CV is short for “Curriculum Vitae”, which literally translates to “course of life.” Your CV or resume is a tool that can help you set your foot in the door when applying for a job. This is how you can present yourself to prospective employers, and in one way, it is a form of personal marketing, which is why it is crucial that your CV shows you in the best light possible and help you stand out.

Use the Right CV Layout

Using the proper CV layout will help you make the document professional, clear and easy to read. The CV format is usually standardised and should contain your name, contact details, education, skills, experience and a personal statement.

A good CV should be written in a professional and easy-to-read font, avoiding too artistic fonts, and the heading sections should be bigger than the rest of the text to help differentiate between sections. Also, creating clear margins on your document will allow for a more professional look and help make your resume look neat.

To make your CV look sectioned and clear, space out the subheadings and include bullet points when talking about previous job experiences, skills or hobbies. The layout is a skeleton of the CV. That’s why all sections should be in order, which will increase the value of your CV and the chances that the employer or recruiter will be interested in reaching the bottom of the document.

What to Include in Your CV?

A well-written CV can leverage your main selling points to the hiring manager or recruiter. To get the recruiter’s attention, the resume should highlight personal details, relevant skills and work experience relevant to the role you are applying for. In some cases, you can add relevant hobbies as well.

Knowing what to include in your resume will help you write a captivating biography that will help you present yourself in the best light possible and prove you are fit for the job. Also, to tailor the content of your curriculum vitae to match the job in question, a few key elements need to be included.

Olive Recruit is a permanent staffing solutions partner, matching job seekers with positions that reflect their values and skills. We understand what makes a great CV and how to stand out from the competition.

Contact Details

The contact information is your CV’s first and most vital element and serves as your document’s header and an intro to your personal profile. It will always sit on the top and the first page so employers can contact you immediately. This section should include:

  • Full name
  • Phone number
  • E-mail address
  • Location
  • Job title
  • Optionally, social media or
  • Professional website

Education

In the education section, you should list all previous education and all types of qualifications. Start with the most recent education, and add the qualification type, grades and dates. Where relevant, you can add specific modules that will further explain and prove your education level and always put your education in reverse chronological order.

Work Experience

In the work experience section, the recruiter will be able to see your entire career path and the connection to the open vacancy you would be applying to. Here, it is crucial to outline your entire expertise with the most recent first, explain the job responsibilities and be concise.

This part of the resume will help you really shine, so you should add:

  • Details about the employer you worked for
  • Your job title or role
  • When you started and when you stopped working there
  • A few sentences explaining what you did in that role
  • Any significant achievements you acquired

Skills

The skills section is an open opportunity for you to add your soft skills and hard skills relevant to the job you are applying for. Here, you could include your experience with an application, courses you might have attended, your language skills and more. The essential skills should be relevant to the job, and you mustn’t exaggerate your abilities, as you will need to back up your claims at an interview.

Employment Gaps

Having a gap in a resume is more common than people think. In most cases, people have gaps in their resumes as they needed to take care of a family member, went on maternity leave, or continued with education. Addressing these gaps is important, despite many people believing it will harm your impression.

Just the opposite, explaining the gaps in your resume can only help your first impression because the reasons can help employers learn more about your character. When discussing why you took time away from work, it’s always a good idea to focus on the benefits while not working, such as volunteering, continuing with education or exploring certain industry news.

Whatever the reason for your CV gap is, always be genuine with your response without getting into too much detail. Gaps are not something you should hide from your employers but always give examples of how you spent your time outside of work.

No Work Experience, What Now?

Starting a job search when you have yet to gain experience can look like an uphill battle. You may wonder how you are supposed to write a CV when you think there is nothing to write about. Well, not having experience shouldn’t stop you from landing your first job, and the candidate with the most experience doesn’t always get the job.

