Post 13 - Your CV

Reading CVs is a big part of my job and sometimes that can be quite funny. We get to see crazy pictures and some CVs are really hilarious. However my first advice would be to try not to have a funny CV, that's not what you want :)

Your CV is going to represent you until you get to meet with someone. This is ok to have something a bit creative but do not over-complicate things. All you want is a call from the Recruiter so make it easy for him to find what he is looking for.

A few tips

• Easy to read CV, bullet points rather than text (most recruiters only spend a few minutes on your CV)
• In Ireland I would not recommend you to put a picture of yourself (some recruiters do not like to have a picture on the CV)
• Make sure you use only 1 font and size
• Avoid using colors, if you want to highlight something use Bold & Underline
• Make sure your contact details are clearly indicated (and right!)
• Mention your Nationality and language skills (it is essential for multilingual roles)
• Make sure all keywords are on your CV (IT Skills for example or anything specific)
• Describe what you did in each role with at least 3 bullet points 
• Send a specific CV for different type of roles, do use a title (for example "French Customer Service"...)
• If you worked to set targets, do mention them!
• Avoid complicated format / Table... The Europass CV is actually not great and I would not advise you to use this
• No typo! Get someone else to look at your CV before sending anywhere
• Try to keep it to 2 pages maximum (unless if you have 20 years of experience...)
• When applying in Ireland, send a CV in English

Structure of a Good CV:

1. Name and contact details
2. Education
3. Work Experience
4. IT and Language skills
5. Hobbies & Interests

It is important that your CV looks good so spend some time on this and ask for advice.