Your CV is the most important document in your job application, to write a compelling CV therefore is very essential. The content of the CV varies from individual to individual depending on the position they are applying for. Employers use the information mentioned on your CV to decide how suitable you are for any given position which means that the information on the CV should be tailored relevant to the position that an individual is applying for.
IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH
When writing a CV you should start by asking yourself the question,” What do I want the employer to think of me?”, once you answer that question for yourself you will be able to know what you want to add, remove or emphasize on. The biggest mistake that job seekers make is failing to research their target roles before writing their CV. If you are unaware of the skills and knowledge your potential employers are looking for it will be difficult to write a CV that impresses them over the 1000s, they receive on a daily basis towards any given position they are looking to fill.
Once you have the correct knowledge about the skill requirements you will know exactly what to focus your CV around. If you are applying for a job in a foreign country, you should research the rules surrounding job applications there.
FORMAT AND STRUCTURE
The structure and format of your CV will define its overall outlook and determine how the document will be read; your CV should look professional and should be easy for the recruiters to navigate and find the information they are in need of. Microsoft word or google doc can be used to create your CV as they are globally recognized formats for CV writing.
SECTIONS OF THE CV
The first section on a CV should contain your personal information like your name and contact details. The important details to add are your email address, your phone number and your location, you don’t need to include your full address, date of birth, marital status or a photo of yourself, none of them will have any effect on the hiring decision and it will only waste valuable space.
The second section is your profile that summarizes your abilities and aims, in just a few sentences you describe who you are? What you have to offer? And what your ambitions/achievements are. Its purpose is to catch the recruiter’s eye when they open your CV, it should give the readers an overview of your industry specific skills.
The third section should be about your education; where you show your academic accomplishments from high school graduation and onward, since your most recent and work your way back in bullet points you can mention your most significant results such as the cumulative GPA, your most relevant courses and any majors/minors you have accomplished.
Next you should focus on the work experience section and should contain your internships and previous relevant work, clearly state your job title responsibilities and primary tasks; the more specific & detailed you can be about what you did the better. Copying what you get from HR as your JD is not the most creative way to go.
Thereafter, your extracurricular activity section means a lot as it tells the employee’s what you do outside of work or university, as this also gives them a chance to know you better about what you enjoy, what skills you developed outside of your studies and what are your interests.
You can list as many activities as you like as long as they show that you possess skills the employer will find relevant, the important thing to remember is that, when job hunting a strong CV is your gateway to success, so you need to make sure that it impresses.
Ever since many organizations are adopting some sort of ATS system, then you shall ensure that your CV is ATS friendly so that the main parts of your CV are picked up whilst uploading your CV. Make certain that you keep it simple, use basic standard font, utilize keywords related to the job description and apply action verbs such as achieved, accomplished, completed.
Don’t forget that having an impressive CV will ensure to catch the Recruiters eye as first impressions on how your CV is presented to them makes up a big factor on if your CV shall move on to the next stage of the recruitment process. A well-constructed CV is your key to the door of your next employer so ensure that you have updated your CV if not utilize the services of any professional writing experts to support you.
Written by:
Girish Rohra Chawla
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