The goal of writing a winning CV is to stand out from the crowd and catch the eye of your potential employers.
At a glance, the recruiter or the manager should be able to understand:

• Who you are
• What your professional background is
• What your skills and abilities are
• What you have achieved
• Why you are the best person for the job

Here are 3 Simple But Effective Ways To Create An Excellent CV:

1. Be factual

A CV is a statement of facts and you must be able to stand behind every claim. Before you start to write your CV, you should find out exactly
what your target employers are looking for and want to see on an applicants’ CV.

The goal is to make it as easy as possible for the HR / hiring manager to see you as a fit for their business. Bear in mind that they will only take around 5-7 seconds to decide if your CV is worth a look. So show them at a glance that you perfectly fit the position you have applied for.

Research info about the company but also about the role in order to adapt your CV and ensure your application is relevant.

Tips:

• Have a specific CV for each type of job and different areas (e.g.: if you are a web developer, you could have one CV for software companies, one for final clients and one for digital agencies)
• Review the job advert in detail to pick up keywords that you can reuse in your CV
• Highlight the skills and experiences that are relevant for the position you apply for
• If you write a CV for an open application, then emphasize the tasks you would like to work on and the skills that you could bring to benefit the company
• Look carefully at the language and the tone used in the job advert and use the same in your CV (professional or friendly language, specific technical words).
  
  
  

2. Know what else to include “and exclude!

Recruiters receive approximately 250 CVs for each job position. One spelling or grammatical mistake and your CV will not be reviewed.
This is one of the major filters that recruiters use to select or dismiss potential candidates. Do not hesitate to print your resume in order to spot mistakes, as it can be easier to spot them on paper than on a screen.

Tips:

• Read and re-read your CV to correct all the mistakes
• Ask friends and family to read it too, they might notice some mistakes you have not seen
• Do not mix tenses: if you start with the present tense, use it until the end
• Look carefully at the language used in the job advert and use the same in your CV (British English or American English, German or Flemish, French or Canadian French…)
• Send your CV as a PDF to ensure that it will be opened correctly and that the format will be maintained,
  whatever the software used to read it

In the end, including a couple of lines about your hobbies, interests or any voluntary or community work. You’re president of the golf club? Run the amateur landscape photography association? Great. Not only will this give the potential employer a chance to connect with you on a personal level, but it demonstrates your ability to lead and manage a group outside of a business context. Hobbies and interests indicate how creative, communicative and persuasive you can be.

If you really want to know how to write an excellent CV, one major tip is to is making it as easy as possible for HR/ Hiring Manager to see you as a fit for their business. Read the job specification and analyze the main requirements the employer is looking for, and then write your CV accordingly. Group your academic achievements, work experience and achievements into defined sections.

3. Focus on measurable, not traits

Companies want a smooth best-fit solution from their new employee. Be clear about measurable, metrics, and quantifiable on your CV so that they can cross-reference their needs with your experience. Don’t overextend your use of competencies such as ‘persuasive’ or ‘reliable’ because at certain levels of seniority these are assumed to be implicit.

Employers like to have some information not related to your career to determine your personality and validate that you will be a good fit for their company. It can also be an ice breaker for the potential manager that will have your CV when they interview you.

Who knows? Having a passion in common with the hiring manager could get you a golden ticket for an interview!

Tips:

• Show who you are by highlighting what is important to you
• Use examples that can be related both to your personal and professional life. If you are a Social Media Executive, for instance, highlight your interest for social networks and information technology as well as video editing and photography.
• Be specific when you list your activities. For example, instead of writing “exhibitions”, be specific and write “modern art exhibitions”.
• Honesty pays. There is no worse impression during an interview than discovering a candidate cannot talk about a supposed interest. It will only raise red flags and show that you are not reliable
  

  
  Referees

Include a section for referees towards the end. An employer will require at least two references before making an offer. Disclosing the names of your referees on your CV is optional, but if you do, ensure they know you have done so, and that they may hear from a potential employer. If you would prefer not to disclose names, then simply state ‘Referees available on request’.