Recent college graduates often find the task of creating a CV daunting. Perhaps one of the main reasons why is because they have little to no previous work experience and are unsure what to put on their resume.
Even though there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all method for a perfect CV, there are certain CV tips that can make yours end up at the top of a recruiter’s pile.
Here are 8 tips that will help you update your CV and land that job interview!
Before you start working on your CV, it is important to remember a few things.
Your CV should:
Your CV should not:
Keep reading to find out how to write a CV if you’re a recent graduate!
If you have a funny email address such as fratbro4life@gmail.com, it’s time to make some changes! Do yourself a favor and set up a professional-looking email address that’s more suitable for your job-seeking activities.
Your email address can be as simple as your name only or your first name and last name.
Including buzzwords such as “ambitious,” “result-driven,” or even “team player” might seem like a good way to spice up your professional summary. However, recruiters and hiring managers are used to seeing these phrases all the time, so they won’t be impressed.
Instead of saying that you are a team player, express your achievements. For example, how you were rewarded for a group project during your studies.
Before your CV gets in the hands of a recruiter or a hiring manager, it will probably be scanned by an ATS (applicant tracking system). These tools are used to collect, sort, scan, and rank job applications. And, if you want your CV to pass this “scan,” make sure to include keywords.
Take a look at several job listings for the position you are interested in, and identify the key terms and phrases that seem to pop up frequently. Then, make sure to incorporate those keywords into your skills of work experience section of the CV.
Hiring managers are interested in what you’ve done lately, not what you accomplished four or more years before you went to college as high school students. Instead of listing experiences from high school, focus on activities and accomplishments that took place during your college.
Listing college courses that seem relevant to the job you’re applying for is a good idea. But, there is no need to list all the courses you attended; only those that are most closely tied to your job goals to show hiring managers what subjects you’re familiar with.
Even better, if you’ve held at least one internship that’s relevant to your degree and career goals, make sure to include it as well! Employers tend to value internship experience over the stuff learned in the classroom.
When you’re fresh out of college and you don’t have much work experience, you need to play up your best selling points. We recommend adding any projects or extracurricular activities you held while attending college, as well as any scholarships or other honors you received during that time.
When you’re new to the workforce, you may not have major accomplishments and contributions to include in your resume. However, you can use action verbs to describe what you have contributed rather than explaining what you have done on a daily basis.
Using verbs such as created, led, improved, developed, or managed, will undoubtedly help set yourself apart by using action verbs that describe contributions instead of just duties and obligations.
We recommend using bullet points to draw attention to the information you believe recruiters will care most about. This may include an accomplishment or other major contribution you achieved or helped your team achieve.
Drafting the perfect CV might be tricky for recent college graduates, as they don’t have much prior work experience. However, there is still a way to point out your greatest strengths and get that job!
If you have an internship experience, highlight that just below your summary and education sections. If you didn’t hold any jobs that were related to your future career, play up other information instead, such as the high-level courses you took, major projects you participated in, academic or athletic honors you received, or extra-curricular activities and volunteer work that demonstrate your leadership roles and skills.
Did you know that we help all our candidates prepare for their interviews? And, we can also help you spice up your CV!
As a recruitment agency, our goal is not only to meet the needs and demands of our clients. We also look out for our candidates and make sure they find their ideal employer.
Once you apply to one of our open positions or you join our talent network, we become your representatives – something like your personal agents.
First, we’ll have a chat to get to know you better – your needs, skills, interests, and requirements. Then, we’ll match you with a company we know you’ll fit in with perfectly!
Before you have a call or meeting with your potential employer, we’ll be more than willing to have a prep call with you to make sure you ace that interview!
Sounds good? Drop your CV and we’ll get in touch!