No matter what industry you are looking for a job in, your CV is vitally important as it is the first impression that a potential employer gets of you. Especially nowadays when most applications are online.
Some companies receive hundreds and thousands of applications every year for some jobs, and if you have a stand out CV you can really boost your employment chances.
What is a CV and Differences Around the World
Curriculum Vitae is loosely translated as the “Course of my life”. A shorter alternative is simply vita, the Latin for “life”. The purpose of the CV is to inform prospective employers of a job seeker’s qualifications and experience for a position.
In the UK, a CV is short (usually a maximum of 2 sides of A4 paper), and therefore contains only a summary of the job seeker’s employment history, qualifications and some personal information. It is often updated to change the emphasis of the information according to the particular position the job seeker is applying for. Many CVs contain keywords that potential employers might pick up on and displays the content in the most flattering manner brushing over information like poor grades. A CV can also be extended to include an extra page for the job seeker publications if these are important for the job.
In the United States and Canada, a CV is used specifically in academic circles and medical careers and is far more comprehensive; the term resume is used for most recruitment campaigns. A CV elaborates on education to a greater degree than a résumé and is expected to include a comprehensive listing of professional history including every term of employment, academic credential, publication, contribution or significant achievement. In certain professions, it may even include samples of the person’s work and may run too many pages.
In Europe, there has been an attempt to develop a standardized CV model known as Europass (in 2004 by the European Parliament and European Commission) and promoted by the EU to ease skilled migration between member countries, although this is not widely used in most contexts. The Europass CV system is meant to be just as helpful to employers and education providers as it is to students and job seekers. It was designed to help them understand what people changing between the countries have to offer, whilst overcoming linguistic barriers. The Europass documents also provide recognition for non-accredited learning and work experience.
There are a few companies that prefer not to receive a CV at all in application, but rather produce their own application form which must be completed in applying for any position. Of those, some also allow applicants to attach a CV in support of the application. The reason some companies prefer to process applications this way is to standardize the information they receive, as there can be many variables within a CV. Therefore, the company often does not get all the information they require at the application stage.
How to Structure Your CV
Check out our top tips for how to put together and structure the perfect CV.
How Long Should a CV Be?
The first piece of advice we would give you is keep it short and organized. Two pages is enough any more than that it becomes tiresome to read.
Layout
When preparing your CV think about how you want it to look and lay it out in an organized way. Start with your name and address contact details. It is no longer necessary to put your date of birth on your CV this can be left off.
About You
You may then want to write a couple of lines and title it Personal Profile.
Education and Qualifications
This should be little about you and your careers aspirations. Keep it to the point. Then you should have a title Education. This should list your higher education details including dates and qualifications gained. Again try to get the dates correct. Some potential employers may ask you to take certificates as proof of exam results to interview
Skills
You then want to maybe put a heeding Relevant Skills and list any skills that you may have or relevant skills for your target job industry. Again one line for each. Then you want to move onto the heading employment history.
Employment History
The big mistakes a lot of people make when writing their CV’s is putting there first job first under the heading. It is important you list your jobs as most recent first and so on. Again make sure you get your dates correct.
You will want to put a short paragraph for each role listing the key skills. You will also want to put your reasons for leaving at the end. Try and ensure that there are no gaps and if there are you explain them on the CV. Ensure you keep each job description brief and to the point.
If you have ever done an internships, make sure to include these too.
General Interests
The last heading will be Interests make sure that these are listed briefly two lines max and they are sensible interests that are listed not designed to shock. You might want to if you volunteer which looks great to employers.
Make Sure Your CV Stands Out
If you design your CV to be eye catching and interesting and to the point. This will help you to get the interviews that will take you well on your way to your next position!
Are you looking for work? Browse our website for roles in lots of different industries. Also our guide to interview tips will help you to land a position. Check out our working abroad blog for more tips.