A CV is a style exercise in which you have to avoid clichés, take care of the presentation, and adapt the content to maximize your chances of seducing your interlocutor, according to The Economist.
Imagine meeting a stranger at a party. What makes a successful meeting? The first lesson is to follow the wisdom of a 1980s shampoo commercial: You never get a second chance to make a first impression. The second lesson is to remember that you don’t have to wear a beret or a fur stole to get noticed. The third lesson is to remember that what you don’t say matters as much as what you do.
It turns out that these same principles apply to writing a resume. A resume is not a list of every job you’ve ever held. It’s not your autobiography. It’s, like a hair product ad, a marketing tool. Your audience is recruiters and hiring managers. Like guests at a cocktail party, it doesn’t take them long to decide whether they want to keep talking.
Spelling as a priority
According to a study, these professionals spend an average of 7.4 seconds scanning an application. The first task of the CV is not to discourage the reader. If you are thinking of adding a watermark with your initials, think again, you are overdoing it. Keep the format simple and clean and avoid fancy fonts (Arial or Helvetica are fine, but not Century Gothic).
Adding color doesn’t mean using a teal background. It doesn’t mean using purple prose, either. Clichés can be a reason you don’t get interviewed. The same goes for typos; check your spelling and proofread your copy over and over again. You’d be surprised how often someone forgets to include their name and contact information. Forgo the hackneyed descriptions (“cultured and passionate professional,” “keen eye for detail”)—the facts should speak for themselves. But not all facts. You may think that including your[…]
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- challenges.fr
