Getting a job interview is a race against time because many applicants have already submitted their resumes for your desired position.
According to research, employers’ glance through resumes for a maximum of 6 seconds on average.
That sounds a bit harsh, don’t you think?
You spend days, maybe even weeks, creating THE picture-perfect CV that encapsulates everything about you.
What about the recruiter?
They briefly scan it (again, if they’re lucky) before continuing.
How precisely are you expected to grab someone’s attention in a handful of seconds? It might sound unfair.
It is lengthy and could take some time. There aren’t any short cuts, either.
You might need to put some elbow grease in, get some reading glasses, and make sure that every last element is polished to perfection if you want to make your CV shine. But once you’ve done that, trust us when we say it will be worthwhile.
That’s a tiny thing to pay, after all, to get the dream job you’ve been hoping for.
You are effectively investing in yourself and your future by writing a good CV.
What is a CV?
Curriculum Vitae is what CV stands for in its entirety (Latin for: course of life). A CV is a document used for academic purposes in the US, Canada, and Australia. Your academic career is fully described in your US academic CV. In other nations, a CV is used to apply for jobs and is comparable to an American résumé.
It follows that a CV is a curriculum vitae, and aside from its length and intended use in a few English-speaking nations, a CV is just another word for a resume. Confused? See our detailed explanation of a CV here.
Pick The Best CV Format
It’s unsettling to consider that, on average, 250 other applicants vie for every job you apply for.
You did read that correctly.
Assume you are the recruiter and you have 250 job applications to review. Do you read them all carefully? Of course, you don’t, though.
Only six seconds are spent by recruiters scanning each CV. Therefore, the first impression is crucial. If you provide a tidy, well-organized document, you’ll persuade the hiring managers to give your CV greater attention.
On the other hand, a poorly structured CV will cause you to be overlooked during the initial inspection.
Here’s a guide to proper CV formatting.
Make an outline for your CV first, using the following sections:
CV: Sections in the Correct Order
• CV header including contact details
• Personal Statement: CV Summary or Objective
• Education and Training Skills
• Further Sections
• Make an outline for your CV first, using the following sections:
Always bear in mind the gold CV formatting guidelines when filling out the sections:
1. Select readable, clean typefaces.
Use one of the traditional CV typefaces, such as Times New Roman or Bookman Old Style if you often choose serif fonts over sans-serif ones like Arial, Tahoma, or Helvetica.
Use single spacing and a font size of 11 to 12. Choose a font size of 14 to 16 points for your name and section titles.
2. Continually update your resume’s design
Set the margins to one inch on all four sides.
Make sure the headlines on your resume are all the same size, bold, and use little underlining and italics.
On your resume, use a single dates format, such as 11-2017 or November 2017.
3. Do not overstuff your resume with flashy graphics.
Less can be more.
White space is your buddy; candidates need some room to breathe!
Additionally, your CV will typically be printed in black ink on white paper when you send it out. The use of too many images could obstruct reading.
4. Remove the photos from your CV.
Unless your picture is specifically requested to be in the job posting.
If so, pick a photograph that looks professional but isn’t as rigid as an ID shot.
5. Create a concise and pertinent resume.
Don’t be one of the job seekers trapped in the 1990s who believes their resumes must contain every single nuance of their lives.
The Correct Way to Add Your Contact Information
You must provide the recruiters with contact information if you want them to contact you.
Enter your details under “Contact Information”
• Entire name
• Occupational title
• Inbox address
• Call-in number
• LinkedIn page
• Dwelling address
The portion that contains contact information appears to be quite simple, but for one reason it might be challenging:
It will be used by recruiters to look you up online. You’re out of the running as soon as your social media profiles lack professionalism or the information on your LinkedIn page doesn’t match that on your resume.
Create a personal profile to begin your CV.
Most applicants begin their work experience or educational background shortly after including their contact information on a CV.
You’ll succeed more than that, though. The employer will genuinely remember you.
So how can a CV stand out?
All you need is a brief, succinct CV personal profile statement that explains to hiring managers why you are the ideal applicant for the position.
You will either have a CV objective or a CV summary as your personal profile.
What’s the distinction?
A CV objective outlines your strengths and how you might fit in. It’s a wise decision if, for instance, you’re drafting a student CV and have limited work experience that relates to the position you’re applying for.
