How to write a targeted CV
Many companies will start by looking at your CV and will only read your cover letter if they find the CV interesting. Your chance of being considered for a job therefore really depends on your CV. This is why it's important that your CV is well put together and tailored to the position you're applying to.
What is a good CV?
When applying for their first job, most people will need help on how to put together a CV that best presents their competences and qualifications for the job in question. This article is about what a targeted CV includes.
As a new graduate, your CV may be lacking professional experience. It makes sense that you won’t have year-long employments to list when you’re young and have been busy getting your degree. A company that wants to hire a new graduate will not expect a lot of professional experience on the CV.
Example of a CV
So what makes a good CV? What sections should you include and what skills to highlight. There are some elements you always enter. Some are optional and in some cases asked to omit (for instance, if you include a profile image of yourself in your CV). Get help with our CV by looking at our example of a CV. This is an example of a CV for a graduate. Click the image and download for inspiration.
Your CV is your catalogue of experience
As a new graduate, your CV may be lacking professional experience. It makes sense that you won’t have year-long employments to list when you’re young and have been busy getting your degree. A company that wants to hire a new graduate will not expect a lot of professional experience on the CV.
There is no such thing as a perfect CV
A CV doesn’t have to look a certain way and there are many ways to put it together. The most important thing is to choose the content first and then find a layout that best highlights the content. Regardless of layout, always remember to include your academic title in the heading. This will enable them to see what you can offer and what you have studied. The reader needs to quickly ascertain what you’re good at, so it’s important that you have a great profile text. The profile text should be a summary, approx. 5-7 sentences at the top of your CV, where you describe how you can contribute to the company and what they can expect if they hire you: What professional competences do you bring to the table, and how will you use these competences?
Then make a chronological account of your education and professional experience. Deciding whether to present your education or professional experience first varies from job to job. If you have recent experience – also from bartending and similar – this should usually be listed first.
A great profile text for your CV
Six tips from IDA’s career counsellors
- Always tailor your CV to each specific position
- Keep things clear, relevant and short. Avoid empty words
- A CV of 2 pages is best. 1 page gives too little information, and not many new graduates have enough relevant information for a 3-page CV
- Guide the reader through your CV by using a straightforward layout – bullet points are welcome
- Companies prefer a photo on the CV, but this is not essential. If the company writes in the job ad that they do not want a photo, remove the photo
- Be meticulous. Spelling mistakes and typos are anything but elegant
How to structure your CV
If you’re applying for a PhD position, list your education first. For each job and each educational qualification, it’s important that you ask yourself the following questions: what have I learned in this job/during my Master’s degree that points me towards/makes be better at this specific job I’m applying for?
These are the competences you should write in bullets under the specific job or specific Master’s degree. This is how you target a CV, and you need to do this for every single job you’re applying for.
Quick selection – pretend your CV is being read by software
The people who are going to assess your CV will only spend a short time sorting through the many applicants. Therefore, companies scan your material to see whether the content of your CV matches the responsibilities of the new employee and the profile they have in mind, both professionally and in terms of personality. With this in mind, look at your resume and cover letter. Have you highligted the right qualifications? Do you need to make alterations so that you present more clearly how you fit the job description. What keywords from the job listing are you using? Have you taken some of the companuy research and applied it to either?
