Checklist for your CV

Recruiters only need 15 seconds to get a first impression of your CV. Use this checklist to meet the highest standards.
You are asked to submit a CV in table format: this presentation allows the reader, in a very short time, to have an overview of the candidate and their background.

1. First Impression
Is it clear that you wrote the CV yourself instead of simply copying a template?
Does the CV invite the reader to read, that is, does it have an airy optical presentation?
Is it divided into distinct paragraphs with titles and subtitles for the sections?
Have you developed a brief profile so that the recruiter can immediately identify your key qualifications?
Is the total length of your CV appropriate to your professional experience and the position you are applying for?

2. Presentation
Is the font legible?
Is the margin (e.g., 5 cm on the left, 2 cm on the right) the same on all pages?
Is the ratio between the amount of text and the white space generally balanced?
Are the line spacing and font sizes the same on all pages?
If the CV exceeds one page: is the page break consistent?

3. Structure
In lists, have you listed the key points first?
Are the key points (personal data, professional background, additional professional activities, extracurricular activities, etc.) of the CV structure highlighted in bold?
Is your professional background history ordered in reverse chronological order? That is, is your current position listed first?

4. Content
Are the stages of your professional career, training courses and extracurricular activities described sufficiently concisely while providing enough detail to highlight why you are the right candidate for the vacancy?
Are the dates consistent, does your CV show any "gaps"?
In the case of "gaps", i.e. gaps in your CV: do your explanations correspond to the real reasons?
Have you adapted the CV to the job vacancy in question?
Have you mentioned your foreign language skills?
Have you included your computer skills?


5. To conclude
Have you checked the spelling and punctuation?
Have you signed the document with a fountain pen?
Is the date correct?
Does the date on your CV match the date on your cover letter?
Have you correctly written the names of your contact person, the company and the address?
Have you written your first and last name on the back of the attached photo?


Frank Neumann / Adaptation of the French version Giselle Chaumien-Wetterauer, GCW Communications.

Conseils-carriere.monster.ch

Posted on April 30, 2012.