Brilliant CV: What Employers Want To See and How to Say It. (Book Reviews).(Book Review)

Jim Bright and Joanne Earl. New York: Prentice Hall, 2001. 190 pages.

The pace of corporate restructuring in the US and elsewhere has quickened and, in many cases, taken a turn for the worse. For example, Hewlett-Packard, after its merger with Compaq, is in the process of shedding tens of thousands of jobs worldwide. Ford aims to cut 35,000 jobs. Thousands have lost their jobs due to the implosion of Enron and the fall of Andersen. The economic situation led NACE, the National Association of Colleges and Employers, to predict a twenty percent decrease in college hiring in May 2002. The result is a ruthlessly competitive job market that makes the job-search process even more challenging, thereby increasing the need for an effective resume or CV.

It is not surprising, then, that students find learning to write "effective" resumes or CVs that will help them secure that coveted or ideal job more gratifying than other subjects in business communication courses (Andrews, 2001). Although many standard texts in our field cover the fundamentals of writing effective job application materials, it is refreshing to find a separate text on the subject that offers clear advice without reducing the process to recipe-writing.

Bright and Earl's Brilliant CV: What Employers Want To See and How To Say It is …