No matter what industry you want to work in, your CV is very important because it creates the first impression of you as a professional. A well-written CV can also help you at a job interview or once you’ve been hired. Also, making resume mistakes like using too much ‘I’ or writing the wrong experience can cost you the job. We’ve made a selection of the easiest ways to modernize your CV and make it look professional.
1. Check and reread
Nothing leaves such a bad impression as typos, much fewer mistakes in your CV. Be careful when checking the information you have written.
Ask someone close to you to check it, and then ask someone else. Then take a break and check it again. Typos are nonsense that happens to everyone, but when it comes to the job, they’re unnecessary.
2. Get rid of addresses
Too much unnecessary or irrelevant information will not only take up too much space but will subconsciously make the employer reading your application feel irritated by what you’ve written. An unnecessary address can also cause a distortion in the image that your CV conveys.
A suburban address or misspelt street address can give the impression that you’re not from around here and aren’t too interested in the position. Email and telephone are more than enough. When filling in your CV, remember: brevity is the sister of talent.
3. Always save the file as a PDF
This point is the minimum of professionalism required of any employee. No employer wants to deal with outdated formats, so if you haven’t yet gotten into the habit of using PDF, now is the time.
4. Add the links you need
Modern life involves active use of the internet. Almost all employers pay attention to how you conduct your online life, so it is important to include the necessary links to accounts that reflect your interests and show your internet literacy. Recommendation from BidForWriting is providing up-to-date information in the form of links to different social sources that will help you present yourself better.
5. Focus on numbers
It’s a proven fact that most employers pay more attention to your performance and experience if it’s expressed in percentages and other numerical indicators.
Put a focus on how you have improved your performance or how much money you have made for the company by putting that information in terms of money. Such a summary is more credible than one based on words and figures.
6. Don’t give your graduation date
Today the main factor of your professionalism is your ability to cope with the job. Of course, many companies require a certain amount of work experience and education but specifying a graduation date can fall into the trap of prejudice.
You might appear too young or too old for a particular job, too experienced, or, conversely, underqualified in a given field. And all of this may appear on the basis of the date alone.
To avoid this mistake, give only the necessary details related to your experience, stressing that you are able to cope with the company’s requirements and, most importantly, that you clearly understand the aims of your work.
7. Keep more than one version of your CV handy
If you are considering different fields of work for yourself, it is best to make several separate resumes that highlight the qualities, skills, and experience you need for a particular job.
Of course, this can be time-consuming, but it’s much better to make a CV perfectly suited to the field you’re interested in than one generalized and usually ignores important professional points.
8. Eliminate the obvious skills
The fact that you know how to use Word or Excel tells you that you are just a computer user. Such skills are fairly obvious and have not impressed anyone in the same way that hobbies and tastes have. Instead of this unnecessary information, emphasize the skills and personal qualities that make you a valuable employee for a particular company.
Since you should link to your online accounts, the employer should be able to assess your general outlook. This could also include merits, diplomas, and certificates that you have kept since your school days. Such outdated information may be precious as a memory, but it is definitely not of interest to the person looking at your CV.
9. Don’t go into too much detail
Nothing is more detrimental to a CV than unnecessary details. Don’t mention the many responsibilities you can and want to fulfill. All you have to do is be clear about what things you have to do each day and what results in you have to achieve.
This is what you should focus on. Leave the rest for the job interview where going into detail will be necessary.
10. Hire a counselor
If you’re worried that your CV isn’t written in the best way and you don’t know how best to change it, get in touch with an expert. Yes, it will cost money, but the help of a professional who clearly understands your resume’s purpose and objectives will be very helpful.
Often you don’t fully understand your target audience or go too far in describing your achievements and qualities. A professional will quickly put together a proper document that highlights your worthy qualities and skills and ignores all unnecessary details.
11. Consider making an infographic CV
If you’re looking for a job in a creative field, such as design, a resume made in the form of an infographic can be a great solution.
First, this kind of organization of information clearly shows your skills in using graphic editors, and second, it makes an overview of all the same qualities and figures more creative and understandable. Errors and omissions are then less noticeable, thanks to the overall visual effect.
12. Don’t go to the second page
It’s very important to be concise in your CV and never make it longer than one page. This rule is especially important for those who are just starting their working life.
Be careful when writing a story about yourself and your skills. The fact is that employers rarely read the information to the end, and if your CV is wordy, it can cause a negative reaction.
13. Don’t lie
This point is obvious and shouldn’t even be discussed, but just in case, don’t lie on your resume. Attributing skills to yourself that you don’t have makes you look bad because you can’t rely on them, not to mention your level of professionalism.
The need to embellish your resume arises when people misunderstand the purpose of the document as a whole. No matter how experienced you are, a resume is meant to focus the employer’s attention on what you have to offer, highlighting your current experience and skills. So unless you are fluent in French, it is better to write about what you do really well.
