Writing a CV seems like an easy thing to do but I have personally read a few CVs and my heart wept – it’s not supposed to be like rocket science but many people fail at it miserably. Before you embark on writing your CV or sharing it to a recruiter, it’s important to make sure that the CV is tailored for that specific job and that particular company, not just fwwaaa and you click send.
Now, the first thing you should put in mind is that when we say that a CV should be tailored to specific needs, it doesn’t mean that you should always create a new CV. You should already have a ‘Super CV’ from which you tailor others as needed.
Let’s get to the tips, shall we?
Your CV shouldn’t be longer than 2 pages
Longer than 2 pages?? Ehhh!!! Is this a manuscript? Even if you have a lot of work experience, knowledge and skills, avoid making your CV longer than 2 A4 pages. As you’ll be tailoring your CV to each job, you only need to mention the most recent and relevant positions from your career history.
If you’re still running out of space, you have the option to decrease the size of the font, but to no smaller than 10 points for sans-serif fonts (Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Tahoma, Trebuchet and Verdana) and no smaller than 10-11 for serif fonts (Cambria, Georgia, Garamond and Times New Roman).
Create a header with contact information
Your header should be at the top of the page and include your name, phone number, and email address so employers can immediately know who you are and how to reach you.
Write a professional summary
Your professional summary is a short bio that introduces you to the recruiter. This section sums up your best qualifications and explains your ideal career path. It’s your brief moment to shine.
Detail your education
It’s important to include a section on your educational history. List your education in reverse chronological order, with your most recent degree first. Include all degrees you’ve earned and those you’re pursuing. In our case, also include your secondary school, if you want.
Provide your work experience
Detail all your practical work experience so your prospective employer can see your career path, including:
- Full-time and part-time employment
- Internships
- Research projects
- Volunteer work
- Field experience, among others
These shouldn’t miss in your CV
- Personal details: first and last name, full address, place of residence, telephone number, e-mail address
- Personal profile (not really required, but can boost your CV)
- Work experience
- Education
You can have other sections like:
- Personal details: date of birth, place of birth, pronouns, gender, nationality, marital status, links to social media accounts, your blog or website (s)
- Courses/professional development
- Certifications
- Internships
- Volunteering
- Memberships and affiliations
- Skills
- Languages
- Hobbies and interests
- References
Talk about you achievements
When writing about the different roles you’ve held, focus on your achievements, rather than listing all your responsibilities. The recruiter is not interested in knowing how many children you taught but in how many passed. Achievements show employers how well you performed in a job and the impact you made.
The final tip is to always proofread your work, grammar is equally very important here and shouldn’t be taken for granted.
Happy hunting!
