Key Tips to Build an Effective CV

The main purpose of a curriculum vitae is to draw the recruiter’s attention to your job application in order to land a job interview. The CV must be synthetic and understandable because it will trigger the first impression. Also remember that the recruiter will spend only about 6 seconds reading it at the first time. Therefore, it has to be catchy and highly persuasive. To succeed building your resume, you can follow those tips.

What Should You Do when Building a CV?

Sharpening Up the Visual Presentation of your CV

First of all, it is highly recommended to use a CV builder online. This type of tool helps you create an attractive and unique CV rapidly and effectively. Thus, it allows you to make a resume that will be more likely to get the recruiter’s interest. Most of the time, a recruitment manager receives hundreds of applications for each vacancy. So, it is important to make a good visual presentation of your CV in order to stand out from the other candidates. Choose and organise the colours and graphics wisely. Bolding can help highlight the most essential elements of your curriculum vitae.

• Introducing Yourself Properly

Clearly define your expectations by including the name of the position sought in the title. To introduce yourself, specify your name, your first name and your contact details. As far as the email address is concerned, it must be serious and easy to read. You can mention your driver’s license if you think it will enhance the impact of your resume. A photo can be an asset but on the condition that is of a professional quality.

• Putting Quality over Quantity

It would be more captivating to shorten your experiences or skills by mentioning your main strengths. Recruiters do not like reading the same information on every CV. Prefer showcasing your own skills and achievements to convince them to meet you for an interview. For some time now, soft skills and mad skills have been very popular among head-hunters. List your diplomas, experiences and skills without making long sentences. Forget about those which have nothing to do with the job sought. Your CV should be synthetic. One page is quite enough, or two pages if you have a really long and rich career path.

Mistakes to Be Avoided when Building a CV

• Being Repetitive

Avoid repeating a piece of information even if you think it is important to retain the recruiter’s attention. It will lengthen the document and the reader may think that you do not have different interesting things to showcase your profile.

• Attaching a Non-Professional Photo

The presence of a photo is not mandatory. If you decide to put one, use a sober ID photo. Avoid cropped or blurry pictures. It must be impeccable if you want it to work on your favour.

• Choosing an Extravagant CV Template

Of course, you can choose an original CV template on a CV builder in order to stand out from the crowd. But do not fall into excess. Do not confuse originality with extravagance or the recruiter will think you are not serious enough. The CV layout should be unique and elegant at the same time.

• Making Spelling and Grammar Mistakes

It is important to create a catchy curriculum vitae with a relevant and synthetic content. But a single error can ruin it all. Proofread the document at least three times and ask for help from a trustworthy person. Many job applicants do not realise it but spelling and grammar mistakes on CVs are prohibitive, even if it seems insignificant.

Check the Company Identity before Submitting a CV

Once your curriculum vitae is complete, you will have several options to send it to the targeted company. The first option is to send your CV and cover letter by post. This is probably the riskiest option as mail can get lost and will most likely be embedded between advertisements and bills. The second option is the most popular one among candidates. It consists of sending the job application by email. It is practical and quick. The recipient will surely receive and see your email.

The third alternative will increase your chance of getting noticed by the potential employer. You will deliver the CV and cover letter in person. This will allow you to already have initial real contact with the company. This way, the recruiter will already have an image of you. For this purpose, you will have to find the company’s address and identify it by its professional nameplate which is normally found on the porch of the building. For your part, you will also have a first glimpse of the image that the company wishes to convey to its customers. If it is poorly maintained, you will have to think twice before submitting your application file.