Whether you are applying for a job, school admission, internship or scholarship both home abroad, there is almost a 100% chance that you would be asked to submit a CV or resume.
A CV or resume is the first professional image you paint of yourself to your prospective employer or admissions´ officer. I do get a lot of emails about how to create one so I made a list of websites with beginner-friendly templates for creating a CV or resume. These sites have both free and paid template plans but I promise you, the free plans are enough for your projects. Here they are:
EuropassCV: this is great for applications within the European union and Europe in general. Apart from a CV template, they also have a Cover letter template, Europass Cover Letter.
CakeResume: This is a good CV template for creatives who want to add images, videos, slides etc.. It works well for other professionals too.
StandardResume: If you have a LinkedIn account and you want to create a CV effortlessly using your profile information on LinkedIn, then this is for you. This resume template allows you to import your professional profile and it saves time.
KickResume: This is an AI-assisted resume builder, it also comes with free cover letter templates.
Wepik: This is a free resume or CV builder which allows you to create a e fully customizable professional resume by downloading their free templates. They also have free cover letter templates.
ResumeCoach: This is an AI-enabled, fast CV builder with beautiful functional templates.
Resume.io: This CV builder pride themselves in delivering professional field-tested resume templates that gets noticed by the employers.
Canva: canva is a free graphical design and editing website but the offer free resume and cover letter templates.
Whether you are applying for a job, graduate school, or for an academic position, one document that is a must-have is a resumé or curriculum vitae (also known as CV) detailing why your combination of educational qualifications and years of experience makes you the best candidate for the job. They serve as a powerful tool to showcase your skills, accomplishments, and potential to prospective employers. It’s a marketing document that tells your professional story
The language origin of Curriculum Vitae is Latin which means course of life while Resumé is French meaning summary
These two terms, curriculum vitae and resumé have long been used so interchangeably that many applicants assume they mean the same thing. At first glance, they might appear similar, but they differ in several ways.
CV
Resumé
Page length
It usually does not have a length limit, depending on the years of experience and achievements of the applicant, length can go from 2 pages to more than 10 pages. CV gives a detailed, in-depth, and comprehensive professional history of the applicant.
This is usually brief and concise, typically around 1 page for entry-level applicants and 2-3 pages for more experienced applicants.
Purpose
Typically used for academic and graduate position application e.g., post-doctoral, Ph.D., Master’s degree, fellowship, grant, lecturing, research position, etc. application.
Typically used when applying for a job or internship position at a company.
Content
Name
Title
Personal profile/statement (including research objectives)
Research & publications
Contact Information
LinkedIn profile (optional)
Educational background
Work experience
Academic & Professional achievements e.g., awards, grants, fellowships, books written, conferences, honors, professional body memberships, etc.
Volunteer work
Skills e.g., language skills, technical and non-technical skills relevant to the position you are applying for.
Certification & Licenses
Thesis & Dissertation
References
Name
Title
Contact Information
LinkedIn profile (optional but recommended)
Educational background
Work experience
Professional body memberships (if it is relevant to the position you are applying for)
Volunteer work (if it is relevant to the position you are applying for)
Skills e.g., language skills, technical and non-technical skills relevant to the position you are applying for.
Certification & Licenses (if it is relevant to the position you are applying for)
References (this is optional except the employer specifically asked for it)
CV & Resume comparison
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Despite these differences,one thing they have in common is that they should be:
tailored to a particular application, for example, if you are applying for the position of an account officer, you do not need to include your previous work experience as a waiter at a restaurant but if you are applying for the job of a customer support agent, this might be a useful experience to add because it shows you have previous experience working with customers.
in reverse chronological order, i.e., the latest qualification or experience should be first in line.
readable, make your document easy to read. Recruiters go through hundreds of applications and by making your resumé or CV easy to scan through by avoiding unnecessary words or explanation, clearly listing your qualification, and avoid using fonts and color combination that is hard to decipher or not clear enough to be seen can influence to an extent your success in the application.
including the use of Action words and quantify achievements: when describing your responsibilities and accomplishments, use strong action verbs to convey your impact. Whenever possible, quantify your achievements with specific numbers, percentages, or metrics to provide a clearer picture of your contributions. For example, instead of saying, “I received the products supplied to our company”, you can say, “I ensured that only high quality products were delivered to our company by running quality checks on every product delivered.”
A lot of companies use the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) software, it is used by recruiters to sort and sieve out unqualified or least qualified candidates, so it is possible that your resumé or CV is first read by a computer software before a human (the recruiters) see it. This is because companies receive hundreds or even thousands of applications most times from unqualified candidates who just want to ‘try their luck’, this software uses keywords and other tools to scan through these applications and show the recruiters only the applications with applicants closely matching the job description. Here is how to make sure your resumé or CV passes the ATS and gets to the recruiter:
Always match your resume keywords to the job description and customize your resumé or CV to the job you are applying for.
Do not use complicated fonts, use easy-to-read fonts like Open sans, Helvetica, Arial, Calibri etc. and a font size of 10-12 point.
Because this is a computer software, certain additions to your resumé or CV might ‘confuse it’ like the use of tables, footer, header etc.
It is best to send or upload your resumé or CV in a .docx format instead of pdf or other formats, if you are making an online application.
Use both the short and long and short form of words because the software will be searching both forms, for example, use both Dr. and Doctor, USA and United states of America etc.
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CV & LAYOUT IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD
The world is large with different cultures and practices, this is what makes the world interesting. When it comes to applying for international opportunities, this diversity is extended to CV and resumé practices. Here is a brief, non-comprehensive, non-exhaustive look at the different layouts there is:
In Europe generally, just like the United states, emphasis is put on achievements, it is also necessary to include a description of your role and responsibilities. Language(s) fluency along with language proficiency levels are expected to be listed.
In the USA, Sweden, Netherlands, Ireland, Australia, Mexico, some parts of Africa, Canada, and the UK, you are not expected to attach a photo to your CV or resumé except if it’s for a modeling or acting job where physical features play a role in the selection process while in Austria, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, France, Portugal, Spain, south-east Asia, Gulf countries, professional portrait passport-style photograph can be attached to the CV or resumé. Resumés in the UK usually have two to three pages, whereas resumés in the US usually have one to two pages. A short personal statement (also called professional summary) is very common at the start of the top part of the CV which summarizes career goals, skills and experience.
In some parts of Africa and Asia, personal information such as date of birth, local or state government origin, marital status, ethnicity, etc. is expected on the application but if you are applying as an international applicant, this is optional except if it was specifically asked for by the company. In some parts of Asia, CVs and resumés can be long (2-3 pages or more) and a professional photograph is expected. Final grades and educational institution are expected.
In the USA and Canada, applicants with over 10 years of experience add an additional section in their CV or resumé called ‘Additional Experience’ to document experiences gotten over 10 years ago while the most recent experience should be in the ‘Work Experience’ section. It’s not necessary to include personal information like your date of birth, marital status, or a photo on a U.S. resumé. Furthermore, in the United States, education details include degrees, institutions, graduation dates, and relevant honors at the end of a resume.
When applying to a country, it is crucial to research its specific requirements and expectations. By adapting your CV to the local conventions, you can demonstrate your understanding of cultural norms and increase your chances of being hired.
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Your CV or resumé is the first impression you make, getting it right and proving you are a worthy candidate is the first step.
YouthExpat 