In contrast, a CV summary shows your professional development and accomplishments. If you’re an experienced professional with a ton of experience in your sector, use it.
Check out a few examples now. Imagine there is a job posting for a nurse. Here are some examples of nursing CV summaries and aims.
List your relevant work history and major accomplishments.
Your work experience section is typically the most significant and attention-grabbing area of your entire CV.
Think twice before saying, “Easy, I only need to identify my past positions, the dates worked, and my responsibilities.”
The aforementioned are requirements for a fundamental CV. Basic, however, won’t land you that dream job.
However, hiring managers are aware of your actions. They are interested in your performance and what you can bring to a potential employer.
Here’s how to demonstrate that in your work experience section:
• Instead of just concentrating on your obligations, pay attention to your quantifiable, pertinent accomplishments.
• Use action verbs rather than “responsible for producing, analyzing, and implementing,” such as “created,” “analyzed,” and “implemented.”
• Read the job description attentively and see what responsibilities will be placed on you before you submit your resume. Even if those weren’t your primary responsibilities, if you’ve done them in the past, include them on your resume.
Build the Education Section of Your Resume Properly
The good news is that including your education on a CV is frequently easy.
Include solely your post-secondary education on your resume if you have any. Unless it is your highest level of schooling, avoid mentioning your high school. List:
• Graduation year (if you’re currently in school, please indicate when you intend to graduate)
• Honors at your degree-granting institution (if applicable)
Add Specific Qualifications That Match the Job Opening
Here are your skills now. These are probably all over your place. But how would a CV appear with a list of fifteen skills?
Absolutely not.
One factor is more crucial than any other when it comes to talents on a CV: relevancy. The abilities you choose to highlight on your resume must be applicable to the position you’re vying for.
Recall how I said to modify your resume in accordance with the job description? Once more, it appears.
How do you do it?
Create a spreadsheet first. List all of your professional qualifications there (yes, “eyebrow dancing” is not one of them). Then look at the job description to see what abilities your potential employer is looking for.
Impress the recruiter by adding more sections to your resume.
Let’s each make a confession.
We fabricate our identities frequently. Those small white lies that assist paint us in a slightly brighter light are something we simply can’t help doing.
Would you care to guess which demographic is the best at lying?
Job seekers.
They all make false claims on their resumes in the vain hope that hiring managers won’t bother to check things like their “complete bilingual competence in French.”
Recruiters are trained to detect lies, so don’t even consider exaggerating your prior accomplishments or abilities.
But what if you could prevent hiring managers from even interviewing CV fraudsters? There is an effective method to do it:
Include a separate section on your CV where you highlight your undeniable accomplishments and items that demonstrate your suitability as a candidate.
that is?
These things:
Additional Sections of a Sample CV
• Industrial honors
• Certificates for professionals
• Publications
• Ties to the profession
• A number of conferences
• Additional instruction
The difference between you and another candidate with a background that appears to be comparable can often be determined by a well-written supplemental section. Don’t pass up this chance to be noticed among the crowd.
Include a Cover Letter with Your CV.
“To demonstrate your dedication, stalk your potential boss.”
Does this sound like the worst career advice there is?
Well… And very likely is. However, guess what?
Second place goes to “You don’t need to compose a cover letter.”
Why?
Because, according to our HR statistics research, 45 out of 100 recruiters won’t even bother to read your CV if there isn’t a cover letter included. True, the other 55 might believe a CV cover letter is superfluous. Who does, however, read cover letters?
hiring supervisors. In the end, they will decide whether or not to offer you the position.
Most people detest creating CV cover letters since they have no idea how to do it properly. And its lot simpler than it seems to write effective cover letters.
Key Learnings
• Hiring has changed drastically. It’s fast and furious. To get your foot in the door, you’ll need to go an extra mile with your CV. Here’s how to make a CV:
• Begin your CV with a personal profile—either a summary or a CV objective. Write a short and sweet paragraph telling why you’re just the candidate the employer’s been looking for.
• When describing your work experience, focus on your achievements and accomplishments. No recruiter wants to read a dull list of bullet points describing past duties.
• Validate your worth as a candidate by adding a section with your top wins: certifications, awards, publications, or even extracurricular training or attended conferences.
• Finally, increase your chances of being hired by include a cover letter with your job application.
• All good? Prepare for all of those call-in interviews!