CV Tips
A good CV is a must when you want to be invited for an interview of that job opening you so desperately desire. However, especially if you just graduated from university, there is a chance that your CV is hampered by some quick to solve mistakes. Here are some quick steps on how to avoid those mistakes and to make sure that your CV is a killer.
Step 1: The structure of your CV
This step is all about the basics of writing a CV. There are certain items that need to be on your CV, no matter how you write it. Also, a CV is structured in a certain way. How a CV is ordered can sometimes vary depending on the style you use when writing your CV, but you cannot go wrong with writing your CV in this order.
The items that need to be in your CV:
- Personal data
- Education/courses
- Work experience
- Extra-curricular activities
- Language skills
- Referrals ( if possible)
Personal data
This part should always contain your name, address, mobile phone number and e-mail address. You can also consider putting in some more specific information like a LinkedIn profile, a personal website or link to websites you are an editor of. You don’t have to mention your date of birth on your CV but it is highly recommended. A personal description can help recruiters determine if you have the character that fits the company culture. Be honest here, because recruiters will find out if you get invited for an interview.
Education/courses
Everything noteworthy that you have done education wise should be written down in this area. You should start from high school and then work your way up. If you have been on exchange or have followed courses outside of what you regularly followed at university/school, then these should be noted separately. You should write in reverse chronological order, meaning that you start with the most recent items and then work your way back in time. There is no need to write down all your grades as recruiters that are interested in grades will ask you for a separate grade list. The most you can mention about grades is an average total grade and if you passed something cum laude.
Work experience
Probably the most important part of your CV depending on your age. If you are a student and you just graduated then this field could be a little bit empty. However, do not try to fill it with unnecessary jobs. Nobody cares that you helped your mother fill envelopes when you were 14. Only relevant work experience should be noted here. The line between relevant and irrelevant can sometimes be thin (should a side job at the Albert Heijn count as relevant for example). Still, it is better to have one or two jobs here that actually count than have five that nobody finds relevant. Just like education, work experience is written down in reverse chronological order.
Extra-curricular activities
For students this should be the meat and potatoes of your CV. You might not have had the possibility to gather relevant work experience but you should have had plenty of opportunities to develop yourself via extra-curricular activities. Being a member of a student association, doing committee work at a study association or being the president of the local chess club, all are relevant and valuable for your CV. There is an ongoing debate about doing a board year and if it counts as an extra-curricular activity or as work experience. My personal opinion is that it does count as work experience but the majority believes it should be noted as an extra-curricular activity. Just like the previous fields, extra-curricular activities should be written in reverse chronological order.
Language skills
This field is rather easy. Any language that you speak either fluently or natively should be written down here. You can also write down languages in which you have basic or advanced knowledge, but it is harder for recruiter to tell if basic is just a few words or half a conversation.
Referrals
This might be the hardest one for starters on the labor market. Referrals are people that endorse certain skills that you possess. An example could be two of your committee or board members writing a small piece of text in which they explain why you are good at working in teams, or are structured etc. Referrals don’t need to be on your CV, but they help a lot. It is best to have a referrals from different sources: a former board member, a former boss and a former colleague will make a nice mix. Family will not make for a good referral as they are naturally biased.
Step 2: Avoiding common mistakes
Certain mistakes can be deal breakers and will make sure that your CV finds its way straight to the bin. Avoiding these small mistakes are usually the easiest to do and can cause the biggest improvement in your CV.
Grammar
Probably the number one mistake made by applicants and one that really matters. Spelling mistakes kill even the best of CV’s. Why would a recruiter hire you if you can’t even check your own resume? The best way to avoid spelling mistakes is to have your CV double-checked by another person. A good friend or family member can spot mistakes that you might have overlooked.
Specifying achievements
Recruiters like to see concrete achievements on a CV so they know what the applicant did. Consider these two function descriptions of a sales manager:
1. I worked as a sales manager for the consumer electronics division; my clients were the key accounts of ‘company A’.
2. I worked as a sales manager for the smartphones, laptops and mobile hybrids division of ‘company A’. My clients were the accounts that had more than 2 million euros in sales. I realized a sales increase of 9,7 % for the year 2013-2014.
The last description is a lot more specific as to what the applicant actually did at ‘company A’. Try to be specific and don’t hesitate to mention what you did. However, don’t add stuff to your function description that you did not do. It might make you look good in the beginning, but when you have a job interview and the recruiter starts asking questions about your achievements you need to be able to answer them.
Filling gaps
There is always a possibility that you have a gap on your resume. Do not try to fill the gap by adding some extra months to your old job. Recruiters will find out and when they do, they will have some serious doubts about the trustworthiness of your entire CV. Try to fill those gaps with other things. If you have done a business course or a personal side project you can mention those and it will look a lot better.
Step 3: Tailor your CV
If you have completed step one and two you should have your core CV. This core CV is the CV out of which you are going to be working when applying for several functions. However, every application can be tailored to the company you are applying to. Companies are different; they have different management styles, corporate cultures, corporate values etc. Tailoring your CV to a specific company makes it stand out and will greatly improve your chances of getting invited for an interview.
Examining a company
The easiest way to find out what a company is looking for in their future employees is by simply analyzing the vacancy. The example below is an actual vacancy.
As you can see, the vacancy itself already gives tips on what Cisco is looking for in their next account manager. Experience in IT, communication skills and being sales oriented are all keywords that you can use in your application and mention in your CV. The application gives you a nice start but there are more sources for finding a company’s values and the company culture. Cisco has a whole part of their website appointed to their company culture and their values. Another tip is looking for a general overview of skills that are needed for a good Sales Account Manager. If you use all those items in your CV, it should seamlessly fit with the vacancy you are applying for.
The visual layout of your CV
Tailoring can not only be done within the content of a CV, but also within the layout of a CV. Especially in the more creative fields of employment a creative CV is really appreciated. Ask yourself the question, would you hire a designer that has a regular, boring CV that is only in black and white? Getting creative with your CV is not recommended for all fields of industry. For example in the field of finance, having a creative CV is not important at all. I have already included one CV in the article, but there are some great examples of creative CV’s on the internet (for example here, here and here).
Tilburg University career services
If you want some professional advice on your CV, Tilburg University has a career office where you can have your CV checked for free. Every Monday from 10:00 to 11:00 and every Wednesday from 13:00 to 14:00, there is a drop-in consultation at the Student Desk (A301, route 14).
Completing all three steps does not guarantee you an interview, but it definitely helps in getting the job you want.
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