How to make a CV attractive when you have little experience?

This is the question that many young graduates ask themselves every year when they start looking for their first job, or even their final internship, which is very often considered by companies as a pre-hiring period.

To do well, many will have taken care to get the CV of an older sibling or a distant cousin, but this does not answer the questions: how to make a CV that is appealing when I have almost no professional experience?

1- Remember what a CV is for
This may seem like an obvious question, especially at a time when we see a lot of articles on the end of the CV. If this question is an interesting topic, it is not what worries the young graduate looking for an internship or a job. He was told: send a CV. But why? Because, to be recruited, you generally have to have had one or more interviews. And to get the first interview, the CV acted as an intermediary. Thus, the success of the hiring depends on the success of the "sending the CV" stage. This obviously means that the CV is addressed to the right person or, failing that, to the right department, but that, in addition, it will allow you to successfully pass this first step which is to get an interview. It is therefore essential never to lose sight of the fact that the sole and unique objective of the CV is to obtain an interview. From then on, everything falls into place: who wants to meet someone whose CV is full of spelling mistakes, whose reading gives a headache, whose meaning of what the person behind the CV wants to do is completely incomprehensible, whose photo rather gives indications on the type of parties the person attends...

The form and the content are a whole, but the less content there is - which is the case for a young graduate - the more important the form becomes. The day you are the world expert on new generation hybrid engines, the form will be less important, and on that day, you will certainly no longer need a CV...

So, before sending your CV, you should have it read by several people, and first ask yourself the question: if I were the recruiter, would I want to meet the person who sends me this CV? If the answer is no, you know what you have to do!

2- Quantify, explain, clarify
This is a widely used technique in North America and more generally in Anglo-Saxon countries: it involves quantifying the actions that have been carried out, making the qualities claimed tangible. Until now mainly used by sales people, this articulation in the CV has now become commonplace.

So, instead of writing "Fluent English", you add "Fluent English", with your TOEFL or TOEIC score, or the number of semesters spent at an American university. In the same way, instead of writing in the "Sports: tennis" category, you write what your last ranking is or the number of tournaments you have participated in during the year. Finally, if you have had summer jobs, give details that show what skills you have acquired or been able to implement "Complete independent management of the unloading dock, with a team of 5 people".

Each time you write something, ask yourself what it brings to the person who is going to read the CV. Saying that you "like cinema" is not really a revelation. It doesn't bring much. On the other hand, if you say that you are a fan of science fiction films, it can echo a passion of the recruiter. In any case, he will always be interested in asking you the question at the end of the interview, and it is always easier to talk about your passions. You must therefore give precise arguments that make people want to meet you.

3- Title or no title?
My answer is yes. A CV must have a title. Like a direction. It is not necessarily the title of the position, but a summary, in a few words, of what you are and/or what you want to do. "Trilingual electrical engineer", "BtoB traveling salesperson".

In conclusion, it doesn't matter how much material is in the CV as long as it is appealing. Indeed, the aim of a young graduate's CV is to somehow show the recruiter certain qualities through its creation: a pretty and well-written CV will prove the meticulousness and seriousness of the person, an elaborate CV will indicate a certain willingness for precision, a CV with a title will imply the candidate's determination to succeed in a specific field... The key to obtaining the first interview lies in the CV, so personalization, originality and precision are the key words for the first successful CV!

Philippe Deljurie.

Huffingtonpost.fr

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