Tips for skills to put in your CV, resume
What should a CV for a job look like? How to write a good CV? What qualities should a CV have? What skills and knowledge to put in it? These are questions that trouble not only job seekers but also recruiters. During the decision-making process, they have to navigate through hundreds of CVs and select the right candidate, so even they sometimes have a dilemma about which job candidate is the right one. We’ll give you an advice on how to write a resume, how to spruce up your CV or online CV to impress recruiters and give you a better chance of getting hired. So we’ve written down ten tips you should follow.
In the article you will learn:
- Which required skills do you have?
- What is the level of your skills?
- Be interesting at the interview and try to be original
- Think about the length of your work experience
- What skills would you like to learn in your new job?
- Why do you want to improve your skills?
- Don't underestimate yourself in your CV or at the interview
- What shouldn't you put in your CV?
- The most important question you should answer
- Three pieces of information to remember to include in your CV
- Conclusion
1. Which required skills do you have?
How to write a CV for a job? In particular, focus on the skills and knowledge that are relevant to the specific job and are listed in the job description. Highlight them and point out your qualities and experience. These are the qualities that belong in a CV and should be the alpha and omega of a good CV that will help you find a job. It could be language skills or computer skills, for example. List your knowledge and skills in your CV in order from the most to the least important.
A recruiter will admit during the reading of a good description of your skills and abilities that you really have them and that you are interested in improving them further. Be detailed and describe which skills set you apart from other applicants. Show yourself in the best light, don’t be afraid to show off.
TIP: Forget about the existence of one-size-fits-all resume that would be suitable for every position. There are still candidates who send the same CV to every company they would like to work for. This is a mistake because every company is specific and requires different skills and abilities from employees.
2. What is the level of your skills?
The answer to what a CV should look like is clear: don’t forget to include the level of your skills. The skills and knowledge on your CV will immediately carry a different weight. There is a big difference between basic and advanced levels, for example in the case of different programs. Don’t be afraid to talk about your skills and give examples of your work to show what you can do. Recruiters like to see realistic outputs to help them choose the ideal candidate. Thus, a simple CV without details may not always be successful.
Answer three important questions:
- To what extent and in what ways did you use your skills?
- What kind of tasks and for whom did you work?
- Who did you communicate or collaborate with while working on the assignments?
Be clear, to the point and describe your achievements. In what ways have you been an asset to the company. Did you come up with an innovative concept? Have you worked on projects that have given you new expertises, skills and abilities? Give specific examples or situations that confirm your triumphs.
3. Be interesting at the interview and try to be original
Similar to writing an essay, divide your “promo” into three parts – introduction, body and conclusion.
- The introduction will serve to catch attention.
- In the middle you show your own value. You’ll point out why you’re special and why they should choose you.
- In the conclusion, there should be evidence of your experience that serves to gain the recruiter’s trust.
Create a CV that sets you apart from other candidates.
4. Think about the length of your work experience
Don’t forget to mention how much time you spent working with certain tools or systems. List not only the time you invested in your work, but also highlight the time you spent on your own projects. Have you taken courses, gone on internships or gained experience through self-study? Be sure not to leave this information out, it will add extra value to your CV.
5. What skills would you like to learn in your new job?
Job descriptions list skills that are an advantage and increase your chances of being selected. Recruiters don’t expect you to know every single one of them perfectly. What’s more, in your new job, you’ll encounter new tasks that will help you acquire or improve these skills.
The willingness to learn and educate is a plus. Don’t you have any of the experience listed in the job description? Don’t get discouraged by it. You can mention in your CV that it is a positive challenge for the future and you’re happy to learn anything new.
6. Why do you want to improve your skills?
If you have the basics of a skill and are constantly working on improving it, be sure to mention it. Also list the skills you are really interested in and want to improve. Describe what you are currently doing to move forward. This information will make your interesting CV stand out from the rest.
It’s also a great idea to include a reason why you want to learn these skills in the job you’re interested in. Every recruiter wants to know if you are interested in long-term cooperation and if you can imagine your future in the profession or industry you have expressed interest in. You can add similar information at the end of your CV.
7. Don’t underestimate yourself in your CV or at the interview
It happens in CVs that a candidate unwittingly reveals why they are unsuitable for the job. Incomplete or inadequate description of the experience gained is also a flaw, as is little mention of work experience. Sometimes applicants have this experience, but for various reasons they just don’t add it to their CV. Many times it is because they don’t believe in themselves.
