1. Personal Information
Personal information in a job application CV includes details such as name, date of birth, address, email, phone number, Facebook, etc. This section provides recruiters with an initial glimpse of who you are – your age, location, etc. Personal information helps recruiters differentiate you from other candidates. It also facilitates easy communication and interview result notifications.
Through personal information in the CV, recruiters gain insights into the candidates, aiding in the screening process. This section also reflects your professionalism and seriousness, influencing whether the recruiter continues reviewing your CV. For creative fields like design or content creation, you can include links to personal blogs, outstanding designs on websites, or social media profiles under the 'Personal Information' section. This allows recruiters to assess your abilities and skills.
2. Desired Position
Most job applicants believe that the desired position in a CV is merely a phrase placed at the beginning of the document to indicate the job title or position they are applying for. Many tend to overlook this section, thinking it has minimal impact on the overall CV layout. However, even this seemingly small detail can influence the entire CV.
Ensure consistency in both content and format of your CV with the specific nature of the desired position. Use the desired position as a foundation to structure your CV, including related elements like career objectives and personal experience. Another note is that some companies may have different names for the same position compared to other businesses. Therefore, it's crucial to copy the exact job title from the job posting into your CV. You can also emphasize the desired position by using a different color than the background or highlighting the frame designated for the job title.
3. Educational Background
Employers seek different aspects in the educational background of candidates, depending on the specific job requirements. When reviewing this section, recruiters primarily look for basic information such as: Your school's name; Degrees earned; Your field of study (especially for specialized or research-oriented positions); Enrollment and graduation years; Grade point average (which can be omitted if not impressive); Relevant honors, academic achievements, or awards you've received...
Depending on the position you're applying for, proactively adjust the details in the educational background section when crafting your CV. The educational requirements for a job are often listed in the 'requirements' or 'education' section of the job description, so be sure to read carefully to ensure your CV aligns. Remember to prioritize honesty and accuracy, especially in the educational background section of your CV.
4. Skills
Skills highlighted in job applications and CVs are crucial factors influencing employers' impressions of you. Skills in a CV are the abilities you possess that are relevant to the job you're applying for, essentially your professional competencies. It's important to distinguish between hard and soft skills, and only list those applicable to the position.
If your CV showcases soft skills, employers will highly appreciate it. On the flip side, employers also seek candidates with teamwork, communication, and interpersonal skills, which are beneficial in the workplace, rather than just those with specific technical knowledge. Particularly, if you're applying for roles such as telesales, consultants, or sales positions, soft skills in your CV become a crucial factor. Through the soft skills in your CV, you affirm your value to employers. If you excel in both your professional expertise and soft skills, you become a competitive candidate, standing out among others and securing the opportunity to proceed to the interview stage.
5. Strengths and Weaknesses
Before crafting strengths and weaknesses in your CV, consider taking an MBTI personality test to explore yourself. When writing a CV, organize it in a way that your strengths can complement each other. Use simple, clear language to demonstrate your sincerity. Research the job requirements to understand the necessary skills for that position. Highlight your strengths aligned with those requirements to impress the employer. If teamwork is crucial, emphasize soft skills in your strengths and weaknesses section, such as communication and problem-solving.
Be tactful in selecting your weaknesses for your CV. No employer is impressed by a CV with a long list of weaknesses. Choose a maximum of 3 weaknesses to include. These could be: Limited experience in the current field; Moderate proficiency in English; Basic computer skills; Lack of confidence in public speaking due to awareness of certain limitations,...
6. Career Objective
In its simplest terms, a career objective is a job position, a future destination you aspire to, and the roadmap you've outlined to achieve your goal. This is a crucial section helping employers assess your personality, determination, long-term commitment, and whether you're the suitable candidate they are seeking.
Remember one thing, “short-term goals are a stepping stone to answer long-term goals.” You need to discuss short-term goals first and then present long-term goals, making your answer comprehensive and profound. Short-term goals refer to career objectives within a specific timeframe, such as 6 months to 1 year, for instance. If you haven't determined your short-term career direction, an effective approach is to align with the job requirements of the company you are applying to. The reason is, in the job requirements section, employers will clearly show what they need from you, and based on this, you can present how you bring benefits to them. Regarding long-term objectives, you should present long-term goals that align with the company's overall objectives, highlighting what you believe will be beneficial to the company in the future.
7. Work Experience
Work experience in a CV is one of the factors that helps employers recognize and evaluate your capabilities in the workplace. Information you can present in this section includes: Previous company names; Duration of employment; Job title; Tasks performed from equivalent positions,...
Details about your previous work are crucial if you are someone with extensive experience. Having solid work experience allows you to seek suitable salary levels. In this case, a detailed job description is essential. You can highlight voluntary work, companies, projects, part-time jobs, and your experiences in this section. However, all the content you speak and write must be truthful. Keep in mind that when presenting work experience in a CV, describing the work process effectively can quickly capture the employer's attention, providing a secure opportunity to stand out among thousands of other applicants and land the job you love.
8. General Tips for Writing a CV
General Tips for CV Writing:
- Avoid spelling errors: Spelling mistakes, no matter how small, make you appear unprofessional, hastily prepared, and show a lack of respect in the eyes of recruiters. Take some time to check for spelling errors before sending it out!
- Precision in wording: When presenting, limit the use of words with multiple meanings or even figurative and literal meanings. Also, pay attention to grammar for clear and understandable sentences.
- Concise and clear presentation: Only include essential information and present it concisely so that recruiters can easily grasp the information. Recruiters won't have much time to read everything in your CV, so writing too long will make your standout points be overlooked.
- Choose skills, experience relevant to the position: Avoid listing all your skills and experiences in your CV, as it only makes your CV lack distinction and fails to convey the main content to recruiters.
- Create highlights for your CV: Pay attention to keywords in job requirements. Use these to highlight skills, experiences, and goals that both match your standards and meet the job requirements.
- Avoid excessive self-promotion: When highlighting strengths and work abilities, avoid being overly confident or boastful. This makes recruiters see you as an arrogant person without humility.
- Consistent content, presentation style: When writing a CV, be consistent in both presentation style and content. Use the same font throughout, use bold or uppercase for emphasis, and list important milestones and notable achievements.
- Be mindful of naming CV files: Name your CV file clearly and distinguishably from other documents. This helps recruiters easily open your CV without confusion and saves them time searching.