Tips: How to Make a Professional Resume

Preparing a proper CV used to be a simple process in the past. People used to write down their academic background and their working experience and employers would call the best fit for the job. Nowadays, everything has moved to the online world and applications are a lot more than in the past. An entire industry is growing to help people overcome the initial difficulty of being accepted to a job. Resume writers are highly paid and they have their ads all over the web, from Craigslist, and Fiverr to official recruiting sites. Their payment varies depending on their level of expertise and if you decide to choose this road and pick someone to handle this headache for you, we would advise you to pick someone with top reviews no matter their price, considering that you can use your CV for many applications. Still, we would advise you to do it yourself, because you are the only one who can truly support yourself and if you use some simple piece of advice it will not be that big a deal.

1. The format
   If you want your CV to seem updated you should pay some attention to the format. The new CV templates that are offered on the web from various sites suggest you have 2 columns, the main column and an additional with the secondary information instead of the old-fashioned style that used to just move from line to line.

   

   The second important thing that is also relatively new and we believe you should follow is to add a couple of sentences to the top of the cv that introduces yourself and helps the recruiters have a quick overview of your cv. As a matter of fact, this is something that can be slightly changed if you are applying to more than one job, depending on the exact job description. We also advise you to select an international format, because you don’t know to whom you may need to send your CV. About the details of the format, you can see them all in example CVs on the internet, so you do not have to worry that much for the time being.

2. The substance
   As an initial parameter of a successful CV, we would say that it is important for the candidates to realize the job description of the proposed job. The companies basically state what they are looking for when they ask for people to apply. The words they use are important. There are sites that can help you pick the right words that fit the job described.

   

   You simply upload your resume and the position you are applying to and they use an algorithm to make suggestions, so you can have the best accuracy possible. You can use a free version and see if it works for you. Even though hiring teams are cleverer than ever they can still be tricked as long as you tailor the CV to the role. Keep all the information updated and especially your references’ contacting info. If you have a long CV don’t bother to mention positions that are more than 15 years old and do not add something that is of any interest to the HR department. However, don’t let any gaps in your career be visible to the readers. A good CV can help the wrong candidate take the job and vice versa and we would hate to see you fail.

3. The overall view
   With professional recruiters and a whole HR team examining every application for a position, you realize that the quality of work you need to reflect on a CV has changed dramatically. It is harder not only for candidates to prepare a resume but also for the recruiters to go through all that volume of applicants to track down the one they are looking for.

   

   The overall view is what the reader catches at a first glimpse, including details that if they exist and you are unlucky someone may discover indeed. You don’t want your CV to be more than two pages, you don’t want to have any spelling or grammar mistakes, or any discrepancies in terms of dates and your previous working experience. In other words, get the basics right and cut to the chase. Clarify what is important and don’t babble if you don’t have a lot to add to your CV, because at some point you will get a call for an interview and you will not want to be exposed