It is common for applicants to underestimate themselves and to indicate in their CVs a lower level of knowledge than they actually have. This concerns in particular the level of knowledge of foreign languages. Recruiters may only discover these skills after recontacting the candidate, which is rarely the case. If it’s an attractive job offer for which many people apply, HR managers will select only the best and most experienced. You could miss out on a golden opportunity just because you underestimate your skills.
8. What shouldn’t you put in your CV?
Recruiters often have to evaluate many CVs. Some of them are full of inappropriate, unnecessary or even too personal information. They are also confronted with long and overly detailed descriptions of work experience, which, moreover, is not even related to the actual job offer.
Employers aren’t interested in your hobbies and interests anyway, but in your professional life. Do not put interests in your CV. Not even if it’s a student resume and you have nothing to put on it. If the recruiter is interested in what kind of person you are and what you enjoy, they will probably ask you about it at the interview. A list of hobbies takes up too much valuable space in a resume. The exception is if your hobbies and interests include volunteering or an interesting project that is relevant to the job you are applying for. Then be sure to include such interests in your CV.
Don’t comment on the salary preferences either, you will discuss that in person at the interview. You can find out how much a developer earns on the internet and you can always refer to the amount that is stated in the advertisement.
TIP: A good CV should not have more than two A4 pages. Try to be clear, concise and to the point.
9. The most important question you should answer
A proper CV should answer one important question in particular. It’s not just the listed knowledge and skills, but why are you the right fit for the position you are interested in? Work this question throughout your CV, as every single section you put in your CV should be related to it. This is one way to write a job application successfully. There are many ways to write a resume, but answering this question will set you apart from the competition.
10. Three pieces of information to remember to include in your CV
Levels of language skills
Knowledge clearly belongs in a CV and language is no exception! The levels of language skills on a resume are among the most critical factors. They should not be absent from a developer’s CV. If you speak foreign languages, for each language, please indicate the level of proficiency. Feel free to indicate a beginner level (A1) if you have been studying the language for some time. In our company we accept people with German language at A2 level, which is the key to admission. You then have the opportunity to continue to improve your language skills through company training courses, some of which also fall into working hours. This gives you the opportunity to improve your German language skills. Read more about our employee benefits.
Active proficiency in a language is defined as having a B2 level of proficiency. If a little help is all you need to communicate and you can actively speak the language, don’t underestimate yourself. If you are not very good at the foreign language, are unsure of the pronunciation or do not have a wide vocabulary, please indicate no more than B1 level in your CV. If you are an advanced speaker, understand the language and can express yourself easily, we recommend level C1. For the greatest language experts, the C2 level, which is close to mother tongue proficiency, is used.
Read our article on this topic: German language level in the CV. When to declare a B2 or C1 level?
Educational achievements, courses, certificates and training
What does the CV look like in the upper part? There is information on education. Please list your skills and knowledge in your CV below, at the top mention the courses you have taken and the schools you have studied at together with workshops, training or certificates you have obtained. Always give a realistic timeline, including the start date, end date and the number of hours you spent on a particular course or training.
If you went to university but didn’t finish, write that down too. You can describe what you learned or what you did during your studies. You can also indicate the topic of the thesis you worked on during your studies. Mention it especially if it is related to your career path and job title.
Work experience
How to write a CV correctly and what to write in a CV? List work experience in descending order, so write the most recent at the top. Please include the name of the company you worked for, the job title and the time span. It is best to give the entire start and end dates of the employment. If you worked part-time, mention this too. In case you had a period when you did not work, mention it clearly as well.
For each work experience, list five responsibilities you had during this job. They may seem simple and unnecessary, but think of them as an essential part during the evaluation of your CV. If you think five points are not enough, you can add more, but don’t itemize them unnecessarily and highlight only the most important ones. This is another piece of advice on how to write a CV properly.
Conclusion
Now you know how to write a CV that will be worthwhile and increase your chances of getting an interview invitation or a job. The most important part is to show your own value and why you are the ideal candidate.
Why should they choose you out of all the applicants? Put the qualities that answer this question in your CV and you’ll see that you’ll get a lot more interview invitations and eventually your dream job. For example here at msg life Slovakia! Browse our latest job offers and get interviewed!
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