How To Make CV Look Professional

Whether you are a fresh graduate or not, your curriculum vitae, sometimes referred to as CV or resume, is crucial. This document will mold the companies’ first impression of you as a candidate for their job opening. Moreover, it is your way to secure an interview from a company, who might be your potential employer. So if the hiring committee did not like you based on your CV, they would not interview you anymore. As a result, you lost your chance to be hired and be part of their institution.

To prevent this from happening, you must create a more professional-looking resume that will attract employers. If you are unsure of what to do, you can rely on companies offering a professional CV service. They will make one for you based on the information you will give them. Their experiences in this field will enable them to deliver an excellent CV for you. But if you have no means to pay them, you can always learn the skills related to this. In this article, you will see some tips on making your resume look appropriate and professional.

Select The Professional Resume Type

If you want to make your CV look professional, you must choose a format that suits this description. There are several resume types: chronological, functional, combination, infographic, targeted, nontraditional, mini-resume, and resume with a profile. Each type has a different format and objective. One part of learning how to write a CV is choosing the most suitable resume type for your career goals. This way, the human resources officer can discern the kind of path you are leading. It can be whether you are seeking a higher position or changing your career path.

If your target job is arts, graphic design, or technology, infographics and nontraditional resume are best for you. These two present unconventional elements, such as graphs, images, and graphics, to help the HR committee evaluate your qualifications. Meanwhile, chronological, functional, combination, targeted, and resume with a profile are appropriate if you need a professional-looking CV. They are meant to highlight your work history, skills, experiences, and goals as a professional.

Choose Simple Fonts

 Font style and size are significant elements, whether designing a product label or writing a CV. How you use them shows how you present yourself. Whether you are giving a physical or digital copy, it would be best to use a legible font. Some of these include Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman. You might be tempted to use fancy or decorative fonts like Papyrus or Bradley Hand to improve your resume’s appearance. But in reality, they have no place in a curriculum vitae unless used in artworks or outputs.

Even though these elements seem unimportant to you, they are most helpful to the officer who will read your file. They should be able to read your work history, background, and achievements without difficulty. Therefore, you must choose a font size between 10 and 12. However, you can also utilize other font sizes and formats to highlight the necessary parts of your CV. For example, you can use a bigger font for your name to show ownership. Also, utilize the bold or italics feature for the information you want to emphasize. But you must use them appropriately to avoid negative remarks.

Refer to Examples or Templates

 As a part of learning something new, it is necessary to look for examples that you can imitate. Before you draft your professional CV, it would be best to refer to other people’s resumes first. You can look for those that are related to your field of specialization or target industry. This way, you can use theirs as guides while making a draft. But as mentioned, you are expected to only use them as references or guides. Therefore, you must edit or customize them to highlight your qualities and skills.

Another helpful tip is to maximize the available templates found on your word processing software or applications, like Canva. You can search for the template that fits your personality, preference, and abilities. However, you must ensure that it still looks professional and not creative. Nowadays, you can find several resources on the internet, so using them would help you save time and effort.

Include Your Personal Profile

 A good CV must present the necessary information the employers want to know about you. While your educational background and work experience are significant, some employers are interested in other aspects. This includes your personal profile, also referred to as personal statement, career objective, or professional profile. It is a short paragraph placed under your name and contact details. You will use this part to show your skills and goals to potential employers.

Because it is one of the first things the hiring manager will see about you, it also becomes a crucial part. Therefore, you must keep it in an appropriate length. It would be best to compose around four to six sentences, with 50 to 200 words only. While others might argue that it must be omitted, it is needed in some fields. For example, it will be beneficial for advertising, film, music, PR, and publishing job openings.

Add Your Contact Details

 As mentioned above, contact details are included on the top portion of your CV, just below your name. In addition, you must include your email address and phone number(s). Ensure that these are available and functional so that you can receive emails or texts from HR officers. If you have a LinkedIn profile, you can also add the link for them to check it out. However, you must make sure that it is updated to avoid confusing the hiring officer.

This tip may seem unexpected, but it is still essential. Sometimes, we tend to forget the simplest things, so this is meant to remind you. This way, you do not have to wonder why no one has been reaching out to you.

In conclusion, you can take several steps to give your curriculum vitae a professional vibe. You must first select the most appropriate resume type, font size, and style. Moreover, you can refer to examples or templates to have a guide while drafting. But most importantly, you must not forget your contact details and personal profile. These may seem easy to follow. But if you still need help with your CV, you can always look for resume writing services online.