It is not uncommon for a resume to be our first contact with a potential employer, and it is therefore important to try to make the right impression and catch the attention of the reader. It is an important document, because when we get someone interested in it for the next stage of the recruitment process, we may be given the opportunity to present ourselves personally during the interview, which will thus increase our chances of being hired.
What is a CV?
A CV is an abbreviation for the Latin phrase “curriculum vitae,” which means “course of life.” It is a document that contains detailed information about our past work, education, achievements, or interests.
A well-written curriculum vitae has a conventional structure. In short, the idea is that a person who reads a job applicant’s resume should find the most important information about the job seeker. Both education, work experience, and skills need to be highlighted in the application document.
The structure of a professional CV
1. Header, which is the wording of the CV or Curriculum vitae.
2. Personal information, here we enter our name, phone number, and email address (the name of the address should be professional so that we inspire confidence). Those who are willing may enter their date of birth, but it is not required. Likewise, our photo. It may or may not be there. If we decide to add a photo, it should be professional, and not, for example, from a holiday album.
3. Education, that is, completed schools. The rule of thumb is that you should enter them from the earliest to the last one you completed.
4. Work experience, in this section you should write the exact date when you started and ended work, the name of the company and the position where you worked. Next to the position, it is worth describing in a few words the scope of responsibilities.
If the candidate has not worked before, you can enter internships or apprenticeships, if any.
5. Additional activities, this point is not mandatory. However, those who have participated in competitions, belonged to student organizations, or worked as volunteers can boldly boast of their achievements. They will certainly make a good impression on the readers and can score highly
6. Additional skills, in this section we can boast of knowledge of foreign languages (it is necessary to enter the level), driver’s license (enter the category), and computer skills (enter what programs we know). Remember that it is always necessary to write the truth, because during the recruitment interview, there are high chances that our skills will be verified.
7. Interest. In the CV it is worth mentioning our interests. They significantly impact how a potential employer will look at us. And as in the previous points here, we also write the truth, because our interests may be the subject of an interview.
8. A clause in the resume about the processing of personal data is a requirement during recruitment processes. Adding it allows you to process personal data (provided in your resume). This allows recruiters to legally use our personal data submitted in the recruitment process. If a job candidate submits a resume but without the required clause, he or she will not receive any feedback on the recruitment.
After the changes introduced by the European Parliament, the clause included in the resume from 2018 reads as follows:
“I consent to the processing of my personal data for the purposes necessary for the recruitment process (in accordance with the Act of May 10, 2018 on the Protection of Personal Data (Journal of Laws of 2018, item 1000) and in accordance with the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council (EU) 2016/679 of April 27, 2016 on the protection of natural persons and in relation to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data and repealing Directive 95/45/EC (RODO).”
Finally, it is worth answering a frequently asked question: does the resume get signed?
It is customary to accept that there is no need to sign the document. The exception may be when the employer includes in the job offer a requirement to sign the resume in his own hand, or when applying for a position in public administration.
When writing an application document, remember to pay attention to the errors of the font and its size. The resume should be eye-catching, and it should not tire the person who reads it. If we get it right and are invited to an interview we can elaborate on everything we have written about. And this will be a big step forward in getting your dream job.