How to make a CV

How to make a CV step by step?

How to make a resume?

Can I write my CV myself?

How do you write a CV for the first time?

Did you just look up on Google one of these questions? Well, we created this compelling article explaining in depth how to make a CV, hopefully this will answer some of your questions and help you understand better the steps to creating a really great resume!

“Crafting a compelling CV is not just about listing skills; it’s about narrating your unique story in a way that captivates employers, opening the door to endless career possibilities.”

Vlad Romuald Pop, Founder of Brainsource.io

What’s a CV (Curiculum Vitae)? 

It’s a reflection of your professional past. 

It shows who you are, what you know, what you’ve learned—essentially, what you can offer to a company. Because every company looking to hire is searching for a missing puzzle piece, and with the right presentation, that piece could be you.

First and foremost, you need to pay attention to the format of your CV; the first thing that will catch the eye is how it looks.

To be honest from what I’ve seen people won’t read all of it or most of it if it’s not looking good. At first glance, they look for elements like a clear structure, easy-to-find information, and consistent colors, fonts, and headings.

Try not to create a generic CV using Europass or EJobs templates. Instead, look for more interesting templates that are not overloaded with information, but rather have personality and say something unique about you, you can look for CV templates on Canva for example, to create a well-structured CV that stands out.

The Must-have Sections to Include in a CV:

• About me 

This is a very important part, the part that can make a difference in your resume. 

You have between 5 -10 lines to explain who you are. 

What you want to do is not repeat the information from your resume, but rather explain that information. 

Explain why you chose that major and how that experience helped you.

A brief statement summarizing your career goals, skills, and experience, tailored to the job you’re applying for. 

The best thing you can do is update this section for each job you apply to, in such a way that it matches the job requirements and company structure.

Avoid using the first person excessively. Although your resume is about you, through it you want to attract the attention of companies, so you need to talk about how you can help THEM, and how you can be an asset to THEIR team.

Remember to personalize these examples by including your own educational background, experience, and specific skills that align with the desired role.

• Contact information 

This section should include:

• Your full name
• Address: Just provide a partial address; you wouldn’t want to put your full address here since you never know who might show up at your door. Just mention the city and perhaps the neighborhood if you’re from a larger city
• Phone number 
• Email address: A professional email address is required. Don’t use the email you had in high school with nicknames like Pizza001. A professional email should consist of your first and last name, separated by a dot, and add a number at the end if necessary.
• Any relevant social media profiles: LinkedIn, GitHub, Twitter, Personal Website or Blog. Only include social media profiles that are relevant to the job you’re applying for. If your Instagram is primarily personal and doesn’t pertain to your professional life, it’s better to leave it off.

• Work experience

The structure here should be as follows: 

• The company name 
• Job title 
• Dates you worked there 
• Two lines about the company: the size of the company and its main focus 
• A brief summary of your responsibilities: for instance, you were responsible for creating new marketing strategies
• Your achievements using metrics: for example, you achieved a 70% increase in website visits in the first quarter

When it comes to describing the tasks you have completed in a job, avoid simply copying the tasks from the job listing, and under no circumstances leave this part of your resume empty, as each part of your CV has its own importance.

Write in a few lines what YOUR responsibilities and YOUR achievements were for each job in particular. 

Why do companies prefer resumes with metrics? Because metrics make value easier to understand and quantify. 

If 10 candidates all say they’re responsible for planning and executing social media campaigns, it’s very hard to tell who did it well and who didn’t. 

The one person who says, “Hey, my campaigns drove a 30% year-on-year increase in sales revenue,” is going to stand out.

• Skills 

A list of your relevant skills, including technical and soft skills, that are applicable to the job you’re applying for. 

It is a fact that applicant tracking systems scan for certain keywords and experiences to filter out what they define as low-potential candidates. 

Look at JD (Job Description) and see the required skills they’re asking for. Add to your CV anything you don’t already have but believe suits you. 

You want to have as many of the necessary skills on your CV, so pay close attention to this step. 

Include both your technical skills, such as the programs you have worked with or are proficient in, as well as your soft skills in this section. 

See which of the top 10 in-demand soft skills are applicable to you and include those as well. (Google “10 skills for digital marketing manager” for example)

If you are missing any of the important or relevant skills that you need for the job you want to apply for, mention if you played with them or if you started a course for you to be at least able to bring your profile closer to matching the requirements.

• Education 

A list of your educational qualifications, including the name of the institution, dates attended, and the degree or certification obtained. 

If it’s an entry-level position or if you’re a junior, make sure to include relevant projects you have completed during your time in college, such as advanced-level; Olympiads you have participated in, Work and Travel programs, and more.

• Certifications and awards

Any relevant certifications or licenses you have obtained. 

A list of any notable achievements, awards, or publications that demonstrate your expertise in your field.

• Languages (self-explanatory I guess)

Specify the proficiency level for each (native, professional, C1/C2, and so on), and don’t lie. 

Be honest about your level of knowledge for each language because there’s nothing more embarrassing than claiming an advanced language level and then struggling to form more than two sentences during an interview.

• Hobbies and Interests

To show your personality and demonstrate your fit with the company culture. 

Additionally, it serves as an excellent icebreaker, allowing the recruiter or interviewer to see you more as a person. You might even find shared passions. Say you’re into kayaking and they are too; you’ve just created a topic of discussion.

