How to write and format your CV (CV template included).
An impressive CV is your first big step to getting that job you have always wanted. A CV is the very first impression that recruiters will have of you hence, its significance cannot be understated. It only takes just a quick look, maybe a few seconds, for a recruiter to evaluate your CV for the first time and determine whether you are the right person for the job. In this article, we will show you how to write a CV in a way that will help you stand out amongst many applicants and grab the recruiter`s attention (CV template included).
What is a CV
A CV is a concise, informative summary of your abilities, education, and experience. Your CV should showcase your strongest assets and skills, and distinguish you from other candidates applying for the same position. Although a CV alone will not get you a job or internship, a good resume plays an important part towards you obtaining an interview.
Contact information
First thing is first when writing a CV is to include your contact information at the top of your CV so that recruiters will be able to contact you easily. Include contact information that is valid and make sure the phone number and email enclosed in the CV are in use and always available.
Personal statement or CV profile
The next phase is adding your personal statement or CV profile. The personal statement is a summary of your skills, knowledge, and what you aim to achieve in your career. This section aims to catch the attention of the recruiter hence it needs to be well-written. Your CV profile is like a summary of the whole CV so, keep it short and straight to the point. It is advisable to avoid using cliche statements like you are hard-working and a team player. In contrast, try using simple language highlighting your ability.
Key Skills
The skills section is one of the most important parts of a CV. It highlights what skills you can offer to the company. The key here is to add role-specific skills, skills that are tailored to the job for which you are applying. Most people get this section wrong, they focus on adding soft skills and ignore the hard skills. However, you should focus on hard skills like IT knowledge, languages, and qualifications. Make sure you list your skills using bullet points in a 2 or 3-column manner. Make use of short phrases to name your skills and avoid using long sentences.
Work history
Your work history highlights all the places you have worked and what were your responsibilities. When it comes to adding your work history to your CV you should start with your current or your most recent place of employment (reverse chronological order). The work history section of your CV displays your capabilities and achievements. This is aimed at showing why you are the right person for the job. So, how do you do this then? Well, you first add the place of employment, year of employment, duration of employment, responsibilities, and achievements. Adding achievements will help you stand out amongst other applicants and highlights your brilliance.
There is a case where you have no prior experience, adding volunteer work and college placement is allowed. For those with none of that, it is advisable you look for volunteer work, where you can work for free just to get experience. Remember the work does not have to be in your field of study, any field of work will do and give you a chance to show your capabilities.
Try not to worry about work experience if you are a student or maybe you just graduated. You will have your chance to highlight your capabilities through your school achievements like test scores and other extracurricular activities.
Education
Yes, the education section should be placed near the bottom of the CV. Although important, your education qualifications are not as important as the other factors above. Just like the experience sector, you should add your educational qualifications in reverse chronological order. This means that you should start with the latest qualifications achieved. In this sector you can add all your degree qualifications, not forgetting your matric results.
For students with no experience, this is an area where you should showcase your brilliance and shine hence you must give all your education information in detail. However, those with experience do not need to give detailed information about their qualifications, they should rather just summarize it in point form.
Hobbies and interests
This is an optional section in which you the CV writer get a little personal with the recruiter. In this part, you give the recruiter some information about you and what you like to do. This section can help showcase what kind of person you are and your overall personality. So, when adding your hobbies make sure they paint a good picture of yourself. In the end, ask yourself whether the hobbies you are about to add will help you get the job if not then leave them out.
References
References are like the witnesses of your CV; they should be credible and can be traced. Teachers, Pastors, and respectable elders in the community are all good options to add as references, make sure you add their contact information and address.
In conclusion, Research is king
Ok, before you think about writing a CV, the first thing you need to do is research. You need to research the information you need to complete your CV. Look at job boards and websites for similar jobs and take note of the language used and the requirements that keep on appearing on similar jobs. Ultimately, this will make sure that you include all the information required for that job.
Download the full CV template below :
Good Luck!
