Guide to writing your CV Cheat Sheet

Writing a resume is a complicated and often frustrating process. Every detail counts, and there is plenty of conflicting information about what employers actually want to see, such as an objective statement, your college GPA, your technical and soft skills, or your hobbies.

While you probably won’t get turned down for mentioning a love for knitting, it’s true that what’s on your resume can make or break your application. To help you out, this infographic has everything you need to know about producing an awesome resume.

Credit: Anita Rahman

Need more advice? Here’s a breakdown of some important things you should (and shouldn’t) include on your resume, along with a few other dos and don’ts.

Professional skills you should list

Communication: writes clearly and concisely, speaks effectively, listens attentively, expresses ideas openly, negotiates / resolves disputes, leads group discussions, provides feedback, persuades others, offers thoughtful solutions, collects appropriate information , expresses himself in public with confidence

Personal skills: works well with others, sensitive, supportive, motivates others, shares credit, advises, cooperates, delegates effectively, represents others, understands feelings, has self-confidence, accepts responsibility

Research and planning: foresees / predicts, creates ideas, identifies problems, achieves goals, identifies resources, collects information, solves problems, defines needs, analyzes problems, develops strategies, assesses situations

Organisational skills: manages details, coordinates tasks, is punctual, manages projects efficiently, meets deadlines, sets goals, controls budget, plans and organizes activities

Management skills: leads groups, teaches / coaches / educates, advises / coaches, manages conflict, delegates responsibility, makes decisions, leads others, implements decisions, enforces policies, takes charge

A survey by OfficeTeam, a Robert Half company, indicates that if you are considering using any of the following terms, you need to be sure they say something valuable about your skills or experience.

Highly qualified: Job seekers should describe what they bring to the job. Highlight your accomplishments in previous positions, emphasize specific skills, and write down any certifications you have achieved.

Boss: Give details of how you went the extra mile. Did you regularly meet tight deadlines, manage a high volume of projects, or tackle tasks outside of your job description?

Team player: Working well with others is a must for any role today. You should provide examples of how you have teamed up with colleagues or people from other departments to achieve a goal.

A problem solver: People like others who can help them get out of a pickle, but be specific when describing this quality. Highlight a difficult situation you encountered and how you handled it.

Soft: Recruiters are looking for candidates capable of quickly adapting to new situations. You should describe how you reacted to a major change at work or handled the unpredictable aspects of the job.

Human person: Employers want professionals with a strong https://www.businessnewsdaily.com who can build camaraderie with internal and external contacts. Give an example of when you seduced a difficult client or colleague.

Self-taught: Companies are looking for individuals with initiatives who can immediately contribute. Explain how you took action when you saw an issue that needed to be resolved.

Resume action words to include

Using strong words to describe your tasks helps a hiring manager quickly see what the purpose of your tasks was and what impact you have had on your business. You need to choose your words carefully and avoid overdoing your tasks or trying too hard to be creative, as this can put off the recruiter.

• Affecting
• Invented
• Guided
• Order
• Qualified

See the full list of CV action words.

Words to leave out your CV

A good rule of thumb is to avoid anything that doesn’t help, like clichés, buzzwords, or filler phrases. You should also avoid putting aside skills that have become expected standards in the workplace, such as proficiency in Microsoft Word.

Anne Grinols, associate dean for faculty development and college initiatives at Baylor University, also said applicants should avoid listing skills that could backfire or give employers a bad impression. Grinols has conducted extensive research into why multitasking in particular is a bad skill to list on a resume.

“Employers are more interested in the results than the effort,” Grinols said in a statement. “Multitasking refers to the latter.”

Buzzwords and filler phrases like “highly skilled,” “team player,” and “problem solver” don’t say anything valuable about you (unless, as stated above, you back them up with specific examples) and take up valuable space on your CV.

“A resume full of clichés but sketchy will not be memorable for hiring managers,” said Robert Hosking, senior vice president and general manager of research practices at Lee Hecht Harrison Knightsbridge. “Employers want concrete examples of professional accomplishments as well as descriptions of any transferable skills that can be applied to the vacant position.”

A good way to make yourself memorable to the interviewer is to supplement your skills with descriptions that exemplify those qualities. For example, if you want to put “strong leadership qualities” on your resume, you can write it as “strong leadership qualities – leading a team of over 50 people on a corporate rebranding project. one year by delegating tasks, monitoring progress and guiding team members through discussion. “It strengthens your skills by demonstrating why you think you have this skill and how you have used it.

See the full list of CV words to avoid.

Best Resume Fonts

Your resume only has seven seconds to make a good impression on the recruiter, so the police, as insignificant as it may seem, actually play a big role in determining your candidacy. Recruiters spend most of their day going through resumes, and using the wrong or the wrong font can reject them and send your resume to the bottom of the pile.

Make sure you use a font with adequate white space both on screen and in print, and avoid trying to stand out with something kitsch like Comic Sans or Papyrus.

Here are some of the most recommended resume fonts:

• Arial
• Calibri
• Century style
• Garamond

See the full story on Resume Fonts.

Useful tips for your CV

There are plenty of ways to help your resume stand out without annoying a hiring manager. The key is to stay focused on your experience and accomplishments, not to go overboard in trying to be different, and to devote half of your effort to making sure your resume is absolutely free of grammar, formatting and mistakes. spelling. Nothing can derail your application faster than a difficult to read and poorly formatted CV. Also keep these tips in mind:

• Write a “career snapshot” summary.
• Watch your keywords.
• Go beyond your professional tasks.

See more useful resume tips.

Make mistakes to avoid

Best practices and resume standards change quickly, so it’s a good idea to do your research before updating your resume. For example, the goals section is now considered redundant and out of date, so you shouldn’t include one. Make sure your resume is free of spelling and grammar mistakes, and matches your cover letter in terms of formatting. It can be helpful to send your resume to friends or family to get a fresh take on it. Here are some basic errors to watch out for:

• Including a goal
• List of obvious duties
• Provide outdated contact information
• Use bad formatting

See the full story on CV errors.

Additional reporting by Sammi Caramela.