To pay student debts and to have some more free funds, modern students frequently decide to go in for a part-time or even a full-time job. Besides, it is a great opportunity to start building a resume and the whole career with gaining professional experience.
Professional CV writers, along with experienced HR managers, say that it takes a potential employer 5 to 8 seconds to look through the candidate's CV and decide if it is worth attention. So, there is only one try for a student to do everything right. It is great to perceive your resume as a brochure to sell your skills, motivation, and personality. So, in case you write your student CV badly, there is no way employers can expect to get a good worker.
Here below, we gathered critical points to consider when you start writing a student CV.
A Student CV Has No Common Format to Write It
Downloading a CV sample or finding some templates online is excellent. Still, the following information should be in any resume a student sends to a recruiter:
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- Name;
- Address;
- Phone Number;
- E-mail Address;
- Education data;
- A-Levels;
- GCSE’s;
- Relevant job experience;
- Achievements and interests.
Long Paragraphs are NOT for a Student CV
Use bullets wherever they fit. Think of the HR manager making it through tons of different resume files. Hiring specialists are much more likely to check files looking easier and not loading their brain with extra-long text paragraphs. Help them scan your student CV at once, write short bullet-lists, and save their time. Hunters will appreciate that.
Spell Checking Software is not Almighty
Well, generally those programs are okay. Nevertheless, even the best apps can make foolish mistakes. A human can still do this job much better. Check if capital letters are where they should be, and double-check punctuation errors.
In case you are not too confident in your spelling skills, ask some student, or even pay a professional proofreader to do that for you. That investment will bring you dividends later when you finally get your job.
Write Student CV Neatly
Make sure the paper is tidy and neat. In case you use an MS Word app to create a document, don’t forget about justifying columns. A neat CV lets the employer suppose that a student will be a smart worker.
Say No to Uncommon Fonts
It is a quite frequent mistake of those who want their CV to look original. Despite being unusual and beautiful, not all fonts are easy to scan the printed or digital text. Do you remember about saving the HR manager's time?
Use Your Grades
If you passed school exams well, mention them all in a resume. In case your grades were not that excellent, just mention courses and exams you passed and switch focus to your current achievements.
Soft Skills Are Fine in a Student CV
Mention soft skills you gained from any academic, extra-curricular or volunteering activities or any other part-time job experience as well. Soft skills are teamwork, working with stress pressure, keeping up with deadlines, workload and time management, initiative potential, etc.
Mention Any Relevant Job Experience
No matter if it was a full time or part-time job you did as a student. It is better if some aspects of your previous jobs are relevant to a position you try to apply for. Think about it: working as a bar service staff member, you can improve customer service and numeracy skills, for instance.
Volunteering Counts
Volunteering experience is an excellent way to improve the resume, so write about it and the skills you gained while working there. It is okay to devote a particular CV section to write about your past volunteering activities and to position them as additional job experience sources and skill improvement possibilities.
Be a Pro, No Matter that You Write as a Student
What is meant "to be a professional"? Make sure your e-mail address is serious. Fun e-mails are okay when you are young. But as a student, you start to write resumes and apply for job positions. So, create yourself a more robust image by choosing an appropriate "adult" e-mail address. And once again about funny things, avoid being amusing with a resume. That document should have nothing in common with humor unless you apply for a comedy writer position.
It is Enough to Write a Two-Paged CV
Along with the growth of experience, it becomes difficult. Nevertheless, as you will progress with the career later, some of the points which can play for you now won’t be that powerful. For instance, your holiday job experience won’t matter too much when you become a top-level specialist in your field.
A Single CV is Not Universal
Tweaking the resume according to the demands of every position a student tends to apply for is okay. You should always check job descriptions attentively and then adapt the document to every single position. Even slight changes may increase your chances to get a place. And if you apply for positions in different fields, you’ll probably have to write two absolutely unique CVs.
Write and Test It
In case your document is not working for some reason, which means you fail to get interview invitations, there is a solution. Review what you wrote there, maybe together with a parent, an older family member, or your parents’ friend working in the field of your interest and ask them to read your CV. Basing on their feedback, decide how to improve the document.
To Conclude
Finally, there is one critical tip to write a student CV. Never lie or exaggerate when creating that document. It’s not worth it. And most likely, you’ll get caught.
Have good luck, get the job as a student and start your career earlier. It is an excellent opportunity to gain valuable experience and stand out from the crowd of future graduates.