When hiring, employers can be faced with hundreds of applications. Therefore, it is crucial to sell yourself as the best possible candidate. Your CV (Curriculum Vitae) is how you advertise yourself to prospective employers and convince them that you are right for the position. Having an effective CV can be your ticket to landing a great job.
A CV is an overview of your educational and professional history. It contains an itemized list of an individual’s educational and professional accomplishments.
Although similar to a resume, your CV should be longer and contain more detail about each experience. Resumes are more condensed and only highlight experiences relevant to a specific job. Some recruiters may only ask for a resume, but you should always have an up-to-date CV ready to go.
Many of Gen Z are now only a year away from leaving education and preparing to enter the job market. So why let the summer months go to waste? Without practical experience, your CV can look weak, and you may struggle to find enough to talk about. So, I have compiled the top 5 things you need to do to achieve an effective CV.
1. Internship/placements
The best and probably most effective way to improve your CV is an internship or placement.
It provides you with practical experiences and skills that relate directly to your desired career. Orientation to the job or organization means you learn about the goals, regulations and procedures. This will lead to a more seamless transition into the workplace. Employers will see that you won’t need as much time or training as someone with no experience at all.
Placements also offer regular feedback for the intern from a professional. The criticism you receive means you can grow your skills to become more effective within a specific role. Meaning you will have a higher expertise when you apply for the job.
You can also develop great contacts through your placement that may be useful later down the line. When organizations see that you have completed a placement, they can assume that you have become well-connected. This is especially important in media roles such as journalism, where contacts are crucial to finding good stories.
There are lots of ways to find placements. You might go through your university or college, which may have advisors or online aids that can help you.
For non-students, several professional online platforms are catered towards finding placements and connecting you to organizations open to interns. You can also reach out directly to companies to ask for the opportunity to complete a placement with them.
There are so many opportunities for placements, and with the level of technology, Gen Z is uniquely lucky. Many places, particularly in media, now offer online placements, meaning no travel needed and flexible hours. So, even if you have plans over the summer, you can still complete an online placement or two.
2. Part-time job
Your part-time job may not always directly relate to your future career, but that doesn’t mean you won’t learn useful skills to add to your CV that can help make you a desirable employee.
Part-time work shows that you are familiar with self-managing skills, like punctuality and reliability, which are valued in every workplace. Many part-time jobs fall within the catering and retail industry. These jobs demonstrate people skills and the ability to work within a team.
It’s important to focus on the specific skills you’ve gained and not just list job titles, as this can lose relevance to the job you are applying to. You want to mention each role for a reason.
For students, part-time jobs that have been completed while studying show a strong work ethic and initiative. Employers will see that you put in the extra effort outside of your studies to work towards a certain goal.
There are lots of online tools that can identify part-time jobs, as well as posts on Facebook and Linked In. But you may find one through contacts that you already have. Or simply just by walking up your local high street and asking around.
3. Volunteer work
Volunteer work can show valuable traits to an employer, so don’t ignore the opportunity just because it doesn’t pay. Including volunteer work on your CV can be highly effective. It shows you are willing to go above and beyond to grow and learn new skills.
Volunteering is a key way to demonstrate that you can make good use of your time. It shows active contribution and passion to a cause.
The professional services network, Deloitte, surveyed in 2016, 82% of hiring managers were more likely to choose candidates with volunteering experience. 85% said they are willing to look past flaws on a CV when a candidate indicates they have volunteer experience.
The survey also indicated that only 30% of CVs received by respondents mentioned volunteer work. So, including this could be an effective way to make yourself stand out.
The best way to find volunteer work is through online aids specializing in connecting you to volunteering opportunities. You can also visit charities and volunteer centers or speak to friends and family who may know of some openings.
4. Projects
Dedication to projects outside of an organization is especially attractive to employers. It demonstrates a broader sense of commitment to your career.
There is no incentive to earn a wage through these projects. Therefore, a personal interest in the job is highlighted. This reassures employers that you are passionate about the role, making your CV more effective.
There are different types of projects an individual can complete to show different attributes. It’s important to know what skills each type of project will highlight:
- Personal projects directly reflect an individual’s dedication, self-motivation and passion.
- Team projects show your ability to communicate and work as a team.
- Freelance projects demonstrate the ability to deliver work independently through drive and self-management.
Projects can come in a range of forms depending on the career you wish to take on. This can include blogs, marketing campaigns, engineering designs and research papers. However, the most effective projects to add to your CV are those that are most relevant to the job.
How do you start a project? For personal and freelance projects, you can work completely independently, so all you need is an idea and some time to bring it to life. If it’s a blog, this may mean updating it periodically; other projects may take varying lengths of time to research and construct.
For team projects, you can reach out to your coursemates (for students) or find people online via platforms such as Linked In and Facebook who may be interested in collaborating on an idea.
5. Hobbies and sports
Hobbies and sports create a more personal idea of who you are and are great for providing evidence to claims made about your character.
For example, Learning a new skill shows dedication, playing a sport shows strength and determination and joining a group shows teamwork. Similar to the benefits of working a part-time job, different extracurriculars for a hobby or sport show that you have developed different life skills.
Having hobbies shows your employer that you are an interesting person who can apply your skills from your passion to the workplace, which can give your CV some unique points.
Finding hobbies and sports is really about knowing what you’ll enjoy doing that can advance your skills. Researching a sport you like to play can lead you to local clubs you can join, or if you prefer something more creative, you might find a painting class.
Finding a Hobby or sport is an enjoyable way to constructively use your free time, and it will boost your CV and help you stand out from the crowd so you can begin your journey into a successful career.
