Your resume or CV (curriculum vitae) is a crucial component of your application. Very often the first thing the reviewer of your application does, is to take at least a quick look at your resume to learn the key facts about you. Afterwards he or she might read your cover letter and then go back to pay detailed attention to your resume before reading through the additional material you have provided. So as you can see your resume is the focal point of your application. Why is that? Because reviewers know what they would like to see: A clearly structured document which is easy to read. Even though the way to write resumes varies from country to country the basics are always the same. Over time, due to the free movement of labor in the European Union, it can be expected that resumes will become even more standardized. To satisfy the majority of the recruiters your resume should include the sections listed below. Entries should be sorted anti-chronologically starting with the most recent. If you have little or no work experience it's important to try to identify and emphasize other skills and qualifications. So, if not all sections apply to you focus on the ones that describe your life best.

In general it is better to only include in your resume skills and experiences that will be of relevance for the position you are applying for. You do not want to bore the reviewer with redundant information. Get to the facts and stick with them!

Personal information

Includes name, address, telephone and ,email details. Additional information such as date of birth, citizenships, and a photo might still be common in a lot of European countries but may not be solicited for anymore and must not influence the decision of a recruiter to hire you due to legal reasons. Consequently, you do not have to state this information. Make sure you do not use email addresses such as honeypie69@xyz.com but rather use an email adresse that consists of your name. If you do not want to completely switch to this address, simply get an additional one for you applications.

Education

Provide all information about academic institutions you have attended from high school (or equivalent) onwards. Also include summer programs or semesters spent abroad on an exchange program. In addition, indicate to the period you attended the institutions (month/year) your major and (pursued) degrees - If you hold a degree that cannot be easily understood in English, state the original name and the English equivalent (e.g., M.Sc. (Econ) equivalent). It might also be advisable to state the program that you attend if you were doing an exchange program at that school (e.g., attended MBA classes in finance and accounting). Moreover, you should state your (expected) grade point average or GPA in a way that people familiar with the grading system of your country can understand. For example, if you received a 2 on a grading scale from 6 (failed) to 1 (excellent) than indicate "GPA: 2 (best: 1; worst: 6)". It makes it even easier for the recruiters if you provide the percentile you are in (95th percentile means only 5% of your class have a better grade; you can also write top 5%) or the rank in your class. Usually the examination office can give you this information or it is automatically included in your transcript.

Professional experience

This section states all work and entrepreneurial experience gained since high school. This might include permanent positions, student jobs, internships, apprenticeships, freelance jobs, trainee programs, or companies you have started yourself. Make sure that all entries include the duration (month/year) and the name, city, and country of the organization. Also include your tasks and achievements. Rather than saying "Internship in Marketing" say "Analyzed consumer behavior on the shop floor and implemented a new shop layout that resulted in revenue growth of 10%". But do not forget: Don't lie and don't exaggerate! Delivering newspapers in your neighborhood does not mean "Responsible for the distribution of print publications in the London Metropolitan Area". Always be prepared that someone who interviews you is an expert in that area and will ask tough questions. And recruiters have a good sense to spot exaggerations and lies. They might even call your reference to verify your statements. But do not be too humble to not point out your achievements at all.

If your country requires you to do military or social service you should also state this as work-experience as you usually spent about one year working in a professional environment.

Languages and international travel

In this section you can state all skills you have that are of relevance to your application. So do not state for how long you can hold your breath if you do not intend to become a diver. Usually you should mention language and computer and IT skills. It is important that you describe the level of skills, e.g., language skills could be described as native, fluent, advanced, and basic. More detailed description usually leave more questions open than they answer (what is the difference between beginner and basic?) Even stating that you have advanced skills in French will usually be translated into "has some knowledge but will not be able to use the language in a business environment". Consequently, the only important language skills are the languages you speak and write fluently.

Computer/IT

When it comes to computer and IT skills do not waste space by listing operating system like Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP, and Vista. If relevant (e.g., in media or advertising) stating that you know Mac OS may help but everybody expects you to know Windows. In addition, you do not have to list all basic Microsoft Office programs, "standard office applications" will do. However, if you are a pro using spreadsheet software such as Excel or database software such as Access you should definitely state this. But not by simply listing the software, but by saying, e.g. "advanced modeling skills in Excel". In addition, you will not win any prize if you state that you know the "Internet" or even "Firefox", not to speak of "E-Mail". This is standard if not less! And basic knowledge of HTML will not help anybody either. Try to focus on software skills that are special: If you can use statistical software such as SPSS or Stata, state it! The same goes for special design and video-editing software, if you know more that opening an image.

