Writing a great CV when applying for jobs is very important. Great and impressive CVs boost of chances of getting employed. Many people try to find how to write a winning CV. Mostly because they know many recruiters pay extra attention to your CVs more than the interviews you attend.
You should therefore pay more attention to writing your CV. In this article, we have sorted and simplified as best possible tips for writing a great CV.
Tips on How To Write a Winning CV
Putting together your ideal CV might seem to be a difficult task. Especially if that’s your first time with no experience. But with this simplified structure and guide to writing a great CV, you will be fully ready. You will be able to write a very good CV that catches the attention of the recruiters.
Just relax your mind and take a deep breath as we take you through this simplified process. By the end of this article, you should be able to know the steps in writing a great CV
What do employers look for in your CV?
One of the most important questions you should ask yourself before beginning to CV is this. In this step, you need to put yourself in the shoes of the employer. Who do you expect your employee to be? What qualities are you looking out for? What level of education should your employee have? Are you expecting him or her to speak certain special languages? Do you need a male or a female?
The above are some of the important questions you need to pay attention to when writing a CV. That notwithstanding we will delve into some of the things an employer looks out for mostly. This should be taken into consideration anytime you are writing a CV.
- Every employer hopes to get the best candidate
Different people have different qualities and skills they are best at. Different jobs have different ways to accomplish it. To be the best candidate for a particular job, you need to exhibit certain different traits. Many people will opt for certain job opportunities even though they might not be qualified. Especially in cases where the unemployment rate is high.
Some of the best skills to include when writing a CV are as follows:
- proper time management skills
- a good team player
- critical thinker
- good communication skills
- good interpersonal relationship
- academic and extra-curricular achievement
- commitment
- IT skills
- punctuality just to mention a few.
With some of the aforementioned qualities, you stand out from the other applicant. Follow this guide on how to write a winning CV, to give you an upper hand and a high chance of being employed for the vacant position.
Best CV Format You Should Follow If You Want To Write A Winning CV
One of the key factors about writing letters is planning on how to arrange your message. Planning your letter very well conveys the message just as you want it to be understood. Planning in its sense helps you to reach your goal no matter how impossible it may be. In writing a CV try to arrange your contents very well so it can easily be understood by your employer.
There are two most common and important ways you can use to arrange your CV.
These are the Skills-based CVs and The Chronological CV. These two are unique in their ways.
- Skills-based CV
This format is recommended when applying for job roles in which you don’t have previous work experience. This type allows you to emphasize the skills you have gained and how you are going to apply that in your work. When writing this type of CV try to keep examples very specific. You can then list your work experience, with years and a summary of your duties and achievements if there are any.
This type is used/ recommended when you have work experience for the vacancy available. In this type list your previous work experience and qualifications in chronological order. You should always remember when writing this type of CV that the most recent work experience is placed at the top followed by the other years.
You need to give a brief account of what you learned and achieved in those roles. Be very specific at this point for your good.
How To Structure Your CV
This is very important when it comes to writing a CV. Everything we have spoken about boils down to this.
This is a summary of how you should always structure your CV:
- Your contact details
- Personal statement (optional)
- Education and qualifications
- Employment history
- Main achievements ( optional )
- Other skills
- Hobbies and interests ( optional)
- Reference
Always make sure that all the available information listed above is provided.