10 Tips For Creating Professional CV
Your curriculum vitae is the first document that your potential employers will see from you. Because of this, you must create a well-crafted and impressive CV or resume. It will allow you to be one step closer to your employment, which is to be interviewed. If the human resources manager does not like you based on your resume, they can simply toss it aside.
To avoid that from happening, you can take some steps that will not cost you frustration and regret in the end. You can look for professional CV writing services online. They have skilled and experienced writers who can deliver an excellent resume for you. But if you have no means to pay for them, you can always read some helpful tips. In this article, you will learn how to make an impactful CV before drafting one. It is recommended for you to apply them to achieve better results.
Make it Simple To Read
One of the essential resume tips you must know is to make your resume reader-friendly. HR officers go through hundreds of files per day, especially when the company has multiple job openings. Because of this, they must devise some ways to make their job easier and faster. Unfortunately, no matter how competent you are, if your resume is not appealing or readable, they will not read it anymore. Therefore, it would be best if you use columns or line spacing.
Some people utilize columns to help the HR officer scan the material faster. They are most beneficial for resumes because you have to use one page for everything. Moreover, it would help to use enough line spacing to separate the sections and content of your CV. In this way, the text will be pleasant to their eyes.
Use a Professional Font
Alongside making your resume simple to read is choosing a professional font. You might be tempted to use decorative fonts to add a little design. You can use them in your art projects but not on resumes. It would be best if you keep your CV as formal and professional as possible. So, you must only use the recommended fonts, such as Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Times New Roman, and Verdana. Make sure to keep the font size within size 10 to 12 only.
No More Than Two Pages
As mentioned previously, HR managers have several resumes to scan daily, so they need to maximize their time. For them to consider you as a candidate, you must limit your profile to two pages. It is one of the CV tips and tricks that other people do not know. One or two pages might seem insufficient, but in reality, that is all you need. You do not have to put your entire life story. You just have to put the vital and relevant parts that will get you your dream job. Remember to keep it short and simple.
Making The Most of Skills
Whether you are a fresh graduate or an experienced professional, you have the skills to contribute to a company. So, you must not forget to include your hard and soft skills in your CV. Hard skills include the knowledge you gained from education or experience, such as mobile development, network security, and programming languages. Meanwhile, soft skills are the traits and characteristics you have developed while working. These include your leadership, organization, critical thinking, and communication skills. Think about them carefully and assess yourself before putting them on your resume.
Include Only Most Relevant Information
A part of writing a great CV is knowing how to filter information that must be included or not. As mentioned previously, you must keep your curriculum vitae with two pages only. It will be possible by having the most relevant information crucial to the job you are applying for. This includes your contact information, career objectives, skills, work experience, educational background, and certificates. Moreover, it would be best not to put jobs or achievements you had over ten years ago. In this way, HR managers can focus on the most recent information about you.
Include Your Experience
In creating a CV, you must not miss out on sharing your work experience with potential employers. It is one way of showcasing what you have done in the past that might benefit the company. In doing so, you must be positive and assertive by using words, such as “created,” “organized,” or “developed.” Also, it would be best to tailor-fit them according to what the company needs. Even if it is a simple experience, you can include it if it is worth mentioning.
Include Your Interests
Some people might think that interests are irrelevant in a resume. However, they can be helpful depending on the job you want. You can include them to specify your strengths and capabilities. For example, if you like reading or writing, employers can maximize your abilities for possible research projects. Or, if you once organized a green initiative program, the company can tap you for similar events in the future. But you must not include passive interests, such as surfing the net or watching TV. They can be construed as negative qualities.
Use Active Language
While writing your CV, you must use active language, thus using action verbs in active voice. You can use them to emphasize your skills and achievements and sound confident about them. In addition, they are powerful and impactful enough to get the attention of an employer. Some of these action verbs include “accomplished,” “completed,” “established,” “spearheaded,” and “volunteered.”
List Important Achievements
Your achievements are significant for an employer. They show your capabilities beyond what your educational and work backgrounds state. To effectively place your achievements in your resume, you can dedicate a separate section for them. However, you can also list the top three to four most significant accomplishments under the work experience section.
Proofread and Edit
Like in any writing task, proofreading and editing are critical in resume writing as well. It would be best to go through several rounds of proofreading to avoid making grammatical or spelling mistakes. You can use writing editing tools or programs on your word processing software or online, such as Grammarly. Moreover, you can ask your friends or colleagues to give feedback about your resume. Lastly, you can always rely on professional writers if you need resume help.
In conclusion, making an impressive resume can be easy as long as you know some tips to do it. These include making your CV simple to read, using a professional font, and limiting the entire thing to two pages. Moreover, you must highlight your skills, relevant work experience, interests, and achievements. It would also help to use action verbs, proofread, and edit your work before sending it. Indeed, your curriculum vitae is crucial for your employment, so craft it well.