Extracurricular activities/personal interests

This is where it counts! Not so much what you do but that you do something at all. List all activities that you are passionate about: If you are the captain of a football team or if you help older people in their houses: Great! If you are active in certain clubs, associations, or parties, tell the reader what you are doing there. Being involved in sports can, e.g., demonstrate team working ability or travel can show your adaptability and independence. Don't give a long list of interests but concentrate on two or three.

Scholarships/merits

If you have been awarded any scholarships, grants, or stipends based on merit, it is great to list them and the duration in which you received them. You do not have to be too humble to state them but you should rather be proud of what you have received. As they are often very well known locally but not in other countries, provide a translation (ask the awarding organization for an official translation or check the English language section of their Website.

Performances, exhibitions, and compositions

Including artistic efforts, public performances and such in your resume is a delicate question to answer; at least when applying for a job/internship in the (analytical) business world. Whether or not you decide to mention something in your resume is probably dependent on following factors:

• Relevance to position applying for
• Overall look of your resume
• How prestigious your artistic effort is.

If your job requires public speaking it could be very beneficial to have experience in performing in front of crowds (say as an actor on the stage or a musician). On the other hand, applying for a position in a really conservative environment may make it more prudent not to mention certain efforts if they could be considered too extravagant or bizarre. Should your resume look really thin, including an interesting background or experience in arts may be a legitimate way of giving your resume an edge. Obviously, if your artistic efforts received praise by your peers and/or the public and if you were perhaps even awarded a renowned and well-respected prize, there is no reason to hide this fact. It is an achievement to be proud of!

Bear in mind that a resume should optimally be tailor-made for each and every recipient. Your resume should deliver a message. Whether or not to include artistic achievements in your resume should thereby certainly be done if you believe that it will enhance your profile for a specific position. When in doubt discuss it with some friends. A good solution could also be to just briefly mention it in the "Personal Interests" section.

References

It differs from country to country how, or if at all, you should present references. So if you are in doubt about whether or not to include them, you can always write "Available upon request". Make sure that you have permission from your references prior to putting their names in your resume. Double-check that the email addresses and telephone numbers you provide are correct. Also, always let your references know whose calls they should expect and send them the most recent version of your resume. As a rule of thumb, do not list more than three references.

Transcripts

Transcripts or overviews of your grades are crucial to support your education mentioned in your resume. Usually it is sufficient to provide copies of your diplomas, degrees etc., but if you do not have official transcripts a simple table listing the courses and the grades will do, too, as long as you have it certified by your school. If the transcripts are not in English or the language of the person you are sending the resume to, make sure that you provide a translation explaining the grading system.

Certificates

In some countries it is mandatory, that you provide certificates for almost everything you mention in your resume. Thus, it is advisable to have copies of your evaluations or certificates from jobs or extracurricular activities at hand. To save time and money it is best if you scan the documents (black and white line art at 300 dpi is sufficient) and store them as a pdf file that can be printed or emailed them whenever needed. Again, if in doubt about whether to include a file, do so. If the person does not need it, he or she can easily ignore it.

Dimensions

Be aware that the dimensions of letters vary: Whereas in A4-sized paper (210 x 297 mm) is standard in a lot of countries, it is "letter" (216 x 279 mm) in the UK, and "legal" in the US (216 x 356 mm). If you know a place where you can get paper in the dimensions the recipient is accustomed to, you can use it, of course. However, as more and more applications can be sent by email it is usually ok to leave it in the format you have it. You can change the dimensions of the document in Microsoft Word by clicking "File" -> "Page Setup" -> "Paper" -> "Paper Size".

Recency

Whatever your current life and work situation, there is always a good reason to keep your resume up to date so that it looks appealing to potential employer.

Now that you have theoretically understood what differentiates a good resume from a bad one, we would also like to provide you with practical help on making your CV the best it can be. Therefore, Entrypark's recruiting professionals offer you a free CV and resume check and advice. You only have to successfully recommend Entrypark to five of your friends. That means, if your friends sign up using the recommendation link until June 15, 2008, you get your CV reviewed and checked within 2 weeks and receive individual feedback on it! This will give your application the extra edge you are looking for!