Job hunting is tough and energy-consuming, not to mention the time and expenses that come with it.

But the most frustrating aspect of it is finding the right job, submitting an application only to get no response. Or atmost…

“We appreciate the time you took to apply for the position of X specialist in our company. Unfortunately, we have moved on with a more experienced candidate.”

This message doesn’t resonate well.

In my experience as a youth career and talent developer, the bulk of the reasons why your CV gets rejected are issues with the cv/resume itself.

It can be one or a combination of these things:

How you write your CV
The structuring and formatting
The information contained in the CV
And how to complement the information in your CV with a winning cover letter.
Unfortunately, a lot of applicants’ CV ends up in the trash bin because of those things lacking, which should attract the hiring manager to your experience and skills.

How to write a CV that begs the hiring manager to read on
To start with…how do you tailor a cover letter that begs to be opened?

Is there a professional way of writing a CV that you don’t know?

As a digital content writer, I have helped quite a number of graduate students write their CVs and Resumes.

It is pretty simple especially when you understand and follow the best practices, which I’m going to show you in this article.

The article will guide you on the act of crafting, formatting, and structuring a CV including how to make the hiring manager not wait to have an interview with you.

By the time you’re done reading this ultimate guide to writing a professional CV/resume, you’ll understand that it’s all about being uniquely different, clear, and concise.

Additionally, make your cover letter to complement your CV/resume.

What is a CV?
A CV is a short-term curriculum vitae, which means “course of life”.

It’s a document showcasing your professional and educational or academic achievements. The account of your academic performances, extracurricular activities, work experience, skills, and leadership characters are often used in fresh job applications and also, as part of a portfolio for promotions in workplaces.

A typical CV often includes information such as:

Work experience
Achievements and awards
Scholarship or earned grants
Coursework
Research projects and publications
A CV is also used as part of the requirements for master’s degree programs or Ph.D. when furthering education.

That said, let’s take a look at the types of CVs.

Types of CVs – Choosing the Right CV
The information you include in your CV/résumé is key to your success.

It’s essential that you choose the right format for the job you’re applying for.

Basically, there are 2 main types of CV, which we are going to expand on as we proceed:

Chronological (or traditional) CV
Skills-based (or functional) CV.
1. Chronological CV
The chronological is also referred to as traditional CV. It highlights your information under appropriate headings, starting with the most recent. An example is the educational section of the CV that you highlight from Ph.D. to master’s to B.Sc and secondary school leaving certificate.

This type of CV works fine when you have vast experiences and academic achievements that you would want to list out to catch the attention of the hiring manager.

It can also be used to emphasize your career progression with continuous employment with no gaps.

And even in situations where there are gaps, such as family issues and you still want to use this type of format, you can highlight appropriate reasons for the gaps, and people reading through your CV ir resume will understand.

2. Skills-Based or Functional CV
Skilled-based CV or functional CV type emphasizes your skills and personal qualities and highlights them over your employment history.

This type of CV is most suitable when:

1. You are planning a careers change and you want your employer to see through your skills set and how easily you can transfer the skills from your previous work experience and make them relevant for the position.

For instance, sometimes hiring manager wants to know how you can transfer your analytical skills to help scale the company’s growth.

2. You have gaps in your employment history. This is very suitable for this type of scenario. The only ging is to be prepared to answer questions because your potential employers may want to know why such gaps in your curriculum vitae or résumé.

3. if yours is a series of short-term paid jobs or voluntary roles, then this format is best suited for you. Because it allows you to emphasize more on the related skills and achievements gained from those experiences.

Other Types of CV
Sometimes, you find yourself in situations where you might want to consider choosing any of the below CV types.

Hybrid CV
From the word “hybrid” you can tell what the cv format will look like. It is simply the combination of skills-based and chronological CVs.

It utilizes a chronological layout while still emphasizing the series achievements and set of skills commonly found in the skills-based CVs.

This can be very useful if you want to stick with the chronological layouts and still want to draw the potential employers to see the specific skills that could stand you out from other applicants.

Technical CV
A technical CV is mostly suitable for technology-savvy people looking for a new role in their field. This category of people can either use the hybrid format or the skill-based format. IT specialists such as Digital Marketers and SEOs often have specific technical skills relevant to the role they’re applying for and want to highlight them one after the other.

Creative Industries CV
The recent advancement in technology has led to the development and expansion of digital and creative industries such as graphic design, animations, illustrations, and other forms of creative arts e.g. 3D designs and Pencil draws.

A creative CV format allows designers and artists to showcase their works. Therefore, this type of CV works fine for some creative and artistic roles including photography, web designing, and marketing.

You can often find CVs of this category in the layout of the infographic highlighting skills and achievements to make it more visually appealing.

A Picture is worth more than a thousand words they say makes this type of CV great. An infographic can occupy a very small portion of the CV and still illustrate thousands of pieces of information.

Creative CVs can also include QR codes to take the potential employers to an online portfolio or projects.

Academic CV
Wondering what academic CVs are?

They are a different type of CV used in academia, suitable for research positions, admission to master’s degrees, or a Ph.D. Choose this format to highlight your researches along with the relevant skills.

Note that academic CVs can sometimes be longer than other types of CVs. This won’t hurt your application or the way hiring managers will look at your CV. The details are important and could be the piece of information that will stand you out.

The length of academic CVs varies depending on the research output.

What to include in an academic CV
Your contact details
Your education background, qualifications, and achievements starting with the most recent (e.g, from Ph.D. down to B.Sc…).
A summary of your research including the names of your supervisors.
A detailed list of papers and other publications, presentations at conferences.
Teaching, supervision, or training experience. e.g, (WAEC or NECO supervision)
Including grants, awards, and scholarships.
Any professional membership of relevant societies.
Your research interest
Include any specialist or technical skills
Named referees – at least two academic referees.
You can append an abstract but remember to follow the simple rule of abstract:

The focus of your research (the problem or issue being addressed).
The methodology used
The results or findings
The main conclusions or recommendations
CV Vs. Resume
What is the difference between a CV and a Resume?

CVs and Resumes both summarize your professional history, education, skills, and achievements.

However, these two terms are uninterchangeable in the USA and Europe even though there are similarities.

The word résumé is from the French word, which means “abstract” or “summary of a document providing a concise overview of your previous education, roles, and skills rather than the details that are often included in CVs.

Reasons Why CV is Important for Job Seekers
CVs are the first chance you have to make a good impression on your recruiter before a face-to-face interview.

Here are the 5 reasons why you need a CV and why you should learn how to write a CV: Continue reading https://ngjobalerts.com/how-to-craft-a-professional-cv-and-resume-the-ultimate-guide/