• Volunteering Experience

Firstly, volunteering showcases a candidate’s commitment to social responsibility and their ability to work selflessly for a cause. 

Secondly, it provides a glimpse into a person’s character, dedication, and soft skills, often demonstrating qualities like teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving. 

Lastly, in competitive job markets, volunteering can differentiate a candidate, making their CV stand out and reflecting a well-rounded individual who brings value beyond just professional expertise.

What you should keep in mind while making a CV:

• You MUST tailor your CV – It’s extremely important; write this down in big letters on a post-it and stick it to your computer. Your CV should always be tailored to the Job Description of the position you’re applying for. Don’t get lazy here. While you can have a template, success lies in the details, and you’ll have a better shot if your CV looks precisely like that missing puzzle piece.

• Keep it concise – Limit your CV to one to three pages (depending on experience, if you are a junior try to limit yourself to one page, if you are a middle-senior go for 2-3 pages), unless you have significant experience that requires more space. Avoid including unnecessary details that waste valuable space.

• Use consistent formatting – Ensure that your section headings are clear and consistently formatted throughout your CV. Choose a legible font that is easy on the eyes, such as Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman, and avoid using overly decorative or hard-to-read fonts like Comic Sans.

• Prioritize white space – Leave enough margins and space between text to create a visually appealing and easy-to-read document.

• Make details stand out – Choose an appropriate font size for section titles (14-16pt) and normal text (11-12pt) to ensure that information is easy to read.

• Save as PDF – To maintain the integrity of your CV formatting, save your document as a PDF rather than a Word document, which can change the appearance of your layout.

• Language alignment with the job description – You need to ensure that the CV you send is in the same language as the JD (Job Description). If the JD is in English, send the CV in English. If it’s in Romanian, send it in Romanian. If it’s in German, send it in German, and so on. It’s good to have prepared CVs for each language you are proficient in at a professional level.

• Photo inclusion (optional) – Including a photo on your CV is not mandatory (though it’s recommended to have one on your LinkedIn account). However, if you do choose to include a photo, make sure it’s a professional one. Avoid using party pictures or strange angles. Opt for a profile picture where you’re smiling or have a neutral expression.

• Focus on recent experiences – If you’ve been working for more than 10 years, don’t think too much about your past jobs. If your past jobs were important, write two or three lines about them. Otherwise, focus on your most recent experiences.

• You also need to be careful to make a difference between KEYWORDS and BUZZWORDS. 

We’re all super motivated by our passions. We’re all detailed-oriented, team players. We all have creative mindsets. And who doesn’t like to talk about the synergies between different products? If you found that hard to listen to, imagine the recruiter going over 30 resumes a day. 

The biggest difference between a buzzword and a keyword is that buzzwords aren’t specific to an industry, while keywords are. 

Unlike buzzwords, keywords contain important information relating to the role and its educational or experience requirements. 

Employers often look for certain keywords when they’re assessing a candidate. 

For example, a marketing company might look for candidates who have brand management or digital communications somewhere on their resumes.

While it’s important to customize your resume to each position through keyword usage, it’s just as important to avoid generic buzzwords and vague phrasing. 

Include concrete examples of your accomplishments, using keywords if possible.

Employers woo women back to work from career breaks

What you should avoid in your CV:

• False or exaggerated information: Be truthful in your CV and avoid exaggerating or misrepresenting your skills, qualifications, or experience. Employers may verify the information you provide, and dishonesty can lead to severe consequences, including termination if hired.

• Spelling and grammatical errors: Carefully proofread your CV to eliminate any typos, spelling mistakes, or grammatical errors. Such mistakes can create a negative impression and suggest a lack of attention to detail. Some companies apply a 2-3 strike rule = meaning that they will diss-consider your profile due to grammar mistakes. (To avoid this, you should only use PDF instead of Word.)

• Irrelevant information: Include only relevant information related to the job you are applying for. Avoid listing every single job you’ve ever had or including irrelevant personal details. (unless you have just graduated from college and have no relevant experience, in this case, try to get the best out of what you have)

• Excessive length: Keep your CV concise and focused. Ideally, it should be no longer than two pages. Avoid unnecessary details or lengthy paragraphs that could make it challenging for the reader to extract key information quickly. 

• Vague language: Be specific and provide concrete examples of your achievements and skills. Avoid using generic or empty phrases that don’t provide any meaningful information about your capabilities.

• Poor formatting and inconsistent styling: Make sure your CV has a clean and professional appearance. Use a consistent font, formatting style, and bullet points throughout the document. Avoid using excessive colours, fancy fonts, or unconventional layouts that can make your CV difficult to read.

• Personal information: Avoid including sensitive personal information such as your date of birth, marital status, or religious beliefs unless they are directly relevant to the position you are applying for. In many countries, it is illegal for employers to request such information.

• References without permission: Do not include references on your CV unless explicitly requested by the employer. Additionally, always seek permission from your references before listing their names and contact information.

• Job Hopping: it’s a double-edged sword to be honest regarding this aspect, as some employers will have difficulties in interpreting this part of your CV or experience. A simple hack would be to merge multiple jobs into a single one, especially if they are related = so instead of being a bartender in 5 places in three years, you’ve constantly been a bartender for three years. This is also recommended for the experience that is not relevant to the current job you are applying for.