You probably just graduated from high school or college, and you want to apply for a job. Whether to earn money and gain experience, you must first introduce yourself to potential employers through your curriculum vitae. Also called a CV or resume, curriculum vitae serves as an overview of your capabilities and possible contributions. By looking at your profile, hiring officers can already decide whether to call you for an interview or not. Therefore, it is a crucial document that you must work on, especially as a fresher.
You might be a fresh graduate, but that does not exempt you from not knowing the job application conventions. As you work on your CV, you must ensure that it looks professional, just like other people’s works. If you do not know how to do so, you can look for professional CV writers online. Their skills and experiences can help you make a resume that you are confident to submit. But if you have no means to pay them, you can learn how to do it independently. Below are some tips on making a professional CV that you can apply while drafting.
Choose The Right Format
Selecting the most appropriate format is necessary before you begin drafting. This way, you do not have to repeat the process from the start. There are various resume types: chronological, functional, combination, infographic, targeted, nontraditional, mini-resume, and resume with a profile.
These types vary in terms of format and objective. For example, infographic and nontraditional resumes are highly encouraged if you apply for a job related to technology and arts. Graphs, photos, and graphics are included in these types to help employers evaluate your skills. On the other hand, the remaining types are appropriate if you need a professional CV. Their objective is to present your work experiences, skills, and goals as a professional.
Experienced candidates usually use the chronological format because it highlights their work history and acquired skills. However, because you are still a fresher, you might not have as many experiences as other applicants. Therefore, it would be best to use the functional format because it emphasizes more on your skills than work history. This way, you become a viable employee even among the experienced ones.
State Your Contact Information
After determining the appropriate format for your resume, you can now focus on its content. The first thing you must put is your contact information. This includes your name, home address, phone number(s), and email address. If you have a LinkedIn account or profile, you can include that, too. However, you must ensure that all information you put is correct, complete, and updated.
For the name, you can make the font bigger than other details. This way, it will be easier for your paper to be seen. Afterward, you can include your complete address for them to know how close your house is to the workplace. Some are discouraged from including the home address because they seem irrelevant for work-from-home jobs. However, other employers find that information helpful. Lastly, you must ensure that your contact information is available and functional. This way, you can be notified once the manager reaches out for an interview.
Add Your Personal Statement
Another essential part of making a CV is constructing your personal statement. Others refer to it as a personal profile, career objective, or professional profile. It is a short paragraph usually placed below your name, address, and contact details. As a new professional, you do not have a lot of work experience yet. However, you can use this as an avenue to express your passion for work and professional growth. You can also share your personal goals and possible contributions to the company.
Knowing how crucial it is, you must keep it at an appropriate length. To sustain the employers’ interest, you must keep your personal statement straightforward and captivating. It must be composed only of four to six sentences, with 50 to 200 words. This way, you can showcase your goals and intentions without boring your readers. Moreover, you must ensure that you do not commit any grammatical or spelling errors to avoid negative feedback. If you need help with your CV, you can look for professional resume writers online to write your personal profile.
Highlight Miscellaneous Skills
Because you have already introduced yourself in your personal statement, the next step is to specify your skills. This includes the hard skills and soft skills you have that are relevant to the job you want. For example, technical knowledge and training are considered hard skills you have learned through past experiences or education. Meanwhile, leadership, critical thinking, or creativity are considered soft skills. These are habits, traits, or characteristics you have as a professional and individual.
Knowing your skills beforehand is commendable because it shows how much you know yourself. Once you have determined your hard and soft skills, you can list them on your resume. You can use bullets or put them in two columns for the HR managers to read them better. But most importantly, it would be best to read the details in the job listing you saw. Then, incorporate your skills that are relevant to the job.
Add Educational Information
Your educational background is vital in a CV for freshers because you still have limited work experience. Below your miscellaneous skills, you can put your academic information and formal qualifications. You can also add certifications or licenses you have earned, which might be beneficial for the job. In this section, you must put your dates or years of attendance to inform possible employers.
Moreover, you can indicate awards or scholarships you have received as a student. Whether they were given because you were a top student or won a competition, you must include them. These will let them know about the kind of academic life you have led and the experiences you have gained.
Present Related Work Experience(s)
Despite your lack of professional experience, you can still write something under this section. If you had on-the-job training before graduating, you could include details about that. You can indicate the name of the company and the kind of work given to you. Moreover, you can mention some projects you did on your own or with others. These can be a research paper presentation, a small art exhibit, or a music collaboration. If you had previous part-time jobs, you could share that as well. However, it would be best if they are relevant to the job you are applying for.
In conclusion, you can craft a perfect CV, even as a fresher. To achieve this, you can apply the tips shared in this article. These tips include choosing a suitable format, stating your contact information, and making a personal statement. Furthermore, you must highlight your hard and soft skills, add your educational background, and present related work experiences. Finally, if you need assistance, you can always reach out to experienced professionals in this endeavor.