Why do you need a CV anyway?
This document can be compared with a person’s autobiography, which it replaced. A CV is a summary of biographical facts, mainly related to the work experience, knowledge, and skills of the applicant. It allows one to save time – yours and a potential employer.
Indeed, on average, it takes about a couple of minutes to read it if your candidacy does not interest an employer, then there’s no need to invite you for an interview. A CV is a business card, it will help to evaluate you. That’s why it should distinguish you from the general flow of candidates for a particular position.
What needs to be done for this?
There does not exist a single form for compiling a CV; it’s written arbitrarily. But it’s better if a CV has a particular structure. The ideal length is of no more than one page, in rare cases, it expends into two. The following blocks are included in the structure:
- Contact information;
- Purpose;
- Qualification;
- Experience (in reverse chronological order);
- Education;
- Additional information;
- Recommendations.
Contact information
Make sure to place personal information in a correspondent block. It should contain:
- Full name and surname;
- Contact phone numbers;
- Mailing address (including zip code);
- Email address.
If one doesn’t have an email address yet, register one before sending a CV. Many employers prefer to communicate with candidates by email.
The purpose section
It’s generally optional but desirable. In this block, indicate in two or three sentences what position and why you would like to apply for. If you’re sending a resume for a specific vacancy, you should indicate the name of the position or its code. If you have several different goals, compose several different CV options that will focus on these goals.
Writing a section of qualifications
Indicate (from the point of view of the potential employer) your professional skills and achievements in this section. Describe your work experience in reverse chronological order, indicating the name of the company in which you worked, the direction of its activities, terms of work, your position, and job responsibilities. Do not forget to indicate the achievements in this workplace. There should be a little space for information about your education in your CV.
What about education?
The following rule should be observed: the more time elapsed after graduation, the less space it should occupy in the CV. In this section of the document, it’s also appropriate to report on the awards, which are especially crucial for the future work of the studied disciplines. Besides, you can mention additional education, for example, courses, pieces of training, seminars, etc. In the ‘Additional Information’ section, indicate whether you speak foreign languages, which, at what level.
Also indicate whether you have a driver’s license, level of computer skills, whether you have professional organization skills. Also, mention some hobbies in this section, but only if they are strictly related to the desired job.
The recommendations section
Include this in the paper only if a previous employer can recommend you. An applicant needs to indicate only this possibility in the document, and it’s better to provide letters of recommendation themselves to the potential employer already at the interview. In a CV, do not describe the entire career. A prospective employer is primarily interested in the last 3-5 places of work and not more than ten years.
The paper should also not indicate the physical data or state of health unless the working conditions require it. And information about the reasons for your departure from previous jobs will be completely redundant in the document. When compiling a paper, remember that information should be presented sequentially, competently, briefly and objectively. Try to adhere to the principle of selectivity, indicating in the CV only what matters for the position you’re applying for.
Besides, to make the competent presentation of information in CV, make sure to pay attention to the graphic design of the document. Thus, the CV will look much more professional! Use a single font system and coordinate each section of the information accordingly.