We already know that we live in an interconnected world; we have at the reach of our hand resources of any type, from which the most important and powerful is information.

In the last decade, so many dogmatic manuals about human resources have been written, that have equaled the number of documents written in the last century. This is the Internet, its universality is not always a positive aspect of it, specially when you have to select what are you going to use to write your CV from all what you have read.

This is why we want to you share with you our philosophy when it comes to writing your CV. They say that experience is the most valuable asset we have, so based on it, we have made a guide to hit the spot and help you out with your CV.

There is no universal model

Since applying for a vacancy as a creative designer is not the same as doing it for a law assistant, it is your sector what is going to make the difference on which way you should write your CV. If your job is art, communication or advertising related, then creativity is going to be a plus, apart from what you will tell in those pages. On the contrary, if you belong to the engineering or law guilds, maybe it is better that you stick to the classics and present a organized and schematic CV.

Should I use a photo?

The great dilemma of our time. Should we share a picture together with our information? It depends. Depends on the labor market you are applying to, it is convenient that you include or not a photograph in your CV. In places such as the United Kingdom or the United States, recruiters have a bad inclination to receiving CVs with pictures, that is why it is better that you do not include one if you are going to apply to a position in those countries or in foreign companies. Nevertheless, in Spain we tend to love pictures, but only when they are suitable ones. Too dark-background pictures or angry face photographs will not be too adequate, but just a smile on a light background would get you points to get the position for a Spanish recruiter.

Contact Data

The best option is to place them on the top of your CV, independent from the rest of information, the basic data would be name and surname, phone number and email. From which the most important one would be your email. You will not be out of a selection process when your email is finofilipino@hotmail.com, but you will be certainly handicapped for the rest of process, that is why you should register a new specific email account in order to look for a job, as for instance : “name.surname@…”

 

Shall I tell lies? No, thanks

Lies have short legs, that is both typical as true. There is no point in lying in your CV, since the job interview would probably bring out those lies, when you are asked about your experience by the recruiter. If you are demanded to explain something that is indeed not true, the recruiter would probably notice it. And those lies could get you out of the selection process, while you could be the most qualified professional. Companies look for people in whom they can trust and start a good professional relationship, and a lie can bring all this down.

Structure

This could be a common global point between all the human resources recruiters: clarity is the most important thing when it comes to evaluate a CV. If it is confusing, the recruiter would feel also confused when choosing you for a position, so this can easily end up with you being rejected.

You can start with a brief heading, a couple of lines where you describe yourself as a professional and where you show why you are the perfect candidate for this position. Shortness and concision are as much as important as clarity, and the maximum length of a CV should not be more than two pages. If you have a broad experience, it is better to select those facts that are more relevant to the position, and explain them in depth, always using inverse chronological order. On the other hand, if you have just begun your adventure in the labor market, and do not have so much experience, you should describe in depth any task and responsibility that you have taken part in even if it was in the educational field.

Also, a good spacing can transform an information sheet into a good CV, and can be the best tool to be clear and use your opportunities.

Extra

Every CV has a section where you can include every course, non educational titles or any other relevant information for the position that is does not belong to your professional experience. In the last years, this section of your CV has started to gain important because of the possibility of building a frame for your personal branding in social networks. It is true that nowadays, taking care of your personal branding is an additional qualification in order to get new jobs, and that is why it is necessary that you include it in your CV. Attach a link for every social network you have and enlighten your digital presence.

To finish with this particular recipe to build up your perfect CV, the most important part is the orthography. Any orthographic mistake in your CV can bring down any seriousness you may have. So pay attention to the little details!

This advises finish here, now it is your turn to make it happen and get the job position you were dreaming for. Good luck!!