Career Skills

Created 1.11.2024
Last Updated: 12.11.2024

When looking for a job, the most important documents are a CV, i.e. a curriculum vitae, and a job application. On this page you will find information and tips on how to write your CV and job application, as well as links to help you with your job search.

CV

CV, also known as a curriculum vitae, provides basic information about you in a compact form. It contains information about your education, work experience, core competencies, skills and qualifications. A CV is often used in hand with a job application. It should be clear and easy to read, preferably one page long, but no more than two pages. The CV is not intended to list every single piece of work experience or training you have. Instead, your CV should be tailored to each job you apply for.  

Contents of the CV

  • Your contact details: name, phone number, email address and city/town of residence
  • Profile text summarising your core competences and future goals
  • Education from latest to oldest
  • Your most relevant work experience relevant to the job applied for, from most recent to oldest
  • Other relevant experience
  • Other skills, such as IT skills and language skills
  • References (remember to ask the referee for permission!)
  • It is often not compulsory to use a photo, but a photo is more likely to get you noticed by the recruiter. However, please only use good quality photos
  • You can also include a link to your LinkedIn profile or any portfolio you may have

 

Finally, pay attention to  

  • The most essential information is the first thing you see when you look at your CV
  • Your contact details are correct
  • Your CV does not contain any language or spelling mistakes
  • Your CV is not overloaded with information and has an airy appearance
  • Convert your CV to PDF format before sending it to ensure it opens correctly
  • Ask a friend to check your CV before sending it

 

Tips for you!

The best CV is one that shows the personality of its author and highlights his or her best qualities from the point of view of the job applied for. CV can be created by using Microsoft Word. However, there are also a number of free programs that make it easy to build your own CV. For example, Canva offers pre-made templates for creating a visually appealing CV. You can also use Optimum’s CV examples to help you plan the structure, layout or style of your own CV.