Imagine that you are in the role of an HR specialist and you are choosing from hundreds of CVs for candidates for a given position resume rewriting. What should such a correct CV look like for the candidate to advance to the next round with you?
It’s been a few months since you graduated from high school or college, and you’ve already sent dozens of responses to ads, but still haven’t invited you for an interview? Maybe it’s a badly written resume. Its low quality often means that you do not attract employers and your CV ends up in the trash quickly. That is why it is very important to pay great attention to it – it is your business card. The HR specialist will get the first idea of you and then decide whether or not to invite you for an interview.
Basic rules and procedures for writing a resume
- Read carefully the requirements for the position stated in the advertisement. Do you meet them? So don’t forget to mention them in your CV.
- Customize your resume for each type of position or job where you apply. Provide only relevant information for the position.
- Brief and concise information is sometimes more than a few described pages of a resume.
- A clear structure and editing of the CV is the basis for easy orientation of the HR specialist in your CV.
- Reasonable length of your CV. It is ideal not to exceed more than 2 pages of text.
- Always provide true information only.
- Check for spelling mistakes and typos before submitting your resume.
What essentials should your resume contain?
Personal data and contact:
- name, surname and title;
- home address;
- telephone contact where you can be reached;
- email contact;
- link to your LinkedIn (may not be).
Education:
Start from the most current to the oldest (doctoral, master’s, bachelor’s, high school, etc.). Be sure to include:
- Date of commencement and completion of studies.
- Name of the school, study program or field + method of completion (state examination, graduation examination).
- If you have just started studying, you can state this in your CV.
Work experience:
You start writing again from the most current to the oldest job. Be sure to include:
- Date of commencement and termination of employment.
- Name of employer and position.
- Briefly, job description, competencies and main achievements.
Further education:
- retraining, courses, training, from which you have proof of completion – certificate, certificate;
- name of the course/retraining, name of the educational institution, place of training;
- course duration/retraining.
Language skills:
- What language and at what level (beginner, advanced, native speaker).
Additional experience and skills:
- driving license;
- computer skills (programs including level – basic, user, administrator);
- economic knowledge – accounting, cash management, etc .;
- achievements in relevant competitions;
- published scientific works;
- overview of practices;
- internships;
- study stays and other activities you did during your studies.
Reference:
- Contact people who can give you references.
Side dishes:
- Photocopies of completed courses, certificates, certificates, etc.
The most common mistakes of failed CVs or what to watch out for?
- Wrong format and inappropriate aesthetic treatment – ideally use A4 with portrait orientation.
- Multiple fonts and formats – always put text in one font and one format.
- Too many pages of CV, the ideal is 2 pages long, if you have a longer CV, move some information to attachments, such as certificates.
- If you send your CV by e-mail, save it in a format that will not cause problems when opening, eg pdf, .docx.
- Never think of anything in a resume!
- Beware of grammar and typos.
- Bad formatting – the clearer your resume is, the better your chances.
- Inappropriate photos – no selfie, photos in a frame with graphic elements or edited photos.
- Beware of your social networks – nowadays, HR professionals can easily find you and challenging photos, discriminatory or inappropriate statuses will certainly not secure you an invitation to an interview.
- Serious email contact.
Council in conclusion
If you respond to the advertisement via a form on the website, it is advisable to add information about the cover letter, which should contain the following basic information, in addition to personal data, telephone and e-mail contact:
- the person to whom I am sending the CV;
- what position you are applying for;
- why you are interested in this position;
- a brief description of the most important data from your CV;
- at the end a polite request for a personal meeting.
And don’t forget the most important part – upload your resume to an attachment. A properly written CV is the first step that leads to your dream job. We wish you good luck!