Prepare
Tips and hints for CV preparation
Tips and hints for CV preparation
A curriculum vitae (CV) is an important tool when looking for a job. It lets you introduce yourself and demonstrate your abilities and knowledge in a simple visual format. Since employers usually receive large numbers of CVs, you need to promote yourself and catch employers’ attention.
In general, CVs are made up of the following main parts:
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Contact details
Full name, date and place of birth, residence address, telephone number or/and email. You don’t need to include information that is too personal, such as gender, race or age (name, date and place of birth, photograph…), it doesn’t have an impact on your professional skills.
Any training and education you had in the past
Include information on where and when education or training took place (keep in mind that everything is relevant, even if it is a short or not officially recognised course such as a language course you took, or a course on knitting).
Work Experience
Start date and end date of any professional activities you were engaged in the past. Specify your profession, position, employer and outline main responsibilities. Remember that all work experience is important! Consider your work experience outside the formal labour market and, when explaining it, use the job-specific terminology (e.g. if you worked in the countryside you can state that you have experience as a farm labourer; if you took care of children for a relative state you were a Babysitter).
Languages
Include all languages you know, even if you think that no one else knows this language. Knowing lesser-used languages can be your key to success.
Other information of interest
Such as hobbies, strengths or skills that can be considered as added values (any general abilities that could be useful on the job). This may include things like cooking, sewing, and information if you hold drivers’ licences, and similar.
A good CV
Be short and to-the-point
Try to fit all your information into 1-3 pages. Leave out any irrelevant information. If you have a university degree, there is no need to note that you completed secondary school.
Adapt your CV
Try to adapt your CV to fit the position or company you are applying to.
Organize information
Organize information using a clear visual format so it is simple and easy to read. Try our template here or use Canva programme online
Make it attractive
Remember that a CV is your passport, so make it attractive, reader friendly and include the best about yourself!
Create your CV
Tips and hints to prepare for an interview
Tips and hints to prepare for an interview
The job interview is an integral part and often is the last step in the job search process. It offers the opportunity for the employer to get to know you better, ask questions on previous education and working experience as well as to evaluate some competences you mentioned in your CV.
On the other hand, it offers you the chance to show your personality, willingness to learn, motivation and preparedness regarding the position.
When being invited to a job interview it is important to arrive prepared. You need to think about different things, such as:
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Physical appearance
Dressing in formal clothes and keeping eye contact during the interview is important in Western cultures to make a good impression.
Attitude
Friendliness, disposition, punctuality, professionality and responsibility are key to making a good first impression. Show interest and motivation to work with the company you are applying to.
Preparedness
Generally, employers like to ask some questions regarding your CV: your previous working experiences, language and digital skills or transversal competences. In order to evaluate your suitability to the job, they might be interested in your strengths and weaknesses as well as how you would behave in certain situations. Also, do a little research on cultural practices and habits (tone of voice that is accepted, greetings, flexibility, gestures, cultural practices that might be compatible or not with your own at a particular place of work…) as they are different across the world!
Questions
Asking questions is a sign of interest. It is thus a good idea to do some research about your employer online or observe your potential place of work at odd hours, and think about a couple of interesting questions to ask the employer during the job interview in advance (e.g. what are the working hours? How does the company ensure work-life balance?)
Honesty
If you don’t know how to answer a particular question during the interview, the most important thing – don’t panic and be honest, honesty is the greatest value. If you don’t know an answer, you can simply say that or tell them that you will double check on it and will get back to the employer by email or phone call.
Your rights
There are questions that you may be asked in an interview context that are inappropriate or illegal. While it can sometimes be difficult to know how to act, you have the right not to answer and you can express this assertively. For example, when asked the question: Do you want to get pregnant? You can answer, I am sorry, I do not think that that question has anything to do with the job offer and I am not comfortable answering it.