 A resumé/CV should preferably not be longer than two sheets of A4. These are the details you should include:
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Personal data: Name, address, telephone number (work/ private/ mobile). Other personal data can be added depending on local country practice.
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Educational qualifications: Years during which you studied, name of the course, educational institution and place and formal qualifications.
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Additional courses: Course subject, educational institution. As appropriate: duration of the course; certificates obtained. Only mention courses relevant to the job. If possible, group together courses of a similar nature.
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Work experience: Period, job title, name and location of the organization, nature of the work, duties and responsibilities. Where appropriate, successes that are relevant to the job you are applying for. Start with your most recent work experience, unless you are applying for a job related to a function that you performed in the past. Other aspects may be included, depending on your personal capabilities, the job and the part of the company to which you are applying.
Additional information that you can include in your resumé/CV
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Personal profile: Brief description of who you are, your personal characteristics, and possibly your general expertise and skills.
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Ambition (search profile): Brief outline of your ambition, in terms of duties and responsibilities, job content, constraints and work environment.
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Social responsibilities: Additional jobs/ voluntary work during your studies and outside your work.
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Leisure activities: Mention these if relevant to the job or if they are activities that characterize you particularly.
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Publications and patents: Mention if relevant (with title), in chronological order. If there is a large number, list them on a separate sheet.
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Miscellaneous: The following may also be mentioned:
– Driving license (categories), ownership of own means of transport
– Language skills (spoken/written)
– Computer skills
The basic resumé/CV
As you always adapt your resumé to the job for which you are applying, it is useful to make a basic document/ working document which you can always use to draw up each individually targeted resumé that you send. This basic document contains all the elements that you might want to select from, and is therefore more extensive than each separate version that you send.
Some tips on compiling a resumé/CV
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Make an estimate of the way in which your letter and CV will be dealt with, and also of the business sector, the regional culture and the vacancy, and adapt the format and content of your letter and CV accordingly;
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Make sure the presentation is in line with the content: e.g. no artistic lettering for a business function and environment;
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Mention foreign languages only if you have specific knowledge or if you are required to mention business applications of a foreign language. School knowledge alone is not sufficient or noteworthy;
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Hold back any references you have. Do not mention them in a CV, and give them only if asked, in which case you should give a maximum of three references. If you use someone as a referee, inform him/her of this beforehand;
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Use a standard typeface and a simple format. Remember that the recipient may have a different word processing program or a different version.
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Once you have drawn up your CV, let someone else read it to check the following points:
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Is it true; does it fit your profile and personality?
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Is it clear and recognizable?
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Does it contain anything that is superfluous or not useful?
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Will the recipient feel it is appropriate for their specific purpose?
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Does it make the recipient want to arrange an interview or stay in contact?
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Is it free from stylistic and spelling errors?
For a resumé/CV that is sent electronically, remember that the recipient may want to use 'keyword search'. Make sure that the terms you want to be found are in your document.
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