Our recruitment consultants’ tips for a better CV

Form a main résumé in which you list all your work experience and skills. This will make it easier for you to customise your résumé to the requirements of each place you apply for. You should also do different language versions of the CV immediately. If, for example, the vacancy notice is in English, you should send both your application and résumé in English.

The first page of the résumé should contain your educational background and work experience. If you don’t have work experience yet, you can put the educational background first, and work experience first if you already have a significant amount of the required experience. Mark the lengths of employment relationships and studies consistently in the same way, i.e., either by the month or date.

Construct your résumé by using the following headings, for example:

• personal details
• work experience
• education
• language and IT skills;
• positions of trust and organisational activity
• hobbies
• references

Write clear lists, short and concise sentences, and preferably only one type of font.

You can be creative in your résumé in moderation and elegance. Depending on the tasks, for example, when applying for marketing and communication tasks, the CV can show more creativity. In general, however, it’s best to avoid being unnecessarily flashy, so use bold, underlined and colourful fonts at your discretion. Check that your CV also looks good in black and white. Usually, you should avoid gradient background colours.

When working on your CV, put yourself in the reader’s shoes – the employer: highlight your skills that are relevant to the job you are applying for. Use the words used in the job advertisement, write concisely and take out anything unnecessary so that your CV meets the requirements of the vacancy.

List your work experience and education in a chronological order. Always write the most recent experience first on the list. If you have a longer period of absence (family leave, unemployment, etc.), do not leave it out. Instead, you should explain it too and think of whether there was something you did at the time to maintain or develop your skills.

Be honest and open when assessing your language skills, writing about your work experience or the length of it. Please also mention if the experience was a part-time job or an internship. In addition to the title, describe the tasks you did that are relevant to the job you are currently applying for and what results did you achieve. Remember to also mention acknowledgements separately, such as the title of “seller of the month”.

Most employers will appreciate it if you include an appropriate and professional image of yourself in your résumé.

If you want, you can add the contact details of your references at the end of your résumé, or mention that they are available on request. Always be sure to ask the referrer’s permission in advance.

Make sure your CV contains your current contact information. Also list the links to your social media profiles (such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook) if you want the employer to know about them.

You’re almost there! Now you should check that your text is grammatically flawless – that way, you'll give a good impression of yourself. For example, use Word’s proofreading or have someone you know read your CV. Always note the language used in the job advertisement: if the advertisement is written in English, your application documents must also be in English.

You should send your CV in PDF format so that it will look the way you intended for the recipient when opened. Remember to name the PDF with your own name, such as “First name Last name CV”, as this will make it easier for the person handling the applications.