Resume tips and templates

Want to find a perfect job for you? Good CV (Resume) is your tool to promote yourself. It is not only a picture of your life to date - you have to demonstrate that you know what employer is looking for and your career aspirations are suited to the job. Write what he wants to see but always tell the true.

CV or Resume?

Resume means one or two page summary of your skills, experience and education. Curriculum Vitae (as known as CV – means „course of your life“) is a longer (two or more pages), more detailed listing of your educational and academic backgrounds as well as teaching and research experience, publications, presentations, awards, honours, affiliations and other details.

CV is intended for applying for academic, education, scientific, international or research positions or when applying for fellowships or grants. In many Europe countries CV and resume means the same – structured list of your education, experience, skills and accomplishments. You may need different versions of a CV/Resume for different type of positions. In this text we should show you fundamentals of writing a CV/Resume.

How to start

Before you started to write, gather your information’s – make a list of all your academic qualifications, accomplieshements, experience. Check dates details of academic and other qualifications and than organize it into categories.

Ask yourself what do you do well and do you enjoy doing. Choose 2 or 3 most marketable and most attractive skills for the person reading your resume. This will help you to find the job that's bet for you.

Now think what achievements prove 2-3 most marketable skills you listed above. Write at least three things you did that you're proud of their results. It could be from paid / voluntary job (even from school) or your hobbies. Use facts, figures, and years and be as specific as possible.

Personal information

Your name, address (permanent or/and current), phone (home and/or cell) and email (be sure to use an appropriate address, don’t use unproffesional sounding nickname or your employer email address) should always head the CV, with your name in a larger font (14 to 24).

There is no need to include gender, date of birth, or marital status but if you do want to include any of these details it is best to list them at the end of the CV. Nationality is not always necessary and in many countries employer have no right to ask you about this information.

Career Overview/Objectives

If you're going to include this category int o your CV, put it near top. It should be a few sentences and written as one paragraph and your career goal could serve as the last sentence. You can include a smattering of your professional, academic and industry training.

Education/ education and Training

This section can cover university, industry courses, in-house courses, and any other professional training. Write an institutions where you have been studying, city and provience, degrees, diplomas and proffesional certification. Start with your highest qualification first. Concentrate on major and career related subjects. Include scholarships and award but select most apriopriate awards.

Do not include primary school details, minor qualifications and university or school address. Where Education and Qualifications are relevant give full details. Give more detail to the higher qualifications listed such as degrees and university study and remember about time succesion.

When writing CV/Resume focus on the job you want - tell employer what you can do for him.

Stress on your achievements and results (good things you have done for your last employer or while in school).

Employment/Professional history

This category should included all your work positions relevant new job. Write them in time succesion in this structure – Job title, emloyer, dates, what you did, for whom and when. If you are coming over sea or your company might be largely unknown descript your last employer.

Skills

Don't forget about languages you know, your keyboard and computing skills, driver's certificate and ability and so on. Make sure this list is relevant and interesting for an employer.

When listing computing skills make sure you mention the packages you have used such as Microsoft Word. Making list languages you know make sure you include your level such as fluent, intermediate, or basic. If you can type quickly and accurately – don't forget to write it. And try to be specific – did you wrote you have exellant comunication skills? Explain what you mean by that or give an example.

References

Write on your reference list 3-5 people but first ask them for permission and ask what type of contact they prefer. It's good to say them what kind of job are you looking for and send them your CV (Resume) so they will know what you're saying about yourself. When putting into a CV write names and phone number or add a sentence „Available upon request“.

What to leave out

Photo in your CV is needed only if you are model or performer
Every Saturday and vacation jobs you ever had
Reasons for leaving jobs
Political orientation
Salary information’s if not needed
Your negatives or something critical, poor grades and unfortunate work experiences.
Personal things as number of children you have, your sexual orientation, and religion.
Exaggerations
Humour
Jargon

If you don't have enough space leave out References and write them on separate sheet. You don't even have to include a phrase ".'References available upon request'.".

Criminal record

If you have a criminal record and you are looking for job it's better for you to chose job, which do not have bearing on your criminal record. Anyway do not hide it. Remember – always tell the true.

Design

Use easy to read design (do not experiment with fonts - use Arial Black or Bookman for the headings and 12 points Times New Roman for text. Smaller text is hard to read and bigger looks like primary school exercise.

Don't use artistic fonts or handwriting - it makes it difficult to read. Use centred headings – reading will be easier.

Do not write long text - one page works for most people. Longer text is good for people with 10 or more years of experience, but make sure your text is interesting to read. Remember that personalist have only 2 minutes to read your CV.

Paper and Ink

Cover letter and CV or Resume should match paper and letters type-set. Use plain white or cream good quality A4 paper only. Use laser jet and print only black (eventually blue). It doesn't leave good impression if CV is in other colours. For highlighting use bold face. Anyway if you are applying for creative job you can use more artistic CV - it will show your talent and qualifications. For high prestige your CV can be thermally bounded.

CV/Resume mistakes

Too short or too long CV - right length is minimum 1 and maximum 3 pages (if you are applying for senior position and information’s in there are really relevant)
Grammar and spelling errors
Poor or unnoticed design without highlights
No cover letter - it's important tool to introduce yourself and highlight important points in CV
Photocopied CV/Resume or Cover letter - it look very cheap and unprofessional
Printed on plain paper with ink jet printer