A strong resume is a key to getting a good job. If you want to score an interview with a top employer, you need to stand out from the crowd. And that’s where your CV comes in.
The right CV will help you get noticed by recruiters and stand out from other candidates – even those with similar backgrounds and experiences as yours.
But what makes a good CV? A well-written one, of course. Here are some guidelines that’ll help you craft the perfect one for your next job application.
CV
Your CV, short for curriculum vitae, is a personal marketing document used to sell yourself to prospective employers. It should tell them about you, your professional history, and your skills, abilities, and achievements. Ultimately, it should highlight why you’re the best person for the job.
A CV is required when applying for a job. In addition to your CV, employers may also require a cover letter and a completed application form.
Start strong
Start with a summary of your skills and key accomplishments. This will attract the recruiter and grab their attention from the outset. This personal profile is an important part of your CV and tells the recruiter exactly who you are, so you want to make the right impression.
Choose formal fonts
Go for one of the standard CV typefaces: Arial, Tahoma, or Helvetica if you prefer sans-serif fonts, and Times New Roman or Bookman Old Style if serif fonts are your usual pick.
Use 11 to 12 pt. font size and single spacing. For your name and section titles, pick 14 to 16 pt. font size.
Be conscious of your CV layout
Set one-inch margins for all four sides. Make sure your CV headings are uniform—make them larger and in bold but go easy on italics and underlining.
Stick to a single dates format on your CV: for example, 15-2021, or November 2021.
Avoid grammatical Mistakes:
One of the quickest ways to get your application thrown in the rejection pile is to have a glaring grammar mistake on your CV. Do a double-check of proper nouns, like the company name and hiring manager name. You do not want to get these wrong!
Use Formal Photos:
It’s the very important part if you are going to provide a resume photo, it better be a good one!
Size: Width: 35 mm; Height: 45 mm
Resolution: 600 dpi
Image definition parameters: Head height: 34.5 mm; Top of the Photo to Top of the Hair: 3 mm
Make your CV brief and relevant
Don’t be one of those candidates stuck in the nineties who think they have to include every single detail about their lives on their CVs.
Hiring, nowadays, is one hell of a hectic business. Nobody’s got the time to care about what high school you’ve attended or to read 10+ bullet point descriptions of past jobs. We’ll get to that later on.
Contact information section, enter your:
- Full name
- Professional title
- Email address
- Mobile Number
- LinkedIn profile
- Home address
The contact information section seems fairly straightforward, but here’s the one reason it might be tricky; Recruiters will use it to research you online. If your social media profiles are unprofessional, or if your LinkedIn profile information doesn’t match that on your CV, you’re immediately out of the race.
List Your Relevant Work Experience & Key Achievements
When writing your CV, you need to cover your basic job responsibilities without just mentioning the routine. Keep your duty summaries concise and try to concentrate on the results that came out of your everyday work. So, highlight your achievements, not your duties.
Always Update your CV:
Making sure your CV is up to date will help you to hit the ground running if you need to look for alternative employment. The more frequently you update your CV, the less work you’ll need to do when you need to use it.
Whether you’re a seasoned manager or a new entry-level employee, a degree from Top-ranked University can help you take that step. Contact TCL Global to discover the path that can equip you to achieve your goals.