Aprils Article

YOUR FUTURE IN THE

HAND OF A CURRICULUM
On average, an employer needs just 30 seconds to read each CV. So, in that time you must be
able to show him who you are and the value you can add to the company.
The resume allows the company to create a profile and decide if you are worth an interview
with them or not. However, a resume is not an autobiography. It needs to be written in a
certain style and comply with some rules. Thus, with this first article we intend to give you
some tips to ensure the success of your CV.
The CV must be simple, brief and clear in objective. Thus, never write more than 2 pages. If
you have a lot of experience, you should include just the last 3 ones or the most important of
them. Remember that the employer doesnt have much time to spend in each resume.
Try to adapt your CV to the company and function to which you are applying. Highlighting the
qualities and characteristics that are sought will call the attention of recruiters.
The CV must be easy to read, with separation between each section and with short
sentences and paragraphs.
It must be written on a white A4 page, without too many colors and different font types,
otherwise it wont look professional.
Be careful with errors! If you make some orthographic and grammar errors, it will give a bad
image of you. And pay attention to other details: Acronyms should appear, for the first time,
with their full meaning; Never use abbreviations; etc.
Never lie in your resume! You can, and probably will, be caught out during the interview.
When possible, you must have all your documents to prove that you are telling the truth.
Before sending your CV ask someone to read and confirm that the content is easily
understandable and, more important, make sure that the CV is updated.

 If you are available to work abroad, make sure that you write that in your CV. Nowadays this
is a highly valued feature by companies.
Now, after these details, we present the guideline that you should follow and the kind of
information you should include in your CV.
Personal and Contact information: In this section you should write your basic information like
your name and surname, address, contacts (phone, e-mail, ), nationality, date of birth,
gender, and your driving license. Note that the last two items are discretionary and remember
that the contacts should be relevant and updated. If you want to include your photo, it must
be professional.
Professional Experience: Here you should write the skills you acquired in each "function,
starting with the most recent ones, your work experience and the internships you made. In this
section you should write in this order: the period that you were there, the companys name
and the job function and description if its an unusual function.
Education: Here you should also start with the most recent educational qualification. Note
that its unnecessary to write all qualifications that you have, such as the most elementary
ones, for example. If your professional experience is limited, invert the order and describe first
your education and then your professional experience. For each qualification, you can organize
the information like this: dates, type of qualification, principal skills covered, name of the
Institution, without forget to include here your grade (the omission of the grade may reflect a
bad performance).
Professional courses: In your CV you should also include the professional courses you have
taken in schools or companies. You should write this section starting with the date or duration
of the course, the name of the course and the Institution where you took the qualification.
Non- professional activities: It is important to mention what you did in your free time. This
part shows your commitment, responsibility and leadership skills. You can note down sports
you take or used to took part in; social and voluntary work; organizations where you have
been (such as the scouts, for example), etc.
Other knowledge: You should also include in your CV any relevant knowledge you possess, like
languages, informatics skills, musical instruments, etc.
References: If you did well in a company in the past, here you can write the name and contact
details of someone that can talk about your performance; like, for example, an old boss. You
can also include the contact details of a college professor.
The Curriculum Vitae is a way to promote yourself. Most often, getting the job will depend on
how effectively you can project your potential or, in other words, sell yourself to the
company. So be careful when youre making your CV, because it can change your future.

FEP Finance Club,

April 2012