How to Write a CV

The situation on the labour market is better than ever, finding a good job is still not easy. The competition on the market is huge. Therefore, in order to be successful, we must be prepared well, not only for an interview. In this post you will learn how to write a CV.

What is CV

The point is to interest the employer with your candidacy so that you can be noticed from among hundreds of other candidates. It is of key importance to write an appropriate CV, which is our showcase at the first stage of recruitment. Therefore, it is important to know how to write this extremely crucial document. The advice contained in the guide below will certainly allow you to do so.

So we invite you to read our advice. We are convinced that thanks to them, creating an ideal, transparent and concise document will not be a problem. These are very practical tips that are easy to apply.

How to write a CV

Let’s start from the very beginning, i.e. from the definition of a CV. What is this document? CV is an abbreviation of the Latin Curriculum Vitae, which means exactly the course of life, – it is a document in which we present our professional CV. Its form slightly differs from the biographical form, the information is exchanged in separate thematic blocks, distinguished by headings or subheadings.

However, many people forget about what makes their job applications illegible and therefore unnoticed by employers and recruiters. Therefore, it is worth knowing what a good CV should contain and what form this document should have. This will allow you to avoid many mistakes, as a result of which your chances of getting a job decrease.
The more that, contrary to appearances, creating an ideal, concise and concise CV does not have to be difficult.

Your CV is your calling card

You must realize that nowadays even several hundred people can apply for one position. Numerous applications mean that the person recruiting for a job can only spend a few minutes on each of them. As a result, the first selection of candidates is largely based on a cursory look at what they have to offer.

A properly written CV increases our chances of moving to the next stage of recruitment. Therefore, it is worth taking care not only to include all important information in it, but also to present it in a legible and interesting way. Thanks to this, our chances of getting a job will increase significantly

What information must be included in the CV

When starting to write a CV, it is good to know what information is absolutely necessary in this type of document. It may seem obvious, but it cannot be denied that many people still make mistakes. As a result, their documents are illegible and the chances of finding a job are significantly reduced.

So, a good CV should contain personal data such as name, address and date of birth. Then it is worth writing about your education – here it is worth considering not only completed schools or universities, but also courses or training. The next point is professional experience, and our interests or soft skills. Thanks to this, we will give the employer a full overview of our candidacy.

It sounds simple, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, we often fail to avoid making mistakes. So let’s realize what are the most common of them. Our CV can only benefit from it.

How to write a CV

So, you already know what information should be included in this document. For many people, this knowledge seems to be sufficient, as a result of which their CVs are full of unnecessary facts, that distort the message sent to the employer. Therefore, in a few most important points, we will now present simple rules by which the answer to the question “How to write a CV” will become clear and understandable

Information selection

When writing a CV, we should first start by thinking. Let’s think about the position you are applying for. More specifically, what skills or competences are in demand in this position. If you have them, then let’s focus on them in presenting the course of our career. Moreover, you can completely let go of those issues that have little to do with the work.

This is a much better solution than listing each, even the shortest, episode in your career / Why? It’s easy. Remember – the employer only has a moment to cursory read our CV. If there is information confirming that you have the experience and knowledge needed for the position for which you apply. This will significantly increase your chances of getting a job.

But this information must be clearly visible! If they are mixed with a dozen or several dozen others, completely unrelated to the industry in which we are looking for employment, they may go unnoticed and omitted. As a result, your chances, even if you have the appropriate competences, can go down significantly. Anyone who has been looking for a job knows that it is not worth the risk

Therefore, before writing a document, let’s make a draft of information that we will include in the document. There really is no need to write about selling burgers if you are looking for a job, e.g. as an accountant. Let’s focus on what can help you. Thanks to this, at first glance, you will present what is the strongest in your candidacy, and the CV itself will have a simple and transparent form that can positively affect its reception.

This is confirmed not only by the experience of employees, but also by the opinions of recruiters who prefer everything that is interesting to be brought to the table. So let’s work on it.

Step by step how to write a CV

When providing your contact and personal details, it is worth making sure that they are up-to-date and are at the top of the document. This is what the recruiter will use when he wants to contact us. Therefore, your names, surname, parents’ names, current address, telephone number and email address should be there. Information gathered in one place will allow to find them quickly.

The next step should be to describe your education. Bear in mind, that in documents such as CV we provide information about schools and courses from the most recent, recently completed. The same applies to professional experience, which you should describe in the same way. Why is it so important? Because by using this method, our last, and therefore often the most important, experiences will be read first. This saves the employer a lot of time. At the same time, you should remember to select information and place primarily those that are important in the position you want to get.

In the next step describe your language skills and other additional competences. In this point, you should also include everything that did not fit into the “education” or “experience” section. So you can raise the details of knowledge of foreign languages, possession of a driving licence and other competences. It is also worth mentioning your advantages, which may be useful in a given position. However, you should remember to do it in a concise and transparent manner. A CV is not a document in which you can afford floral tasks that are repeatedly complex.

Hobbies, interests – to write or not to write

Many people wondering how to write a CV, at the very end of it post information about their interests. Is this a good step? It all depends. On the one hand, introducing ourselves, even if rudimentary on a less formal side, may make us more interesting people for the employer. On the other hand, there is a risk that the employer shares our interests and will want to talk to us about them. Therefore, if you want to avoid an uncomfortable situation, in the “interests” section, you should only enter true information about your passions. Otherwise, if you want to impress, you might actually be ridiculous.

