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How to Prepare a Winning CV

Preparing your own Curriculum Vitae can seem a daunting task. Quite apart from what to put in and what to leave out, describing your own strengths and abilities isn’t easy. What we have tried to do with the following guidelines is to make the whole process a much easier one and ensure that you end up with a professional document which shows you how to pitch your skills and stand out from the crowd, but without going over the top. 
In the current economic and employment climate, employers are looking to consistently improve on productivity and match a prospective employee’s skills and experience with the job needs, both now and in the future.

General guidelines:

  • Always ensure that your CV is well-formatted and easy to read. Use a clean font no smaller than 12 point and limit the length to 2-3 pages. 
  • Use bullets wherever possible as it will make your CV easier to read.
  • Ensure that you have corrected all grammatical and spelling mistakes. Use a spell check and have your CV read by someone else.
  • The use of sub-headings (e.g. Education, Professional Experience, etc.) will help potential employers find the information they require with ease.
  • Customise your CV to the job or type of job you are seeking. 
  • Your experience and education should be listed in reverse chronological order (starting from most recent).
  • If you are just commencing your working life, having previously been a student, provide more in depth information regarding your academic achievements and include any internship or stage you may have done.

What to include:

  • A clear objective that matches the job to which you are applying.
  • A summary of your profile that highlights your key competencies and experience.
  • Several keywords. Many of today’s CV search engines are geared towards key word searches. By including adequate keywords, you will have a better chance of appearing in the search results.
  • Action verbs such as managed, designed, improved, developed, etc.

What to avoid:

  • Unclear or vague information. Use facts and measurable results wherever possible.
  • Using “I” or “me”. Use instead a style like “Developed three new HPLC methods”.
  • Trying to cover gaps in employment history. These can be explained during the interview process.
  • Reasons for leaving a prior job.
  • Salary expectations.

Structure:

Begin with a bold profile about yourself and your abilities, give the reader a snapshot of the person you are and the skills you possess. Keep it short, objective and make sure you can back up the statements at your interview.

  1. PERSONAL INFORMATION

    Include your name, address, telephone number(s) and e-mail address. Other personal information such as marital status, family situation and birthdate should be avoided as much as possible to limit the risk of discrimination. Do not include photographs.

  2. OBJECTIVE

    Your career objective is often the focal point of your CV. Make sure that it relates directly to your experience and to the job for which you are applying. You may want to have a few versions of your CV on hand, with different objectives that support the different types of positions you are seeking.

  3. WORK EXPERIENCE

    Include your title or position, the company name and location, and the dates of employment.   Use strong action verbs that describe your responsibilities and achievements.

  4. EDUCATION

    Starting with your most recent education, list the names of the institutions you attended and under each one, the degree or diploma that you earned, your specialisation and the year you finished.   Include any awards or distinction you earned also in this section. Do not include primary or secondary school details if you have obtained higher level education.

  5. LIST OF PUBLICATIONS

    Unless you are applying for an academic position, keep your list down to 4 or 5 with a statement such as: “Full publication list available upon request”. Most companies are not going to read a full list, and including a large number of papers makes the CV unnecessarily lengthy.

  6. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

    Ensure that you also include additional training that you may have taken since finishing your formal schooling (eg. certification as a CRA, marketing course, etc.). Be sure to include your language skills and your level of proficiency in each. This is particularly important in Belgium. If you wish, you may also include any hobbies or outside interests.

  7. REFERENCES

    In general, you should either leave this section out completely or simply mention that references are available upon request. Employers should only contact your referees with your permission, and normally only after meeting you. You should however be prepared to supply them at the end of the interview if requested.

Remember this is your opportunity to “sell” yourself! You will never get a second chance to make a first impression! Good luck!

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