A curriculum vitae, or CV, is a document that is used while applying for jobs. It enables you to sum up your education, talents, and experience in order to pitch your abilities to potential employers. Employers frequently want a cover letter in addition to your CV.
CVs are known as résumés in the United States and Canada. These papers are often shorter and do not adhere to any specific formatting guidelines.
In the United Kingdom, a typical CV should not exceed two sides of A4. However, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution.
A school leaver or new graduate with little experience, for example, may only need to utilize one page of A4 paper. A three-page CV may be required for individuals in high-level positions or for those who have earned a lot of experience or worked in several companies over the previous five to ten years, however it is not commonly utilized.
Depending on your experience, certain medical or academic CVs may be lengthier. While it’s vital to keep your CV brief, you shouldn’t sell yourself short on experience.
Only mention the most important aspects of your education and experience to save space. Stick to relevant facts and avoid repeating what you mentioned in your cover letter.
Table of Contents
- How to Make Your CV Stand Out from the Rest?
- Tips to Make your CV Look Good
- How to Fill the Void Created by the COVID-19 Pandemic?
- Conclusion
How to Make Your CV Stand Out from the Rest?
Make sure to explain how your prior experience will benefit the position you’re looking for in your summary to make it unique. It’s also a good idea to add the following details:
- What can you do to help them out? What can you do to assist?
- How will your past experience assist you to adapt to the present corporate culture?
- How can you assist them in achieving their objectives while preserving your own?
- What is the best way to construct a CV objective?
Your objective, like your CV summary, should be no more than 2-3 words long. However, rather than detailing your previous work experience, it should concentrate on your motive for applying for the specific role.
If you’re a new college graduate with little work experience, for example, you might choose to use the CV objective instead. This will describe your reasons as well as your expectations from the job.
You might wish to add the following in your CV objectives:
- Relevant skills, education, and certifications for the job title.
- Types of tasks that will assist you in succeeding
- How can you put everything you’ve learnt so far into practice?
Tips to Make your CV Look Good
- When possible, use active verbs. Include terms like ‘made,’ ‘analyzed,’ and ‘devised,’ for example, to portray oneself as a self-starter.
- An excellent CV is free of errors in spelling and punctuation. Make use of a spell checker and ask the help of a second set of eyes to go through the paper.
- Avoid overused buzzwords like ‘team player,’ ‘hard worker,’ and ‘multitasker.’ Instead, give instances from real-life situations that illustrate all of these abilities.
- Make your CV unique. Examine the company’s website and social media accounts, check if they’ve been covered in the local paper recently, and utilize the job advertisement to ensure your CV is tailored to the position and employer.
- Create a CV that is appropriate for your situation. Choose if you want a chronological, skills-based, or academic CV.
- Make certain that your email address is professional. Create a new account for professional usage if your personal address is unsuitable.
- On your CV or job application, don’t lie or exaggerate. You will not only be demonstrating your dishonesty to a potential employer, but you may also face significant penalties. Changing your degree grade from a 2:2 to a 2:1, for example, is considered degree fraud and can result in a prison sentence.
- If you submit your CV online, don’t disclose your home address since hackers may target you.
- Unless the employer specifies differently, always include a cover letter. You will be able to customize your application using it. You can highlight a specific section of your CV, identify a disability, or explain gaps in your employment history.
How to Fill the Void Created by the COVID-19 Pandemic?
The first thing to realize is that COVID-19 has thrown thousands of students’ career plans off, and you’re not alone.
Career-enhancing activities such as work experience, internships, and volunteering have been postponed or cancelled as a result of the epidemic. Let us set your mind at ease if this has you worried about the corona-shaped gap on your CV.
Employers are very aware of the difficulties that lockdowns can bring, and they will not expect you to have completed any work experience during this time. Nonetheless, you might show potential employers how you spent this time well, demonstrating that you are a proactive, devoted, and resilient applicant.
You can Include:
- information of any online courses or Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) you’ve completed, as well as any webinars or online events you’ve attended.
- the acquisition of new abilities, such as learning a new language or coding.
- Checking in on and shopping for vulnerable neighbours, or caring for young siblings or elderly relatives, are examples of volunteer work.
- Volunteering for a charity – perhaps you helped with fundraising or increasing awareness for a certain organization.
- new activities, such as establishing a blog, taking up a sport, learning to cook, or organizing a local book club.
Remember to link them to the job you’re looking for, so concentrate on the abilities you learned through these activities and how/why they’d be helpful.
Conclusion
The position of this information is determined by the actions. Volunteering or charitable work might be considered under the title ‘Work experience.’
Online courses and extra qualifications should be kept in the ‘Education’ area, while any new skills should be kept in the ‘Skills and Achievements’ section. Put any new hobbies in the ‘Hobbies and interests’ section if they’re relevant to the job you’re looking for.
Once you are done with all these, the last step is to edit. Editing your CV properly is very important. Look for professional editors to make your CV shine. When it comes to your CV, you should not take any risks. So, relying on an expert will be the best.
-Isabell S.
