During his time as a recruiter at Google, Scott Bacon received about three million resumes and knows that it takes just 6 seconds to form an initial impression about a candidate. Spoiler: everything rests on these three pillars — presentation, structure and content.
Part I. Presentation
When preparing a resume, it is important to not be too creative. Any CV is designed to showcase your experience rather than design skills. To maintain the balance of its structure and a neat layout, you can use website builders.
● HeadHunter. After filling out an application, you will immediately have your CV, which you can publish on the website itself or download and send to employers on your own.
● CV Maker. A simple and convenient builder that allows creating a resume without registration.
● Icanchoose. Over 20 templates are available with an option to prepare a resume in one of the six languages, there are hacks and tips.
● Google Documents. One of the five available templates can be used. CV is available for download or sharing a link.
● Word. It has built-in templates and allows downloading third-party templates online.
Now let's turn to the basic presentation rules contributing to holding the recruiter's attention:
● Cram the whole text on one page so that the recruiter should see that you can work with information. Leave only the relevant data: it's better to tell about the conducted research rather than about side work during your freshman year.
● Don't make the text gaudy. The format of headings, dates and lists should be the same, the font should be readable.
● Usually, photo is left to the discretion of the candidate, but pay attention to the job application etiquette of the country or company where you are searching for a job. Many employers do not accept photos or age indication to ensure maximum objectivity during the evaluation. Anyway, the image should be neutral and business-like.
● Make sure you read the text aloud and check it for mistakes. Preferably several times. If the text is good, it reads flawlessly, substantially motivating the reader to get to the end of the resume.
● One last thing. If you send your resume directly by email rather than via the response service, then put the following in the subject line and document name: "Resume / Name, surname / Title". This will help your CV not to get lost among incoming and other documents.
● HeadHunter. After filling out an application, you will immediately have your CV, which you can publish on the website itself or download and send to employers on your own.
● CV Maker. A simple and convenient builder that allows creating a resume without registration.
● Icanchoose. Over 20 templates are available with an option to prepare a resume in one of the six languages, there are hacks and tips.
● Google Documents. One of the five available templates can be used. CV is available for download or sharing a link.
● Word. It has built-in templates and allows downloading third-party templates online.
Now let's turn to the basic presentation rules contributing to holding the recruiter's attention:
● Cram the whole text on one page so that the recruiter should see that you can work with information. Leave only the relevant data: it's better to tell about the conducted research rather than about side work during your freshman year.
● Don't make the text gaudy. The format of headings, dates and lists should be the same, the font should be readable.
● Usually, photo is left to the discretion of the candidate, but pay attention to the job application etiquette of the country or company where you are searching for a job. Many employers do not accept photos or age indication to ensure maximum objectivity during the evaluation. Anyway, the image should be neutral and business-like.
● Make sure you read the text aloud and check it for mistakes. Preferably several times. If the text is good, it reads flawlessly, substantially motivating the reader to get to the end of the resume.
● One last thing. If you send your resume directly by email rather than via the response service, then put the following in the subject line and document name: "Resume / Name, surname / Title". This will help your CV not to get lost among incoming and other documents.
Part II. What structure to follow
Look carefully at the position you are aiming for and collect anything that can prove that you are an ideal candidate to the recruiter. If you have any links to your portfolio or relevant projects, don't leave them out, either. An illustrative example of your outcomes looks more solid than a text description.
Adhere to the following structure:
● Document name.
● Position you are seeking.
● Full name and contact details.
● Education.
● Employment history.
● Additional skills.
● Personal qualities.
● Portfolio link.
Be sure to indicate the position you are applying for. Often recruiters print out several dozens of CVs for different job openings at once and read them one by one. To ensure that your resume won't be set aside, indicate the position you are seeking.
Adhere to the following structure:
● Document name.
● Position you are seeking.
● Full name and contact details.
● Education.
● Employment history.
● Additional skills.
● Personal qualities.
● Portfolio link.
Be sure to indicate the position you are applying for. Often recruiters print out several dozens of CVs for different job openings at once and read them one by one. To ensure that your resume won't be set aside, indicate the position you are seeking.
Part III. What to write
After you have equipped yourself with a good template and prepared additional course certificates, you have to do the key thing that must win over the recruiter: content. If you have little professional experience, feel free to focus on your education and include internships, practical training at the university, participation in competitions or hackathons.
And then it is as simple as that:
● Add your phone number and email in the contact details. Important: use a professional email address, not something you made up when you were 13 (kitty423987@mail.com, anyone?).
● Optionally attach a link to your social networks (but check that the content is appropriate there).
● In the "Experience" section, include the duration of your time at each organization (not in the "from 2017 to 2019" format, be more specific: "1 year and 9 months"), company name and your position.
● In the "Additional skills" section, specify your foreign language level and knowledge of relevant computer programs.
● If you want to share your portfolio, add a small description. For example, "Research for company N".
● Among the personal qualities, you can specify some professional interests and hobbies, which will prove again that you are a professional.
● You can indicate your salary expectations, but in the format of an approximate range, so you can discuss it at the job interview.
And then it is as simple as that:
● Add your phone number and email in the contact details. Important: use a professional email address, not something you made up when you were 13 (kitty423987@mail.com, anyone?).
● Optionally attach a link to your social networks (but check that the content is appropriate there).
● In the "Experience" section, include the duration of your time at each organization (not in the "from 2017 to 2019" format, be more specific: "1 year and 9 months"), company name and your position.
● In the "Additional skills" section, specify your foreign language level and knowledge of relevant computer programs.
● If you want to share your portfolio, add a small description. For example, "Research for company N".
● Among the personal qualities, you can specify some professional interests and hobbies, which will prove again that you are a professional.
● You can indicate your salary expectations, but in the format of an approximate range, so you can discuss it at the job interview.