How to write your CV - the right way!

How to write your CV

Creating a great resume can seem like an overwhelming task, but it doesn't have to be! Here are some guidelines on how you should create your own perfect CV.
A resume is a representation of your background and experience, while highlighting what you can bring to the table.

It contains some key elements about yourself - your education, professional experience, skills, awards/honors/achievements and interests. In addition to this, it also has a layout that is clear and concise with proper formatting. The way you structure your CV can greatly influence how you are perceived, so it is important to note that the layout and design of an up-to-date resume plays a major role in determining if a candidate gets shortlisted or not.

The perfect resume should have three primary components:  

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1) Personal Details

Your personal details are your contact information. These include your name, contact number, email address and physical address.

You should also list your nationality , because it is important in some countries when applying for work permits. For example:

Nationality: French/British

2) Education

Education and training - this includes all levels of education, both academic and professional.

You need to list all of the information pertaining to your educational background with the most recent qualifications listed first.

3) Experience

This section is where you describe your work history with dates (the amount of time you were working in each position), job title, company name and responsibilities/duties.

Are you a student? If so, this section is the perfect place to explain any relevant work experience and extracurricular activities. You can list these as bullet points or provide a more detailed look at your duties and responsibilities underneath each one:

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For 2017 - 2018 I was working at Big Corporation as an intern for Business Administration. My responsibilities included:

- Managing social media accounts for Marketing department.

- Answering the phone and providing an appropriate response to frequent query requests.

- Attending conferences/meetings on behalf of Executive Leadership.

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You can also place these bullet points under a single heading - "Relevant Experience" so that it is clear to recruiters that these are work-related tasks.

Another way to organize your experience is to list your most recent/current position first and then any other jobs you've had in the past so it is clear when you were working at each one. You can describe what duties/responsibilities you held at each job, but try not to exceed two lines per job and focus in on what you can contribute to the company.

To make your resume more concise, remove any work experience that is not relevant to the job - for example:

- Unrelated internships

- Jobs in high school/secondary school

There might be certain details that will need to remain such as the date you started and finished working at a company (in case recruiters contact you for further information)

You also need to keep your language clear, concise and professional. You should avoid using slang or abbreviations or excessive adjectives - instead use simple words that get the message across effectively.

Conclusion

Finally, take special care with spelling and grammar! Everything should be double-checked before sending your resume to any company.

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