blog post about Sphinncon Israel two years ago appears on the first page.
- Social media should be used in conjunction with SEO, and vice versa. If you use the tactics of one without the other, you are missing out on a lot of untapped internet goodness like more keyword opportunities, diverse traffic streams, link building, long tail keywords, etc.
- Some good tools for integrating social media are Chat Catcher that aggregates all the conversation taking place about a post and publishing that conversation as comments on your blog; facebook fan box and facebook connect; flickr galleries, YouTube galleries; LinkedIn TypePad application called BlogLink for displaying an RSS feed on your LinkedIn profile – this app is better than the WordPress one because the WP one is limited to one WP rss feed while the TypePad app allows you to pull in any RSS feed.
- Track your feed subscriber stats with Feedburner. Make sure that auto-detect for feeds will find your feedburner feed URL, not the built-in WordPress feed URL. Can use a plugin, htaccess, or hard-code the header.php file.
- Don’t forget about email. Use RSS-to-email service to make your life easier. Feedburner is free but you can’t brand your mailings or add people to the list; MailChimp allows you to brand your mailings and add people to your mailing list, gives you more control.
- Track how you’re doing socially with the following tools: bit.ly for tracking how many people clicked on tiny URLs you posted on twitter etc.; tweetmeme; Topsy (check out the Topsy page for Sphinncon); PostRank
- Hootsuite allows you to fire and forget the sharing of your blog RSS feed with your various twitter profiles, facebook profile, facebook fan page, and LinkedIn.
- Don’t leave the growing mobile user demographic out in the cold: easily make a mobile version of your WordPress site with the WPtouch plugin.
- WordPress is itself a social network thanks to BuddyPress which allows you to create a social network on the WP platform. The most recent version of BuddyPress can be used on a single installation of WordPress, as opposed to only being compatible with WPMU (multi-user WordPress).
- WordPress and SEO – WordPress makes it easy to implement a lot of the SEO basics, like rel=canonical meta tags, redirect all pages to with or without www, add an XML sitemap. The All in One SEO Pack plugin helps you manage page and post title structure site-wide, control meta-descriptions, no-follow areas of the site like categories, and more. Yoast’s Meta Robots Tag overlaps a bit with All in One SEO, but it offers additional features too.
- Google recently started to display breadcrumbs in search results. Add breadcrumbs to your site with a plugin or by modifing your functions.php file.
- Check for broken links in your site, and correct them on the spot, with the Broken Link Checker WordPress plugin.
- Easily add internal links with SEO Smart Links plugin that allows you to enter a word, and then tell the system that whenever that word appears on the site, it should link to a specific page. There are quite a lot more plugins that I mention, but why not view them yourself in the presentation embedded below.
- Optimize your site for speed – the speed with which a page loads is apparently considered for its ranking. Therefore, you need to speed up your pages. Check out the presentation for some ways how.
- You also need to secure your WordPress site against hackers. Some ideas for that are in the presentation too.
Ironically, even though I mention all the plugins above, if you really want to promote your site online, it shouldn’t be running too many plugins since that can seriously slow the site down. Many of the plugins I mentioned can be run briefly to accomplish something, and then deactivated once you don’t need them to do their deed anymore.
Here’s the presentation:
About a year ago we reported that Innovate!Europe was holding a workshop and networking event in Israel, through which one startup would be selected to participate in Guidewire STUDIO, an in-residence business accelerator in Silicon Valley.
Well, Innovate!Europe is coming back to Israel, but this time as the Innovate!2010 global competition. The goal of the competition is to identify and promote up-and-coming technology and media startups. They’re looking for early-stage companies that “have what it takes to be named one of the world’s most promising startups.”
Here’s more info from an email they sent around:
The top 100 companies will be featured in a prestigious list known as the Innovate!100 – and the best of the best will receive a share of prizes valued at nearly $250,000. In addition, every startup that applies will receive promotional exposure and free training designed to improve their chances of success.
Participating startups will be evaluated using Guidewire Group’s proprietary G/Score assessment methodology, which is based on our team’s experience vetting more than 20,000 startups for DEMO and Guidewire Group. Finalists will then be invited to deliver rapid-fire pitches in front of a panel of expert judges and audience members at one of our Innovate!2010 Pitch Slams.
We have scheduled Innovate!2010 Pitch Slams in over a dozen European cities between March 1 and March 29, and additional events will be held in the United States in the coming months. There will also be an online evaluation process for finalists that are not able to attend in person.
