As you might have heard of the saying, “First impressions are the best impressions.” Everything that you present must have perfection to it to obtain the best results. Especially when you’re applying for a job or an internship you want, most often, we notice a specific recurring tone in the process of applying for a job. You create a CV, with not much prior knowledge of how to create one. Then, you send this to your employer and wait to hear back. You have your hopes up, but you never get the call. Why do you think it is so? It is because the employer didn’t bother reading your CV itself. Additionally, with the help of this list of steps, you probably won’t have to worry about not having presented your best face for employment.
Make Sure Your Employer Has Asked For A CV.
A Curriculum Vitae, CV for short, is a document that presents a brief description of yourself. It is the kind of material that an employer would wish to look at to make a quick decision. A CV has different meanings in different countries. In the Western States, A CV has an outlined detail of your entire academic career. Whereas in other countries, your CV is basically like a resume. Going by this narrative, in the western states, your CV would is used to apply for colleges, whereas your resume is to apply for jobs.
Make your CV As Eye-catching And Crisp As Possible.
Many a time, your employer doesn’t bother looking at your CV for more than ten seconds. They have specific requirements for the position they wish to fill, and they shall only check for such in your CV. So, to make sure that the employer sees what he wants to know, you must format it in the easiest way possible.
You have two ways of approaching this. You could either format your CV in such a way that your employer could go through it immediately and get an idea of your experience and skills. Or, you could format it in such a way that the employer decides to take some time out to get a good look at your CV. Now, I shall explain why the second option is better. If your employer sees your skills and experience and still skims through, chances are he won’t remember you at all. Let’s face it, there are others with the same expertise, and at this point, it would just be luck by chance. But if your CV catches his eye, you will be set aside to be considered. The basic guidelines to following a proper CV format are first, a CV header and your contact information. Next, your profile, or a bit about you. After that, your work experience, your academic education and skills. You can add other additional stuff about you following that.
Also read: Putting down the story: Career as a Writer
Follow Good Formatting Rules.
Your CV must follow a clear and neat format. You can choose an eye-catching theme, but in the end, it should be legible and easy to understand at a glance. Use one-inch margins from all four sides; make sure all the headings you use are uniform. You can use more of larger fonts and bold text but avoid italics and underlines. Do not use different date formats, stick with one.
Always include a picture of yourself and make sure it’s a professional looking one, which is not as stiff as an ID picture.
While compiling your contact information, make sure that you enter your –
- Full name.
- Your professional title. (If you are a doctor, your designation i.e MBBS, MD etc, and Student if you are a college-going student)
- Your official email address.
- Telephone number.
- LinkedIn profile.
- Home Address.
Your contact information must be up to date and have no errors. For example, if your LinkedIn profile does not match your CV, you’re immediately disqualified.
Have a Clear CV Summary.
While most applicants go from their contact information directly to their work experience, it would do you well to include a 100 word summary about yourself first. This paragraph should be short and crisp, a condensation of why you’d be perfect for this role. It should be formal and yet entertaining, and you need to capture your employer’s attention.
Make sure that the style you write your CV in is similar to the way you would speak if you had had a face to face interview with your employer. Use technical terms while speaking of your job and designation. Your writing style should not seem as if you have built your qualification solely for this job. Show your employer that you would be an excellent addition for them. They are not looking for an opportunity to make your life better; they are looking for someone to make their establishment run better.
List Only Relevant Work Experience And Highlight Your Key Achievements.
Yes, we know you have qualifications in criminal law. But the job that you are applying for is for an internship as a creative writer. So, do not take this opportunity to fill your CV with qualifications and achievements that are not relevant to the job for which you are applying. There is no need to fill your CV to the point where you look like an extraordinarily qualified or even over-qualified applicant. You can list your relevant work experience at the top and then proceed with other skills below that.
Also read: Top Ten Most Bizarre and Unique Jobs Around The World.
Organize All Your Information On A Professional CV Template.
So, as we emphasized at the beginning of the article, “First impressions should be the best impressions.” And to make a lasting impression on your employer, it is essential to have a professional-looking CV. Neatly formatted, and clean-cut, with the theme formatting well thought out and arranged. It is challenging to create your CV from scratch, which has these features. However, these days there is numerous website that provides you with CV-making abilities. You can just arrange all your data on there and be good to go. But if you find that many of these sites need you to pay to use them for making your CV, you could always go onto Microsoft word document and select the CV format. And then you can edit the text to suit your needs.
I hope my article on making a good CV helps you make the picture-perfect CV for your next interview. To get a better idea of how to create a CV more technically, you could always watch the video below.