How to write an impressive CV

We Share

How to write an impressive CV

May 11, 2020

At NashTech we receive many CVs every year. Your CV – Curriculum Vitae is just like a golden key that leads to your future career. That’s why it is worth spending time to make it as perfect as it can be. To really stand out from the crowd you must have a professional CV and this can take some seriously good writing skills. Creating an impressive CV may be more complex than you think, but don’t worry, we’re here to help. Here we share many helpful tips and we’ve also included a CV template at the end of this article.

Now, let’s do it step by step.

Firstly, you must decide what information to write in your CV. There is no compulsory format for it, so it is up to you. Basically, a CV should contain your personal information, your work experience, your education and qualifications, your skills and your interests.

1. Personal information

You can start your CV with some personal information.

Tips:

Your name, date of birth, email, phone number, address and a photo of yourself must be included.
Don’t title your CV with ‘curriculum vitae’ or ‘CV’ as it’s a waste of valuable space. Treat your name as the title instead.
Remember to avoid superfluous details, such as religious affiliation, sexual orientation, etc.

Do not attach unprofessional selfies because this will give a bad impression.

2. Objective

This is a perfect choice when you’re targeting a specific job or position, as it’s an essential item that will make you stand out from the crowd. It explains who you are, what you can contribute to your team, and indicates your career direction. However, you must be careful. If you don’t do it correctly, it can look amateur or your employer might think that you are too demanding.

Example: Senior software engineer, with 3+ years of experience, looking for a challenging role to utilize the technical and management skills for the growth of the organization.

Tips:

Keep it short;
Start with a strong statement which describes your career goals, and say what you hope to do for the company;
Remember that you should not use any kind of first-person pronouns. ( For example: I, myself, mine – Đại từ nhân xưng ngôi thứ nhất)

3. Work experience

Include the information of the organization where you worked, the job title, the dates you were employed and a summary of your experience and achievements. The record of your work experience should be presented in reverse date order starting with the most recent appointment.

Tips:

Mention your job title and your main responsibilities at former companies.
Add your main achievements at each workplace.

The number of your previous projects are wow factors for your CV.

4. Education

You must include the name of your school/academy, location, what degree you received, and the dates you were there. The format should be similar to ‘Work Experience’, so start with your most recent educational qualification and work backwards.

Tips:

List out the achievements and scholarships you gained;
List out the activities you participated in while you were at school;
If you don’t have much work experience, focus on the academic achievements, or your support/duties in the academic clubs you join which are related to the job. For example, you can mention details of the projects you did at school, and assignments that are acclaimed by your lecturers.

5. Key skills

We recommend adding this section underneath your personal profile to immediately catch the attention of the recruiter.

Tips:

Any skills related the job should be mentioned.
Be as specific as possible.
Level/certificate of the skills should be mentioned.

6. Interests

You can boost your CV by inserting ‘Interests’ section at the end of it. This can help to show how well you fit into the company or the industry. For example, if you’re applying for a company with a strong culture of solidarity and community like NashTech, you can indicate that you have a big interest in exploring and sharing new knowledge.

Tips:

Have knowledge about your desired company to understand what they need.

Keep it short and to the point.
Be specific.
Don’t merely list down your interests – describe them in short sentences

Top two reasons why you might be perfect for the job but you don’t get an interview

At NashTech many CVs are rejected because of two major reasons:

1. Poor spelling and grammar

No excuses for this. You should bear in mind that this is a document that represents you, and any mistakes could be the reason that your application doesn’t move to the interview phase. Remember to check your CV carefully for spelling and grammar before sending it to employers.

2. You haven’t created a bespoke CV

An irrelevant CV will quickly be disqualified. The more appropriate information you describe in your CV, the more chances/ notice you will get from the employers. Ensure that your CV contains information which the recruiter is looking for (related experience, skills, and so on). Although it may be time consuming, writing a bespoke CV for a particular job application will get you noticed above those that simply submit a generic CV.

CV Template for IT Freshers

Here is a really helpful CV template for IT freshers. It’s not super colorful or beautiful, but it’s organized with crucial information to let us know that you’re suitable for the job. If you don’t have much working experience, we recommend you focus on the ‘Education’ section.