Preparing your Curriculum Vitae
Preparing your Curriculum Vitae
If you’re actively looking for a job, at Melt Group we want to help you develop your professional career. To find the job of your dreams you have to start at the beginning, that is, with your CV. Here are some top tips on how to produce the perfect CV.
Our experience as Human Resources consultants means we can give you good quality information so you can find the best professional opportunities based on your skills and training.
What is a Curriculum Vitae?
We could translate the expression Curriculum Vitae (or CV as it’s generally referred to) as ‘course of life’. It’s a document that sets out an account of all your professional training, as well as the work experience you have had throughout your life.
Your document should definitely include personal data and information about your skills. The main function of the Curriculum Vitae is to make it easier for the people in Human Resources departments to do their jobs. For this reason, a good CV must be concise, to the point and easy to read.
Your goal is to be asked to attend a personal interview based on the information you supply. You should approach the CV as your letter of introduction to apply for a job. As a candidate, this document is one of the most important, as it contains a concise account of the information necessary for HR managers to want to meet you. Recruiters have a very sharp critical eye and want to find what they’re looking for at a glance.
The keys to a good CV
- The CV you’re going to present for a specific job must be focused on that position. You can have a basic document on which you make changes, depending on your needs.
- It’s important to present properly updated documents.
- Avoid negative connotations in your CV.
- Honesty is a value that’s rewarded and taken into account by Human Resources experts. Always tell the truth!
- You don’t to explain all your school education if you have higher education degrees.
- Eliminate any unnecessary information from the CV. If you’re applying for your first job, list all the courses, seminars or additional training you have undertaken.
- Professional experience must include start and end dates, as well as the name of the company.
- Include your skills and any additional information, as this can really help you stand out.
Errors to avoid in your Curriculum Vitae
- Unprofessional email addresses. It’s best to set up an email account with your first and last name.
- Writing errors and spelling mistakes don’t look good to an employer.
- Submit a standard CV for any position. It’s important to customise your CV so you have more recruitment options. Demonstrate your talent for the job you want to get.
- A very long CV is not necessarily a better one. The Human Resources manager needs to see your experience and training quickly. Generally speaking, the ideal length is a maximum of 2 pages.
- Use plain language that isn’t too pompous.
- Avoid unnecessary details that don’t add value to your professional information.
- Creativity is great, but be elegant. Using too many colours or typefaces doesn’t benefit you at all.
- Being too modest is a serious mistake. If you have important achievements, you should include them in the document. It could be what sets you apart from the rest.
- If you don’t focus on your objectives and write the CV taking them into account, it’s likely that you won’t get to say everything you want.
How should you write a CV?
Bear in the mind the advice we’ve already given you and avoid the mistakes we’ve mentioned. Now is the time to pay close attention to how you’re going to present the CV. This document must capture the reader’s attention and be perfectly structured. The goal is that Human Resources experts can see at a glance what they’re looking for. Clarity and conciseness are the keywords when it comes to knowing how to write a CV.
1. How the CV is presented
- One page (or maybe two) is more than enough.
- Remember to check the wording to avoid misspellings or mistakes in the style.
- If you include a photograph, it must be current and passport size. If it isn’t required for the job, you don’t have to provide a photo with your CV.
- Use good quality paper for printing your CV.
- If you are going to send the CV by email, use a common format, such as PDF.
- Justify the text, keeping the margins. This makes reading easier.
- Use a professional typeface of a suitable size.
2. The structure of the CV
Although there are many types of CV, the structure is usually common to all of them. You can make changes, but always try to ensure that the sections are well differentiated:
- Title: usually your name and surname.
- Personal details and professional memberships.
- Academic education and training: if you have university studies, it will be enough to include this information, it’s understood that you went through school and high school.
- Additional training: training courses, workshops, seminars, etc. that complement your academic education.
- Professional experience: depending on the position you’re applying for as a candidate, include any relevant experience. You must show dates and the company name.
- Languages: it’s important that you mention which languages you speak and your level in each one. Honesty on this point is very important.
- Computer skills: explain in detail what your computer skills are.
- Additional information: in this section you should add information that may make your application more attractive. For example, if you have your own vehicle, say whether you can travel, plus important skills that you should highlight.
At Melt Group we recommend you use Curriculum Vitae templates to make it easier to structure the document. On the Internet you’ll find an infinite number of options for designing a good quality and professional looking CV.
3. Types of CV
Before downloading CV templates, decide which type suits the characteristics of the position you’re applying for:
- Chronological CV: this is a fairly common type of CV. Your work experience is listed in chronological order, putting the last job you held first.
- Reverse chronological curriculum: this is the most commonly used option in Spain. The order of work experience is reflected from the oldest to the most current.
- Functional CV: in this case the work experience isn’t listed chronologically. It’s the job title and type of position that governs the order in which the information appears.
- Mixed CV: this is a very interesting option that we HR experts tend to recommend. This is a combination of the chronological CV and the functional CV. The result is a CV that’s very easy to analyse at a glance.
- Modern: this is designed to apply for jobs in professions where creativity is an important value. The document itself is responsible for demonstrating your knowledge and skills.
What is a blind CV?
Human Resources departments are opting for a much more inclusive type of CV that favours workplace equality policies. This is called a blind curriculum. This type of CV eliminates possible gender biases or other types of discrimination and enables much more transparent selection and recruitment processes to be carried out.
The blind CV doesn’t include any information about the applicant that can identify him or her, such as name, age, nationality, etc. Obviously, no photo would be included with this CV. It’s also known as an anonymous CV and it prevents prejudice from being generated in the person responsible for analysing the document. The recruiter will meet the candidate in the interview, provided they reach this stage.
Advantages of the blind CV
- This curriculum favours equality in the workplace. It avoids the formation of prejudices on the part of the recruiter before they meet the applicant.
- It does away with nepotism, as the recruiter doesn’t know who the blind CV belongs to.
- It encourages a positive attitude when making decisions.
- It eliminates superfluous details and helps focus attention on what really matters: training, experience and talent.
At Melt Group we care about all of our candidates. We help you find a job based on your skills and training. We recruit talent and make it matter. Sign up for our candidate database, where you’ll find the best professional opportunities.
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Teléfono : + 34 963 919 661
Email : info@meltgroup.com
