Make yourself stand out with your CV!

“Just send them your CV and they’ll contact you!” - the best and worst career advice I’ve ever heard. Why? Because it suggests that you should apply for anything carelessly.

Sending in your CV while applying for a job can not only be exciting, but also disappointing if you haven’t considered and prepared your application carefully.

Recruiters have to go through hundreds of CVs for each role before a role is filled, and they are the first decision-makers in the selection process. So, by paying attention when creating your CV, you can save time for not only the recruiters, but also for yourself, because with receiving quicker feedbacks from HR, you’ll have more time for applying for other roles if you’re rejected by a company.

I would like to give you some hints on how to make yourself stand out with your CV and how to show your best side to your future employers.

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1.????? There are no strict rules for writing a CV!

Many recruiters and managers have a different idea of what a good CV looks like.

So you must be asking: “Does it matter how I write it?” My answer is: “Yes, still, it matters.”

Like dating, you can’t take anything for granted, but you can try to make the most of the situation.

There are many differences in form and content standards of CVs in each country. Here I refer to my experiences on the Hungarian labor market.

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2.????? Create a brief CV with a tabular-layout and listings!

Long and textuary CVs are hard to read quickly not only for the recruiters but also for the hiring managers who decide if they would like to invite you in for an interview or not.

Try to summarize your past experiences in a maximum of 2 pages. - If you have e.g. 20 years of work experience it seems impossible however you could highlight the most relevant experiences for the role you’ve applied for without leaving gaps in your CV.

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3.????? Use an easy-to-read format and layout for your CV!

?It’s unpleasant if recruiters can’t read your CV due to your background, font, or color choices. Fancy formatting and layout can become unreadable in Preview-mode in different Application Tracking Systems.

Keep it simple! Making yourself stand out doesn’t mean throwing together a striking CV.

Use some color, but only the light ones, and forget the fancy fonts (e.g. Brush Script/Blackadder).

If you want to demonstrate your excellent editorial skills, leave it for later. If the company wishes to test this, they will send you a MS Office test before hiring you.

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4.????? Start with your most recent work experiences!

Do not start with your education and your contact information at the very top of the page. Try to give recruiters/hiring managers relevant information about you as quickly as possible in your CV.

Exception: If you don’t have any job experiences yet (e.g. you’re a career starter), of course, you can start with your education.

5.????? Less is more. But too little isn’t good either. Ask yourself the question: Which of my experiences are the most relevant for the position I’m currently applying for?

Highlight the most relevant responsibilities under the position titles in your CV, in a form of keywords and listings.

If you want, you can specify your most relevant projects you’ve worked on in a cover letter or in an attachment.

?Recruiters and hiring managers will ask about your projects in the interviews if they seem important for the role.

If your projects make a good impression on you, you can mention them later at the online/offline interview.

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6.????? Put a current, business-like photo in your CV!

Recent photo: It’s important to include a current, realistic photo because you can build trust with interviewers by adding an authentic picture similar to your most recent look in your resume.

?If you have the relevant knowledge for the role, based on your CV, recruiters do not care about your appearance, so don’t be afraid of being judged by your photo!

?Business-like photo: You don’t have to go to a professional photographer to take a photo of you, it’s okay to take a selfie in a long-sleeved shirt/blazer with a neutral background and enough light.

But please, don’t use holiday photos wearing swimsuits, tank tops or muscle T-shirts. (Believe it or not, it happens.)

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7.????? List your language and technical skills in 2 different, separate parts of your CV.

Recruiter often don’t have enough time to read CVs from the beginning until the end, they tend to search for keywords, so highlighting technical and language skills in different columns could be a big help for them and yourself too.

8.????? Be realistic with the levels of your language skills!

Most recruiters can speak multiple languages, so they’ll probably check your language skills and sooner or later they‘ll find out what level you’re on in the given foreign language.

If you tend to under- or overestimate yourself, take a language assessment online / at a language school / with a private teacher to estimate your language levels correctly.

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9.? If you are applying for a role for which you don’t have the relevant experience, write 2 sentences at the top of your CV explaining why you are applying for the position!

Recruiters encounter a lot of misapplications during their work. They may not understand why you are applying for the role without having the relevant job experiences in your CV, so it’s better to explain it. If you have the relevant experiences for the given role, don’t worry about this part!

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10.? For career starters: Write every work experience in your CV!

Even if you helped in a family business or worked in a fast-food restaurant for a longer or shorter term.

Having work experiences as a student reflects well on you and it doesn’t matter if it’s relevant for the given role or not.

It shows to employers that you can balance your studies and work at the same time, you can work in a team, and are willing to take responsibility for the work that you do.

Besides, learning how to balance your studies and work will be advantageous for you and your future employer later, when learning work-life balance.

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11.? Don’t leave gaps in your CV!

A gap in your CV could cause more difficulties than honestly admitting the truth, whether it’s unemployment, childcare, career break or illness.

But of course, I'll leave it up to you whether you want to include it on your CV, but if you don't include it, there's still a chance you'll be asked sooner or later.

You might prefer working for a company which values its employees and admits that everyone can have a difficult or joyful, but unemployed period during their life. I hope that all companies believe this. Best companies value honesty more than judging people by their career breaks.

Having children or coping with an illness can teach us a lot which make us stronger which is a benefit in the labor market.

But of course, it’s still not compulsory to clarify the reason of a gap in your CV. However, I would strongly recommend avoiding lying.

12.? Use spell checking in all languages you write your CV in!

?Ask a friend to read your CV before sending it to avoid misspellings and grammatical errors you wouldn’t recognize by yourself.

?Accuracy is essential for most companies as it forms their first impressions of you based on your CV.

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I hope we’ve helped you find your way in the world of CV writing!

?I wish you a successful application!