As a job seeker, your CV, or résumé, is one of your most important documents. CVs communicate essential information to potential employers and recruiters, such as your current contact details, qualifications, skills, work history and career background. Your CV helps employers identify if you are a good fit for the role you are applying for, and you can tailor your CV to best support your application.
The word résumé comes from the French past participle verb, meaning ‘to sum up.’ While ‘CV’ stands for 'curriculum vitae,’ meaning '(the) course of (my) life,' in Latin. So how do you ‘sum up’ ‘the course of your life?’ Check out our top tips below:
Tip # 1
• Keep your CV concise, ideally 1-2 pages long, with summarised information. Keep it visually appealing and easy to read by surrounding your text and information with lots of white space.
Tip # 2
• Proofread and spell-check your CV. Make sure all your details are up to date, including your contact details, recent work experience and professional achievements, and any references. ‘Save’ the digital copy of the document under an appropriate name, such as ‘your initials -CV - and the year’.
Tip # 3
• Outline your professional experience, including key contributions and accomplishments, in chronological order, starting with the most recent. This information is best presented in a summary paragraph or bullet points under each role.
Tip # 4
• Make sure to present your CV in a unified format. There are many tools available when creating and editing your document. Most commonly people use Microsoft Word and can take advantage of handy tools, such as the Show/Hide button, margin and rulers, view whole page, and format painter. These are great tools to help you consolidate the formatting and display of your CV.
Pitfalls and things to avoid:
• A CV that is more than 2 pages long!
• A ‘busy’ looking CV that has too many words and not enough clean white spaces surrounding the text.
• A CV that includes irrelevant personal information. Your CV does not need to include your full address, gender, marital status, children, or religion. You may decide to include some hobbies/interests, but these are not necessary. The relevance of information will depend on the application or role you are applying for.
CV writing and presentation remain important elements in all job applications. Your CV is often the ‘first impression’ employers have of you as a candidate, so make it count! Each CV is unique and is an opportunity to present key information about you as a professional, as a specialist, as a worker, and as a quality candidate for your next role.
