With a good CV you have a much better chance of being invited for a job interview. But how do you make a CV and how do you make a good CV? Can you stand out from the crowd with a CV made in Word and can you increase your chances of getting a job with a creative CV ? Read on to get answers to these questions. Whether you are looking for a permanent job, (graduation) internship, traineeship, in-house day or business course, the tips and examples below will go a long way.
What does CV stand for?
Drawing up a good CV is very important in the search for your new job. But where does the word “CV” actually come from and what does it stand for? The word curriculum vitae (CV) comes from Latin and literally means “course of life”. Your CV therefore represents your work and study experience in life.
A recruiter often takes a quick look at your resume before reading your cover letter. The purpose of a CV is to quickly give an employer a good overview of what you have to offer. Do you have the right diploma for a job? Or the required work experience? Does your profile match the candidate they are looking for? A recruiter will read it all from your CV (and application letter).
Different resume styles
Before you start drafting a CV, it is useful to know which style you want to use. Choose a CV style that best suits the position you are applying for or the industry in which you operate. Also try to choose a CV style that suits you as a person. Outlined below are two styles of resume style you should pay attention to;
Business resume
A business CV is sleekly designed, has a professional appearance and strong content. It is designed in such a way that important information can be quickly found by recruiters and employers. A business CV often uses a maximum of 2 colors that work well together to present the information in an effective manner. Colors that are often used in a business curriculum vitae are dark blue or dark green. A business position, or a position in a formal working environment, requires a professional CV design.
Creative/original CV
A creative and original CV differs from a business CV in a number of ways. The design is usually what immediately stands out. Furthermore, an original CV is often structured and organized very differently and the use of colors is usually immediately noticeable. In more informal working environments, such as in the marketing, travel or design industry, you can distinguish yourself with more original elements.
How do you determine the layout of your CV?
Your curriculum vitae is the first thing a recruiter looks at. You have to make sure there isn’t too much fuss about it, because a recruiter looks at it for an average of 7.4 seconds. It is therefore very important that you stand out and leave a good first impression. For example, give your CV more depth by letting the colors in your CV represent a meaning. Do you consider yourself a cheerful person? Then use the color yellow! Are you more of a quiet type? Then think of a color, such as light blue. This way you give more meaning to both your CV and your character.
Not only the color can create a stunning impression. The choice of a specific font on your curriculum vitae can also be decisive. It is important that you use the same font on your CV and in your cover letter. Being consistent with the font is important, because different fonts together look messy. Just as the use of color can demonstrate who you are, the font you choose for your curriculum vitae sends an indirect signal about your personality, style and professionalism. The best fonts to use for your CV are:
- Arial
- Calibri
- Garamond
- Georgia
- Verdana
- Trebuchet
Introduce yourself
A good way to make your resume stand out? Include a short, personal piece about yourself. It’s a bit of work. Because how can you introduce yourself without copying your application letter and using clichés? But this makes your resume more than just a piece of paper with what you can do.
What should be in a resume?
Time to create a resume. But what should be included in a CV and how do you draw up a good CV? A resume contains the following parts:
- Contact details
- Piece about yourself
- Work experience
- educations
- Knowledge and skills
- CV with photo:
Contact details
Before you put your contact information on your resume on autopilot, take a minute . Because this is a paragraph where you can already make a difference. Do you have your driver’s license? Add it there. Do you have your own website or online portfolio that is relevant to the job? Hoppa, on it. Are you applying for a creative job and is your Instagram account a piece of art? Don’t forget to mention this.
Essential contact details are:
- your first and last name
- your address
- Your date of birth
- your phone number
- your email address
Work experience
Shove a CV under an employer or recruiter’s nose and what does he look at? To relevant work experience, of course. So don’t fill your CV with all those side jobs that you only lasted two months. But include jobs that have benefited you more than just making quick money. The reader thinks: look, he is ready for this job . If you also briefly explain what your tasks were for each relevant job and put the jobs in order from present to past, then your CV is on point .
Afraid that the employer or recruiter will think: hey, he has a lot of holes in his resume ? Then dividing your work experience is the solution. For example, under ‘relevant work experience’ and ‘other work experience’.
No work experience?
Do you have little or no work experience yet? There are probably interesting or relevant projects and assignments that you did at school. Tell us what role you had in it and what qualities came in handy. Do you volunteer? Then that is also good to mention.
Educations
Those years of toil at school deserve a nice place on your resume. Also put this from present to past and start with your high school diploma. Don’t forget to mention whether you have obtained the diploma. Have you completed an interesting thesis, minor or extra study activities? Then add this too.
Knowledge and skills
Putting knowledge and skills on your resume is certainly a good one. But leave out general things like knowledge of Word. Everyone can do that. Make it distinctive. For example, mention content management systems that you have mastered or languages that will be useful in your future job.
CV with photo: yes or no?
Do you want a photo on your CV? No photo on your resume? We say: just submit a CV with a photo. A simple portrait photo taken in daylight where you look straight into the camera and smile is always good. Don’t you remember someone much better if you have a face to them?
Dotting the i’s
Personal data? Check. Work experience? Check. Photo on your resume? Check. Ready to send your resume. Just before you do that, take a look at the tips below to make sure your professional resume looks super sleek.
- Do not make your CV longer than two A4 pages .
- Create a basic CV and tailor it each time to the job you are applying for. This way you create a perfect match with the position every time
- Make your resume clear and scannable . With subheadings, a logical order and neat alignment
- Put your name in the header of your resume. Especially useful for a recruiter who can find your resume so quickly.
- Use a representative email address .
- Use hyperlinks in your resume. This makes the recruiter or employer more likely to look at your blog or social media channels. Do not use an overload of links, but use a maximum of three.
- Print your CV for the final check. You often see mistakes more quickly on paper than on your screen
- Always have your CV checked by someone else . Four eyes see more than two.
- Check everything? Then save your resume as a PDF file . This means that nothing can change in the layout.
Conclusion
It does not have to be difficult to write a stellar CV. You’ll be well on your way to job-hunting success if you just use these CV tips and methods. Above all things, keep in mind to tailor each application you make and to focus your CV to the job description. Check everything once more after you’re finished.
