A good CV - what information should it contain?
Employer email, cover letter and curriculum vitae are the first stages of recruitment at which the employer meets your application. Based on these three elements, she decides whether to invite you to an interview or not. Many studies have been written about what a good CV should look like. There is no single rule that would guarantee success, but our advice will help you learn what to pay attention to and what mistakes to avoid.
Your CV is your calling card
The CV is the first information about us that reaches the recruiter. What impression it will make is entirely up to you. Try to do everything in your power to interest the employer and get to the interview. Only include true information in your CV. A lie has short legs, a recruiter will quickly verify your skills. Choose those work experiences and strengths that the employer requires.
If you choose to include a photo on your CV, make sure it is professional. You should make a good impression on him, look friendly, honest, and inspire trust. Skip photos from holidays, family celebrations, in disguises or skimpy outfits. The photo may appear in color.
Double-check your resume for spelling errors. They are absolutely unacceptable, they show a disrespectful attitude towards the future employer. Don't use colloquial expressions. You are addressing your supervisor, not your colleague. Be clear, professional, understandable.
How to build a good CV?
Start with the contact details. Give your employer an opportunity to speak to you, include your phone number, address and e-mail address. Take care of your image already at this stage. Do not use a nickname, diminutives or numbers in the email address. A professional email should contain your full name - or just your last name.
Work experience is the most important part of a resume. Recruiters advise that this element, due to its importance, be placed before education. Don't just include working time, company name and position held. If the company is not very recognizable, add a short description of it. List the duties that were performed by you. Show off your successes - you can add a link to your campaign, mention the award for the best employee. Do not write about unnecessary, from the point of view of the advertisement, professional experience. Choose those jobs that will be useful in recruitment. They will show you in the best light possible. They will best meet the requirements contained in the advertisement.
Remember that we use the reverse chronology rule in our CV.We write from the most current to the least recent events. You start with your current job, end with the oldest experience you want to mention in your CV.
In the "education" element, write about your completed studies. In addition to the name of the university and the field of study, you can add information about the specialization obtained. It is worth boasting about additional courses and postgraduate schools. Especially if they have allowed you to acquire the skills and qualifications needed for the job for which you are applying.
Write about what foreign languages you know. Determine the degree of their knowledge. If you have a certificate confirming your skills, write about it. Begin your list with the languages you know best to those you know least.
Remember to attach a clause that you consent to the use of your personal data for the purposes of recruitment.
Start a free 30-day trial period with no strings attached!
The appearance of the resume also matters
The first impression is crucial. Make your CV transparent. Use a legible, simple font. This applies to both the standard CV and the custom versions. Creative CVs work well in industries that require creative, artistic and creative thinking. Avoid illegible and frivolous fonts. You can bold the most important information.
Be careful that the font is not too small. The recruiter will not strain his eyes. The old school of CV writing taught that it shouldn't be one page long. Currently, more pages are allowed. The most important thing is information. More emphasis is placed on job descriptions and skills. Of course, don't overdo it, it's also about being precise. Do not make elaborations about yourself! A good CV is not a diary.
Pay attention to the composition. Consider your content layout. See what the entire document looks like before sending it to your employer. The document should be carefully formatted. Save the document in PDF, thanks to which it will keep its layout when opened on another computer. Note the title of your CV file. The name should contain: your name, surname and CV, eg AnnaNowakCV.pdf.