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How to make my CV stand out?

A winning CV showcases your professional record and is clear, precise, attractive and impeccable in its presentation. A recruiter will form a first impression in 30 seconds. If your CV is attention-grabbing, the recruiter will spend two minutes reading it. So it's essential to use a very direct style and carefully structure your information.

The curriculum vitae must be written with a specific goal in mind: show what you are able to do, in order to secure a job interview.

It is aimed at a specific type of reader: the recruiter.

When you are writing, try to put yourself in the place of the reader, i.e. a reader who doesn't know you. What would the reader think of you?

The content 

In a few lines and broad strokes, it should provide:

  • your personal data
  • your professional record
  • your education
  • your language skills
  • your computer skills

If you wish, you can add:

  • your non-work related activities
  • your references
  • a photo
  • your notice period
  • the target salary

The structure

The CV can be written in two different formats:

  • Reverse chronological (the most common type) 
    presents your professional experience, training and education from most recent to least recent. It is made up of a list of the different companies for whom you have worked and the tasks that you performed there.
  • Thematic
    allows you to highlight several skill areas by arranging information according to the functions carried out. This form is best suited to demonstrating your versatility or your focus on a field in which you will have held several jobs calling for the same skills. This CV format also allows you to mask any periods of professional inactivity - what recruiters call "gaps" in the CV (e.g. unemployment or maternity leave).

The CV almost always contains the same sections, but its content will vary based on the industry in which you work and/or your work record.
An accountant's CV will not be the same as that of a worker in the agribusiness sector. The recruiter's expectations of these two profiles will differ, even if the people are employed by the same company. 

 

Source: Manpower

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