Remember that these are not very important details affecting your chances on the labour market. They can be an interesting addition to show that you are a versatile person, but they should not obscure this. What is the most important in your candidacy. This is why many people choose not to include information about their interests in their CVs. This is also a good solution. It cannot be denied that information of this type is not something necessary when looking for a job.

Take care of the visual setting

We all know perfectly well that content is the most important thing in a CV. However, in order for it to be noticed, it is worth ensuring that our document has an appropriate appearance that will be attractive and pleasant to read. Thanks to this, your CV will be able to stand out from among hundreds of others. And it depends on how you know whether we will be able to move on to the next stage of recruitment.

So what should our CV look like to arouse positive reactions? There are several simple ways. Try to present them clearly so that creating a legible and effective document does not pose any difficulties.

Firstly, your CV should be legible. Therefore, you should choose letters with a simple cut and dark colours visible on a white background. As a result, reading such a document will not be bothersome and all the information it contains will be clearly visible. Appropriate capitalization and document formatting also matters. Make sure that the entire page is filled with content, and at the same time let’s not exceed the golden rule, which says that a good CV is one that does not take up more than 2 A4 pages. This is an important rule how to write a CV, to keep in mind.

At the same time, do not forget that you want to “stand out from the crowd”. Therefore, it is worth making sure that special elements appear on the document that will distinguish us. Colourful underlining of some elements, a delicate ornament on the side of the card or an interesting background will make your CV not just another black and white card that will be quickly forgotten. So give it a few individual features that will make the document memorable. It doesn’t have to be difficult. Nowadays, text editing programs provide us with a lot of possibilities to create such decorations, so it is worth taking advantage of this opportunity.

However, remember that exaggeration is never good and a CV is primarily a document. Therefore, avoid strange shapes of letters, excess of colours or dominating the game at all costs.

The above solutions may mean that our CV will not be treated professionally. And you want to avoid that.

In conclusion, moderation is the most important thing. We can try to liven up our CV a bit, remembering, however, that professionalism requires moderation in the use of decorations and accessories.

What about the photo picture, should be attached or not

An increasingly popular solution that is used by jobseekers is to include your photo in your CV. Is it a good idea that is worth using, or is it an unnecessary addition that will distract the recruiter from what is most important, i.e. the content of the document?

A CV enriched with a photo is a good idea. It cannot be denied that we all like to be aware of who we are dealing with. Recruiters or employers are no exception. If there is a photo of the person on the document, we automatically associate the information with the face, which allows us to recognize that this person is “known” to us. Thanks to this, at a later stage of recruitment, in the mind of the employer, you are not only dry information, but a living, concrete person whose face will remember.

However, in order for the photo in the CV to have a positive effect, it should be properly selected. After all, you have to be professional. Therefore, all photos from the private archive absolutely fall off, even if they do not present you in a controversial or too casual version. So you should avoid holiday photos, home or non-professional. The only type of photo that works is a traditional ID photo taken by a photographer. The choice of such a photo will have a positive impact on our image. It cannot be denied that these types of photos look professional and fit perfectly with a job application.

Look for inspiration on how to write a CV

We all know very well that knowledge passed on in theory does not always translate into practice. Therefore, despite all the information contained here, it is worth seeing for yourself how to write a CV, and what a good Curriculum Vitae looks like. A sample CV is a simple way to see for yourself what this document should look like if it is to help you succeed.

Therefore, it is worth looking for this type of CV. Examples are one of the most effective types of learning. This also applies to the creation of a CV. On the Internet we can find many examples of CVs that can become not only a guide, but also a source of inspiration on how to properly use the acquired knowledge. So let’s look at the examples that are available to us, analyse them and transfer them to your own soil. Thanks to this, creating your own, consistent document will be much easier and the end result will certainly meet our expectations and convince the employer

How to write a CV, find a pattern

Another great solution, especially in a situation where you really don’t know how to write a CV that would be effective, transparent and consistent is the CV template. There are many designs available on the Internet for jobseekers in various industries. Using them will allow you to pay attention to what is most important in a given position.

It will also significantly shorten the time of creating a document. So it’s no wonder that more and more people are using CV templates. For this reason, it is also worth remembering that a CV template should only be an inspiration and help for us, not a ready solution.

A few words of summary on how to write a CV

As you can see, writing a resume that is seemingly simple is not an easy task. It requires an appropriate approach, selection of information, focusing on what is important and ensuring the appropriate appearance of the document. Fortunately, with a little effort, you can achieve a satisfying effect. Many satisfied people have already found out about this and have taken the time to create the perfect CV and are therefore successful.

In conclusion, it is worth focusing on what is most important and taking care of all the details. Do not forget that the CV is our showcase and at the same time the only way to tell the employer what you have to offer. So make sure that the message is clear, coherent and interesting. With our advice how to write a CV, the creation of such a document should not be difficult. Therefore, we believe that creating an ideal curriculum vitae is possible and within everyone’s reach.

You can read the article in Polish at: Jak napisać CV