Top 10 tips for writing a good CV

5 minutes. That’s the average time recruiters spend reading a resume. It’s therefore best to avoid the slightest faux pas, both in terms of content and style, when you send your resume. But you still need to know the basic rules… Ideal length, format, photo, etc. Discover all our tips for creating THE perfect resume, the one that will make all the difference in landing a job interview!

1 Aim for a CV length of 1 page

In terms of length, it is important to try to stay on 1-page maximum or even 2 if you have several years of experience. To respect the format, you must therefore ensure that you detail only the most significant experiences By “significant experiences” we mean experiences that have lasted and have allowed you to evolve (new skills, salary increase, new responsibilities, etc.) and those that best value you about the position you are aiming for. If you are a recent graduate or if you have little experience to highlight, detail your internships, work-study assignments, and summer jobs. If you have no professional experience: focus everything on the cover letter, and link it with your projects or school work.

2 Do not include references

There is no point in including references on your CV because the recruiter will need your prior agreement to contact them. However, you can mention on your CV or during your recruitment interview that ” references can be provided upon request “, remembering to ask the people concerned for their agreement beforehand.

3 Focus on sobriety

Even if originality can sometimes pay off in certain specific sectors (advertising agency, tech start-up, etc.), the safest thing is to choose a CV that is as sober as possible (neutral colors and classic font). Keep in mind that you don’t know who will read your CV, especially when you go through a recruitment agency that will send your CV to several companies. Be careful: whether in the choice of font or colors, you must remain consistent. In other words, use the same font throughout the CV and similar colors (for example, a shade of blue). On the other hand, to highlight the key elements of your CV (job title, type of contract, dates, etc.), you can play with the font size, bold, italics, bullet points, and boxes … And for the profile photo, f you want to put one, there are a few rules to follow: no selfies, neutral background (don’t take your photo in your bathroom or the elevator!), no vacation photos or with other people. Wear professional clothes and don’t hesitate to smile!

4 Put a title and a hook on your CV

The title you choose should reflect the job you’re applying for and be relatable to as many people as possible. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the title that appeared in your previous job description.

2 scenarios:

If you are responding to an advertisement: use the job title shown on the advertisement.
If you submit your CV online : choose the most generic title possible so as not to close the doors to other jobs with specific titles.

The hook is like the title: it is essential. Especially since today, the hook replaces the cover letter, but be careful with the length. It should not exceed 2-3 sentences maximum with the key elements of your job search, such asthee type of contract you are looking for, your number of years of experience, your availability date, your geographical sector, the environment you are looking for or even your diploma if you are a recent graduate.

5 Highlight your professional experiences

In the part of your CV where you detail your various missions, you must provide figures (KPIs) or specific examples of your achievements. The recruiter must be able to see the concrete work you have accomplished. Also, do not hesitate to include all external links that can demonstrate your professional achievements described in the CV. Furthermore, be sure to present your professional experiences from the most recent to the oldest. Finally, avoid writing in the first person Preferably, start your sentences with impersonal verbs or phrases. You will gain dynamism and space, and this will greatly facilitate access to information for the recruiter (e.g. “In charge of establishing and validating the feasibility of projects with technical teams”).

6 Justify any gaps in your CV

If you have a period of inactivity (unemployment, sabbatical, etc.), do not try to hide it by lying about the dates. If you have a period of inactivity of more than 1 year, mention it in the “professional experience ” section, indicating what you did during this period, either on a personal or professional level (examples: you took a sabbatical year to travel the world, you took long-term parental leave, you changed career or followed a training course, etc.). If you are not comfortable with the purpose of the period of inactivity, you can put “ justified personal reasons ”. Generally speaking, never lie on your CV because the recruiter will ask you questions during the interview and will immediately see that you lied!

7 Soft skills mad skills green skills mention them on your CV

Soft skills have become essential on a resume. To present them well, you have two options:

Option 1:D describe your soft skills within your professional experience by bbacklinkingthe task performed and the main soft skill put into practice (e.g.: budget monitoring = rigor).
Option 2: Write a box about your skills, both technical (spoken languages, mastery of a particular tool, etc.) and behavioral (resilience, empathy, etc.). Please note: do not list more than 3 soft skills.

Because soft skills will soon no longer be enough to stand out, don’t hesitate to mention your mad skills if you have an.Warning: mad skills should not be confused with your interests (cinema, reading, etc.) because we are talking here about your hobbies or passions practiced at a high level or for a long period (volunteering, sports, art, new technologies, etc.). Before talking about them on your CV, assess the company culture and judge for yourself whether it is relevant to talk about them. If necessary, create a dedicated section of your CV so as not to put them on the same level as your traditional hobbies.

Finally, since taking the ecological transition into account is no longer an option for organizations, highlight your green skills on our CV What are they? According to a LinkedIn report, ” green skills are those that ensure the environmental sustainability of economic activities .” There are two categories:

Green technical skills ( hard skills ), which are essential for companies to implement their CSR policy: knowing how to carry out a carbon assessment, manage waste, regulate energy aspects, understand Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria, etc.
Green behavioral skills ( soft skills ), which cnecessaryto change our ways of thinking and facilitate the management of a more sustainable world: supporting equity, critical and exploratory thinking, adaptability, inventiveness, etc.

8 Link to your LinkedIn profile

Contrary to popular belief, the LinkedIn profile and the CV are two separate tools. Indeed, the LinkedIn profile provides additional information to your CV. By linking to it on your CV, the recruiter will be able to see your recommendations, the extent of your network, as well as your activities (posts, likes, comments) and therefore your topics of interest not mentioned on the CV. But be careful: make sure to check beforehand that no activity on the network could harm you.

9 Tailor your CV to each job offer

If the jobs you’re applying for are different, highlight your experiences, successes, and skills, both behavioral and professional, in line with the job description you’re applying for. With this in mind, pay attention to keywords Yes, when you apply, your CV will potentially be analyzed by an algorithm that will determine if it can “match” the job before being submitted to the recruiter. However, be careful to only use keywords that truly reflect your experiences and skills, and do so sparingly.