It can be daunting entering the job market at any stage of your life. That's why it's important to come prepared - with a winning smile and an epic CV or resumé.
This is where CV-building or resumé-building plays a pivotal role in your professional journey - by showing you how to create a CV which showcases your best credentials.
How to Create a CV - Building an EPIC CV or Resumé
Essentially, CV-building or resumé building is the art of rewriting and tweaking your educational and professional information (in other words, your school and work history) using a hardcopy or digital format.
Here's how to create a CV with our 5 best CV-Building tips below:
1. Choose a dynamic template.
When a recruiter selects your CV/resumé from the pile, you want it to stand out by using an eye-catching layout and dynamic colours.
Think carefully about which colours pair best with each other. Like our logo, white and black is a classic look, but there are plenty of colourful fish in the sea to choose from.
Here are some examples of dynamic CV/resumé templates created by Microsoft over the years:
Contact us on how to create a CV or resumé design that suits you best. After that, we can also help you with editing your documents using precision and flair.
2. Add important information about yourself.
Important information about yourself includes:
your contact information (phone number and email)
dates and years of your educational qualifications and work experience
descriptions of your many shining accomplishments
full names and contact information of any references (namely, your former/current colleagues or former/current managers and bosses)
You can add your physical address, but it's not always necessary. You don't need to include sensitive information about yourself in your CV/resumé, like your ID number, marital status, religion, or banking information, which could threaten your personal or financial security.
If you get a new job, you can rest assured that an HR representative will ask you for copies of your identification and financial documents in due time.
3. Keep it short.
While it's necessary to share important details about your life experiences in your CV/resumé, be mindful of potential recruiters reading through your document along with other CVs/resumés.
Try to strike a good balance between giving specific details without rambling. In our experience, the standard length of a resumé is 1-2 pages while a curriculum vitae (CV) is 3-5 pages.
We find that a minimum of 2 pages and a maximum of 4 pages is great for building an Epic CV.
4. Include a picture of yourself.
Some of you out there may be 'camera-shy', but recruiters like being able to put a name to a face when setting up potential job interviews. So why not introduce yourself properly with a visual?
Remember to include a picture of yourself using the following criteria:
wear business or appropriately professional attire (avoid crop tops and muscle shirts like the plague)
pose alone (your CV/resumé is all about you, so a group picture doesn't fit the context)
Make sure your picture is of good-quality and clear (a blurry image will make recruiters think you have a secret identity or are in the Witness Protection Programme).
Don't forget to also crop your picture neatly in a way that shows you from the neck up. A full-length picture might take up too much space on a page.
Here are some examples of bad CV pictures and good CV pictures:
When you're happy with your beautiful self, place your CV or resumé picture either in the top section or the document margins so it doesn't steal focus from your professional credentials.
5. Talk about your hobbies.
While recruiters want to know most about your education and previous work experience, they also want to get to know you on a personal level.
So, why not have some fun when talking about your hobbies in your CV/resumé? Use your imagination with pictures or interesting anecdotes about your passions.
Conclusion
Congratulations! You now know how to create a CV or resumé to make you stand out from the crowd. And if you're still stuck on the finer details, EpicEdit is here to help.
Having an impressive CV or resumé isn't just about flexing your marketable skills (which you should still do anyway). It's also about potential employers and professional collaborators getting to know you better.
We offer an EPIC CV-building service that's affordable where we help you:
update the information in your current CV or resumé
add or update your current picture (you also don't have to show your face at all)
update your current CV or resumé layout or help you design a new and EPIC template.
Contact us today and get an EPIC quote for your brand-new CV or resumé within minutes!
Final Thoughts
What did you think of our How to Create a CV (5 Best Tips) article? Are there any other epic CV/resumé-building tips that you know of to help other budding editors and business professionals alike?
Feel free to leave your feedback and insights in the comments below. Chat with us via email or WhatsApp (+27 62 572 5954) if you want to know more about EpicEdit or learn how to create a CV or resumé that's EPIC to the max. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook also for more EPIC CV-building insights!
We'd love to hear from you, and we'd love to help.
Have an EPIC CV/resumé edit!
**This blog entry was first posted on 31 November 2021**
Comments