Writing the perfect CV: tips to follow

Creating the perfect cv is of paramount importance in today’s work environment. If in life it is the first impression that counts, this is also true at work. Recruiters receive an abundance of resumes every day: the perfect CV is one that stands out, that catches the eye. And which prompts the employer, or the recruiter, to contact the candidate to schedule an interview.

How to write a good resume, then? Here is a brief guide.

Perfect CV, the information not to forget

The first step in writing your CV correctly, so that it will be attractive in the eyes of recruiters, is to draft it in the correct way. The best resumes are in fact those that are filled out in every part: biographical information, hard skills and soft skills.

Master information

On a par with a real identity card, a resume is a document that should contain the main biographical information of the candidate applying for a certain job. This means, first and foremost, first and last name, written clearly, legibly, and without errors. Then continue with address and nationality, phone number and e-mail, taking care that just the latter is serious and professional, with no funny or misleading nicknames. Finally, by choice, the willingness to also include age and any links to social profiles.

Since the CV is central to a first impression in the eyes of potential employers, the advice is to always include a photograph, as long as it is professional in nature and free of references to private life.

Hard skills

Le
Hard Skills
found on a CV are all the technical information, related to professional experience, education, projects, publications and training courses, that show what the candidate is really capable of doing in the workplace. It is critical not to dwell on too much, but to write what technically may be useful to recruiters in the field for which you are applying. If one’s idea is to apply in the field of finance or insurance, for example, it is best to leave out summer jobs that have nothing to do with those fields.

How to write personal skills and competencies in a resume? The correct order is as follows:

• previous work experience ;
• educational background (especially if you are applying for the first time or if in your field the studies you have done count a lot);
• Language and computer skills, with any certifications earned internationally;
• training courses;
• publications and projects in which you took part (especially for journalists, researchers or scientists).

Soft skills

Hobbies and interests, along with character skills, go to make up the so-called “
soft skills
“.

Increasingly, soft skills are making a difference in selection. In fact, they allow the recruiter to obtain additional evaluation parameters focused on a candidate’s character. In this way the recruiter can understand whether the person identified is suitable-from a character standpoint-for the work context in which he or she should be placed.

Perfect CV: format and revision

Writing the perfect Curriculum Vitae also involves taking care of its format. Unless you are putting yourself forward for creative work, it is best not to use overly eccentric colors and graphics, but instead to aim for sobriety for quick and easy reading of information. To this end, it can be helpful to highlight keywords using boldface type.

It is also important not to exceed two pages, to avoid a verbose CV that would be discarded before it is even read, and to save the file in the format: First Name + Last Name + CV.

Finally, before hitting the send key, it is a good idea to reread the document even several times, with a fresh mind, to ward off grammatical and spelling errors that would make a bad impression.

Are you looking for courses to improve your skills so you can put them on your CV? Phyd offers its members hundreds of courses, taught by the best providers and able to offer top-level training in a wide variety of fields.