The Innovate!2010 Pitch Slams will be held in a bunch of cities, including Tel Aviv on March 15. To apply go to the Innovate!2010 application page. Here are some bits about the application stages according to that page:
Step 1: Startups apply online to receive:
- 2 tickets to an Innovate!2010 Pitch Slams (worth over $100 USD)
- Access to online pitch training
- Promotion to local journalists and through a network of over 5,000 news sites
- The chance to be chosen to pitch at a local Pitch Slam to win a place on the Innovate!100, cash and other prizes.
There is a $75 application fee – approximately €54 – which will not be charged until you complete the form.
Guidewire Group’s analysts will evaluate all applications and invite 10-15 Finalists to pitch at a local Pitch Slam.
Step 2: Local Pitch Slams take place
Startups invited to pitch at the Innovate! Pitch Slams will be notified by email 7-10 days before the event where:
- Each finalist pitches for 5 minutes
- Each company is evaluated by our team of expert judges and provided with a G-Score.
- The Most Promising Startup of the night is chosen.
Finalists who are not able to attend their Pitch Slam will be invited to participate in a web-based pitch session.
Step 3: Promotion of the Innovate!100
Pitch videos for all of the Innovate!100 Finalists will be used to promote pitching companies to local journalists and a network of over 5,000 news sites and via the Innovate! Connections Program. Startups with the top G/Scores will be named to the Innovate!100 list for 2010 and the Innovate! Challenges prizes will be awarded.
I think this is a great opportunity for some early-stage startups to get the resources and support they may need to take their company to the next level.
Good luck to all the applicants!
Ever since Barak Obama managed to raise $6.9 million out of $25 million through small donations on the web, 92% of which were $100 or less, many involved in the non-profit world started to understand the potential of crowd sourcing small “micro-donations” instead of, or in addition to, the traditional approach of getting small numbers of large donations. Micro-donations are generally under $10 per person, with the idea being to crowdsource very large numbers of donors. A good example of an organization that maximizes the potential of micro-donations is Kiva. Kiva’s fund-raising activity takes place almost exclusively on the web, where it allows donors to make small donations to finance small businesses in developing countries. Kiva uses the web and social media brilliantly (their email newsletter is one of the best I’ve seen), and their emphasis on the fact that donations are “person-to-person,” and the transparent nature of their enterprise succinctly represents the personal culture that users of social media expect and appreciate.
round-up simplifies micro-donations
A new initiative in micro-donations came to Israel in 2008 in the form of round-up, or “Igul Letova” in Hebrew. round-up is a non-profit that enables people to give micro-donations to non-profits of their choice by rounding up purchases on credit cards or by rounding down salaries. The option to give automatically every month by rounding down one’s salary was recently added by the organization.
I interviewed Vered Shavit Mazor, Manager at round-up, to learn more about their initiative.
Me: How can people join the new employee salary round-up option?
Vered: This is being implemented in companies that are characterized by an ongoing connection (like computerized payment or collection) with a large user base. Until September of this year, the only option for rounding up was available credit card companies. In September, we introduced the option for companies that use Hilan Tech to manage their salaries to offer round-up to their employees. Hilan Tech developed a unique module for their system which enables direct donation from an employee’s salary slip. Amdocs and Matrix are already offering their employees to round-up.
The way the rounding up works is as follows: an employee chooses to donate a small amount on a monthly basis by rounding down their salary to the nearest 5 NIS, 10 NIS or 20 NIS, which would yield an average monthly donation of NIS 2.5, NIS 5 or NIS 10 accordingly. The employee chooses which cause or category of causes will receive their donation. In the event that the company is interested in doing so, the module can also enable the employer to match the employee’s donation, for the same cause.
Me: How does the employee choose the cause they are donating to?
Vered: Employees can choose to donate to a minimum of one or a maximum of three causes from the list of eligible causes compiled by round-up. The donations can be made to general categories of non-profits, like health or education, and/or to specific designated NPOs. The employee’s donation will be divided equally between the selected causes. In the event that a general category is chosen, the donation will be divided equally between all the NPOs in that category.
The amount of the donation will appear on the salary slip as a debit line and the cause/s for the donation and the amounts transferred that month shall also be presented. If the employer matched the donation, an additional line item will appear on the salary slip noting the employer’s donation. round-up transfers the monies in full according to the specifications of the donors, based on a report received from the employer via Hilan Tech.
Me: What does a company need to do to join?
Vered: The implementation of round-up is via the salary accountant and/or the human resources department, and based on the Hilan Tech salary system which has been configured to handle the matter in a simple and effective way.
