10 tips to improve your Curriculum Vitae

How to make a perfect resume? Learn the keys to improve your resume.

We are facing a very demanding labor market and, although it looks like a simple piece of paper, the curriculum vitae is the document that will serve as a way of presentation and can lead to success.It can lead us to success... or failure.

For this reason, it is essential to to know which are the keys to improve a curriculum vitae, which, although technically that although it is technically correct and has all the necessary information, it does not make us stand out.

How to improve your Curriculum Vitae?

If there is something that characterizes resumes, it is that they present a lot of information about a person in a very limited space. This need to compress data in just a page and a half can lead to make many wrong decisions and to give an image that does not correspond to the type of candidates that the company we aspire to join is looking for.

The resume is the first thing that companies that are offering a job we want usually look at. This means that simply keeping it from being skimmed halfway through the text is a challenge. According to research by "TheLadders", it takes a recruiter approximately 6 seconds to decide if you are suitable after looking at your CV.

But how to create a successful resume? What information should our resume contain? In this text we have set out to unravel the main keys to ensure that a CV does not go straight into the wastepaper basket.

10 fundamental points to make a good CV

Next, from Psychology and Mindwe present you all the necessary information to prepare a resume that will seduce the recruiter and that will lead you to maximize your chances of getting a job.

Improving your CV can only bring you positive consequences.. The job is much closer with a strong resume that highlights your professional and personal virtues.

1. Build your CV according to the position you are applying for.

You are selling yourself on a piece of paper, so tailor your information to reflect what the company is looking for. Try to research the company and visit their website to find out what objectives or values they promote.. Try to capture the philosophy of the company and the position in your resume. Create your customized CV and use a format that best suits the industry you want to work in.

For example: if you are a graphic designer, make a CV that demonstrates your mastery of that field. If, on the other hand, you aspire to a managerial job in a multinational company, stick to a more classic resume template.

As far as which CV template to use, I recommend you to read this article:

• "Types of Curriculum Vitae - The 4 CV models (advantages and disadvantages)".

2. Highlight your qualities, but never lie.

You must be honest as your CV will be used to structure the interview if you are one of the selected candidates. Don't include false information because it can get you into trouble later in the process. Use your resume to highlight your skills and strengths..

If you lie, keep in mind that the chances of them catching on to your deception are quite high, and your image will be permanently damaged. This is not a good idea. I recommend you to be honest, you can get much further with the truth than with lies.

3. Decide if you want to include a target

There is some disagreement among experts on whether or not to include an objective on your resume. A recruiter may discard your application if he or she thinks you have too high expectations for the position. If you want to work, skip it.. On the contrary, if what you want is a job that is not below your expectations, you can include it.

It all depends on the type of job you aspire to, and the image you want to give as a professional.

4. Your CV should not be as long as your years of experience.

This can be tricky if you have a lot of experience and are proud of your career path, but you should only include information that is relevant to the position. If you are in your 20s, you should probably use only one page. Even if you have accumulated many years of experience, it is not advisable to use more than one page, it's not advisable to use more than two pages (one page written front and back).

It is much better to prepare a single sheet of paper, but powerful and attractive to the eye, than not to use five or six pages of endless curriculum. The brief, if good, is twice as good.

5. Use white space to direct the recruiter's eye to specific points.

Try not to include so much information that it can end up distracting the recruiter. Create a resume that is pleasing to the eye and use white space to attract the recruiter's attention. and use white space to draw the recruiter's eye to important aspects of your profile.

Keep in mind that human resources personnel can take a few seconds to evaluate your resume, so make it easy for them and choose a design that highlights your most relevant skills and experiences.

6. Use bullet points to highlight roles, responsibilities or accomplishments.

Under each job performed, specify duties or accomplishments with no more than four or five bullets.. Do not use whole sentences, you should limit yourself to write just what is necessary. This space will help the recruiter to have a clear idea of the functions and tasks you have developed in each of your previous work experiences.

Remember: just enough information, do not overdo it detailing all your functions.

7. Include brief academic information

Include only the academic information relevant to the positionInclude only the academic information relevant to the position: name of school, degree and year of graduation. Experienced workers should include education at the end of their resume. If you are a recent graduate, you may want to include graduate work or dissertations that include significant aspects of the position you are applying for.

Educational background is important, but some companies give it relative importance. It is your obligation to know to what extent you should emphasize aspects related to your work experience or your education.

8. Do not include your hobbies

Recruiters only care about what you can do for the company. if you can't connect your hobbies to the job you want to get, don't include them on your CV. If you feel that your hobbies are related to the job, you can include them at the end.

Improve your CV by including only information that is relevant to the company that may require your professional services.

9. It is not necessary to mention references

If your future employer wants to talk to your former bosses, don't worry: they will let you know so that you can provide them with your contact information. Don't give them this information unless they ask for it.This will give you time to let your former manager know so you can update him/her.

Don't forget to talk to your former boss and explain why they are going to call him and what you think would be a good way for him to explain your skills and competencies to the company that is interested in you. Be careful, don't force him to say what you think, give him some freedom and confidence.

10. Use a chronological CV

Depending on the way the information is organized, the resume can be of various types. This is one of the keys to improving your resume.

The chronological CV, which consists of ordering the data in the CV from the most recent to the oldest, is the most commonly used format and the one that is best suited to your resume.is the most used format and the most accepted by recruiters. On the other hand, the functional resume, which consists of ordering the resume by thematic blocks, is recommended when the experience is very scattered or when there are large periods of time in which you have not worked. This can cause the functional CV to be understood by the most expert recruiters as a way to make up the CV.

Other points to keep in mind to improve your CV

Remember that a good resume cannot do without some basic characteristics in its aesthetic composition:

• Clear, concrete and conciseThe minimum and maximum length should be 1 or 2 pages.
• Pleasant to the recruiter's eye.
• Written by computerwithout errors, mistakes and manual corrections.
• Find a CV template that suits your needs.
• Spacing and with wide margins.
• With the most headlines and most important or interesting or interesting aspects highlighted.
• Without revealing all the informationonly what is necessary to catch the recruiter's attention.

If your CV has impressed them...

If you have followed the steps we have indicated, you have delivered your CV to a company and they have called you... Congratulations! You have passed the first test. But now you have to pass another one: the interview.

In this article from Psychology and Mind called "The 10 most frequent mistakes in job interviews" we review what are the things you should never do an interview, so you can go and prove that you are the candidate they are looking for. Best of luck!

Bibliographical references:

• Alles, M. (1997). 200 modelos de Currículum. Buenos Aires: Granica.
• Landrum, R. (2005). The curriculum vita: a student's guide to preparation. Psi Chi. 9(2) 28-29.