WRITING YOUR CV
A CV must allow your profile and your career plan to be read rapidly. It should make the reader want to know more and meet you.
You don’t “read” a CV, you “scan” it – some recruiters would say that the first impression is as important as the content of the CV itself. A well-constructed CV should highlight essential information such as your education, work experience, career goals. In short, it should highlight those things that reflect your suitability for the job.
KEY WORDS FOR CVs
- CLEAR: to ensure immediate understanding.
- CONCISE: to include the essential.
- PRECISE: to communicate useful information.
- SIMPLE: to sell yourself and be sincere.
- PLEASANT: to give the best possible impression.
TIPS FOR STANDING OUT
- CUSTOMIZE YOUR CV FOR THE POST: analyse the job description and highlight the important things.
- GIVE YOURSELF A HEADING: the heading on your CV should indicate your career goal and mention one or two of your best references. These references should be adapted to the needs of the employer. For example: sous chef diploma and 5 years’ experience in gastronomic cuisine.
- STATE YOUR OBJECTIVES CLEARLY: this section is intended to show that you are perfect for the advertised job. Choose a concise and targeted statement rather than a general statement that could be used for any business or employer.
- PRESENT YOUR CV WELL: Use at least 2.5 cm margins and leave a few blank lines between the different parts of the text. Do not use more than two fonts, one is more than enough. Do not overuse bold type or italics and avoid underlining. Use bullet lists to bring out skills and achievements.
- USE NUMBERS TO HIGHLIGHT YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS
THE SECTIONS IN A CV
NAME AND CONTACT DETAILS
The only requirement is to give your full name, address (home and email) and telephone numbers (home and mobile).
Regarding other optional criteria, we urge you to provide them: age, family status, nationality.
Any photograph attached must be very good quality.
CAREER OBJECTIVES
They must be given in the form of a short statement, and may be highlighted by a box.
EDUCATION
Mention your highest qualification and any other higher education diplomas.
Mention any continuing education if it leads to a qualification.
EXPERIENCE
List your experiences from the most recent to the oldest.
For each give your job title, company name, workforce, and turnover. Summarize the tasks you performed.
SKILLS AND LANGUAGES
Present your IT skills (Office Pack, software, software packages and specialized CRM).
List any foreign languages you speak specifying read and / or spoken and / or written.
LEISURE ACTIVITIES, OTHER INFORMATION
In this section you can put anything that does not fit in any other section of the CV and that you think is important: it could be sports, cultural, or associative activities, a website or a blog, etc.
TO SUCCEED YOUR JOB INTERVIEW
Here is a list of items we advise you to check in order to ensure your interview goes smoothly.
BEFORE THE INTERVIEW
Make a list of questions you will ask your interviewer about the work, the company, the sector.
Write a statement that will last one minute and that answers the question "tell me about yourself", it will prevent you being caught unawares during your interview.
Ask your professional references for permission to mention their names.
Collect information about salaries to find out how much you are worth.
TAKE ALONG WITH YOU
Several copies of your CV printed on good quality paper.
A copy of your references.
Something you can use to take notes during the interview (demonstrating attention and conscientiousness is always a good thing).
Check beforehand how to get to your interview and arrive on time.
DURING THE INTERVIEW
Stay relaxed.
Find out anything you can about the company and do not hesitate to ask your interviewer questions.
At the end of the interview, thank your interviewer and ask about the next steps in the procedure.
Ask the interviewer to give you a business card so you can send an email or follow-up letter.
AFTER THE INTERVIEW
Write a thank you and follow-up letter in which you give a reminder of your qualifications and motivation for the job.