Me: How did round-up select the organizations that receive the donations?
Vered: A public committee founded by round-up and headed by President of the Supreme Court (ret.) Judge Meir Shamgar prepared a list of categories and foundations that can be selected by donors. All the causes in the list successfully passed the “Seal of Transparency” test of Midot, an organization that rates and screens non-profit organizations.
The list of eligible causes currently includes over 40 foundations in the following categories: health, education, children and youth at risk, welfare and employment, women in distress, culture and recreation, communities in need and new immigrants, quality of the environment, tolerance and human rights, and people with disabilities.
Me: What’s the big vision behind round-up?
Vered: Several shekels from many employees can total tens of hundreds of millions of shekels per year for advancing social causes.
Me: Thanks Vered!
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While round-up doesn’t specifically use the web or social media to crowdsource their donations, the approach to micro-donations via credit cards or salary slips is simple and therefore effective. Additional details about round-up can be found on the website: www.round-up.org.il.
Still confused by how to use PayPal in Israel? You’re not alone. No matter how many times we write it up and try to understand all the ins and outs, and jump for joy over new developments, we still have more questions. Ever since PayPal started paying attention to Israeli online payments, we’ve eagerly been following the developments along the way, and have even become so PayPal obsessed that we’re now considered PayPal experts.
But of course we’re obsessed since being able to easily accept and send online payments is crucial to any kind of online commercial activity. If you’re driving traffic to your ecommerce site with SEO (search engine optimization) and/or social media marketing, you need to see measurable results and often that includes making sales. The ability to use PayPal or other online gateways without having to sell our unborn children (someone on twitter actually made that comparison) can make all of that possible.
Luckily, Nissim Ohayon, Sr. Business Development Manager at PayPal Israel came to Jerusalem Web Professionals last night to try to calm our anxiety.
Here were the major questions and answers from the evening
- Can you withdraw US dollars in Israel?
No, you can only withdraw money in the currency of the country you’re in. In Israel, you can withdraw shekels. In the US, you can withdraw dollars.
- Can I use a local Israeli credit card like Visa Cal or Isracard to RECEIVE money?
No, but now it’s not really an issue since you can withdraw funds to your Israeli bank account.
- Can you use a local Israeli credit card to SEND money?
No, only PayPal or international credit cards at this point. No plans yet to make this available.
- How can I fill up my PayPal account with money?
Right now, the only way to fill up your account is through getting paid by someone else. No plans announced yet for when you can transfer funds from your bank account to your paypal account.
- There are 3 types of PayPal accounts – Personal, Premier, and Business. What’s the difference?
Personal: You can receive payments via PayPal only.
Premier: You can accept credit cards. For individuals who buy and sell online.
Business: You can accept credit cards. For merchants who buy and sell online.
- What are the fees associated with the Merchant (Business or Premier) accounts?
You can look at the PayPal Israel site to see a list of transaction fees.
- Are there any fees associated with the Personal account?
PayPal to PayPal payments are free. However, let’s look at the following example. Let’s say you have a personal account and someone is supposed to pay you $10. If their account has $0, the money will come from their bank account or credit card. If it comes from their credit card, you pay 5.4% fee to PayPal.
- Can you set up a PayPal Debit Card in Israel?
Not at the present time.
- Are there any plans for Hebrew integration, Hebrew buttons, etc.?
Not at the present time.
Handy Israel-Specific Send, Receive, Withdraw VISUAL
For Web Developers
Nissim discussed X.com, a developer network community for developers looking to extend PayPal’s usage with new applications.
Alternatives to PayPal in Israel for accepting local credit cards
Since PayPal doesn’t accept local Israeli credit cards, Tranzila came up as the only alternative to PayPal to accept local Israeli credit cards. The problem for small businesses in Israel is that Tranzilla charges a monthly fee which is not cost effective for minimal monthly transactions.
Conclusion
In short, Nissim reminded me what a great option PayPal is for safely accepting international payments. He also emphasized what a huge marketplace PayPal is with over 200 million users and $3Billion in play every 2 weeks.
It was also so nice to see a real person behind the faceless company come to Jerusalem to explain the nitty gritty and answer our zillions of questions.
Unfortunately, PayPal Israel doesn’t look like it will be in Hebrew or accept local Israeli credit cards any time soon.
For more questions, you can follow Nissim on Twitter, or ask questions here in the comments. He’s been very responsive here on our other posts about PayPal.
More on using PayPal in Israel:
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