When hiring, recruiters are looking at much more than your experience. You can showcase who you are and prove to the recruiters that you are the best fit for them. Focusing on your skills, hobbies and abilities in your CV and cover letter can help you land a job even without experience. A good personal statement is vital because it allows you to describe your key skills and practical experience. Make a good analysis of the job description. You should see if you have all the characteristics they seek, like attention to detail, time management, and organisation.

It would help if you focused on your skills and abilities because recruiters know in most cases, candidates will have transferable skills that you might have learned at another job or industry. Also, enthusiasm counts much more than you think. It shows your personality, how eager you are to start working, and how you fit in the specific company culture, which can already put you in a stronger position than most other candidates.

Tips on Structuring Your CV

You’ve sent a few CVs but still need help landing your first interview. It might not be content in your resume that is not helping you out.

Sometimes the formatting of your resume could make it difficult for recruiters to see your skills and job experience. The recruitment process often consists of dozens of interviews, so if your CV needs to be structured better, it might get overlooked. To have a good structure and a good CV, you only need to make a few changes which will essentially be huge improvements that will increase your chances of landing a job interview.

Keep it Short, but Not Too Much

Your resume should be concise. That said, you should reconsider the job experiences you considered adding if they are irrelevant to the job. People always talk about the limit of pages in an interview, but it will depend on the sector and industry you are applying to. However, with that in mind, having your resume on just a few pages with relevant details will help you retain the recruiter’s attention.

Make Sure it’s Up to Date

Whether you are looking for a new job or want to progress in your current company, updating your CV is always a good idea.

Adding all new skills, achievements, responsibilities and experiences to your resume is a habit that can help keep your resume updated. It can help you save time when you are about to start applying again, but it will also help you see clearly what jobs you are qualified for.

Only Include the Past Ten Years of Your Career

One of the most challenging parts when writing a great CV is detailing the descriptions and responsibilities for your jobs, volunteer work and projects. Each job history and experience should be clearly described without too much detail. After reading the description, the employer wants to know what key responsibilities you have and what skills you have developed.

Also, don’t focus on your work history from 20 years ago. Instead, focus on the past ten years of your professional qualifications and emphasise where your strengths lie and what are your professional achievements.

No Exaggeration or Lies

The CV you submit is the first impression you will make to your potential employer. With that said, it is crucial for your resume to be truthful. Exaggerating work experience or lying on your resume and job application is considered CV fraud in many places worldwide. However, some still think that lying on their resume would get them their dream job. In most cases, the truth comes out in the screening process or interview. Therefore, you should always list your previous experience and never sell yourself short of what you have accomplished and achieved. Honesty is the best policy!

Use Keywords From the Job Description

If you see a job that you want, make sure that you tailor your resume specifically for that role, and you can do that by adding relevant keywords. With Applicant Tracking Systems, most CVs don’t even reach the recruiter as it is a computer system that can only accept up to three-quarters of resumes if they contain the right keywords. The algorithm used helps to put the best and most relevant CVs in front of the recruiters, so always make sure to research the company you are applying to, the industry and the job description as well.

Use The Right Font Size

Using the right font is more important than you think. A professional-looking font that is clear and easy to read increases the chances of your resume being read through. The size should be set between 10 and 12 and be consistent throughout. You can use a larger font size for the section headings to help your resume look sectioned and make each section stand out and attract the reader’s attention.

Review Your CV Like an Editor & Recruiter

When CV writing, reviewing your resume before you send it out is the last but most important step. Go over your entire resume with the same attention to detail an employer would use. Proofread for grammatical errors and spelling, and ensure the resume length is appropriate. Also, ensure that all of your relevant experience and accomplishments are noted in your resume and check the entire document’s style, formatting, tone and layout.

Conclusion

Data shows employers take less than a minute to decide whether an application will be considered. Olive Recruit has a way of grabbing employers’ attention with a resume that will help you stand out. Our CV tips can help you tailor your resume to the job description.

As a permanent staffing solutions provider, we aim to help you find your dream job according to your skills and previous experiences. That’s why we always ensure that we match you with the best employer where you can show your skills and garner new experiences to help you excel in your career.