Resume characteristics

Good practices for creating a resume

Writing an effective resume is an essential step in job search. To maximize your chances of being hired, it is important to consider several key tips:

1. Update your resume before sending it so that it reflects your current situation.
2. Be positive and highlight your strengths, but don't make things up!
3. Keep only information that is relevant to the position you are targeting.
4. Use keywords appropriate to the job and company (they are often present in the job posting), as more and more recruiters use screening software that targets keywords.
5. Take care of the presentation and proofread to avoid spelling mistakes.
6. Do not indicate your salary expectations in your resume.

How to build your resume?

No need to innovate, your resume must include the essential sections that all employers expect. These are generally grouped into 7 blocks that include: the title, the catchphrase, identity, education, professional experience, skills and possibly interests.

The title

The title indicates your job, your specialty: junior buyer, sales administration manager or senior store manager. Some professions may have several names, so it is useful to adapt your title according to the job posting. Similarly, if you have worked in different jobs, highlight the one that matches the profile sought.

The catchphrase

The catchphrase is a short introductory paragraph (5 or 6 lines maximum) that summarizes your objectives, your personality and your skills according to the desired position. It is not mandatory, but it allows you to add a personal touch to your resume and capture the recruiter's attention. Write it last, when you have all the elements of your background in mind. If you are a recent graduate or in career transition, focus on your professional objectives. If you already have several years of experience, highlight the skills acquired in your previous positions.

Example:

Looking for a new professional challenge, I have logistics, commercial and administrative skills strengthened by 12 years in retail. Coming from the clothing trade, I have found pleasure in thriving in this preferred field as well as in the food sector.

Personal information

This section must indicate your identity (last name, first name) and your contact information (phone number, email address). It is generally placed at the top left of the page, but you can position it elsewhere, as long as it remains clearly visible. You can add your website address if you have one, or the link to your LinkedIn profile if you are active on this network. The address and photo are not mandatory, but in practice, recruiters are used to resumes with photos and this can help them remember your profile more easily.

Good practices

• Use a professional email address like ([email protected]) and avoid those that lack seriousness ([email protected]).
• No need to mention your age, date of birth, middle names or family situation.
• Do not precede your name with "Mr." or "Mrs.".
• If you want to indicate your place of residence, write the city rather than your complete address.
• For the photo, opt for a portrait on a plain background with good resolution and ban vacation photos, fancy photos, selfies, etc.

Education and degrees

If you have little or no professional experience, place this section first by specifying the ongoing training, degrees, institution and year of graduation. Detail the main subjects corresponding to the position sought, as well as the projects carried out (thesis, group work, conferences). Classify your degrees from most recent to oldest without citing all of them, only the most recent ones are important. No need to mention the middle school diploma or high school diploma if you have a master's degree.

Example:

2017 - 2019
MASTER IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING SCIENCES
University of Lille I
Didactics track: Teaching and learning (M2)
Favorite subjects: Analysis of educational facts, Educational work in context
Notable achievements:
Project on inclusion in school environment at the La Source Motor Education Institute in Hem.
Research topics on inclusive education of students with behavioral difficulties.

If you have a long career behind you, place the education section after your professional experience. You can simply indicate the last degrees obtained, the year of graduation and the institution attended, ranking them from most recent to oldest.

Professional experience

The purpose of this section is to present your background in a synthetic way by highlighting the responsibilities you have taken and the skills acquired. To do this, list your experiences from most recent to oldest by indicating the job title, company name, location, and period of employment. Then detail your main missions by favoring the most interesting ones considering the targeted position. Use action verbs that give more impact and dynamism to your achievements. For an executive assistant position for example, the wording "Writing various documents (forms, minutes, emails, notes, reports), respecting confidentiality and technical nomenclatures in force", provides more information about your tasks and technical skills than "secretarial activities". If possible, illustrate your successes with numbers (revenue growth, number of people trained, savings made, etc.)

Example:

Supply Manager – [company name] in Lille | March 2015 to May 2021 (6 years)

• Optimize store inventory to ensure less than 5% out-of-stock on a perimeter of 120 stores in France, Belgium and Canada.
• Manage end-of-season in accordance with the strategy defined by management, with a target of residual stock of less than €5,000 (achievement rate of 96%).

Good practices:

• If you have a very diverse background, develop more the experiences corresponding to the targeted position and summarize, or even delete, those that have no connection.
• If you are a beginner, list your internships, summer jobs highlighting skills and soft skills. For a sales position for example, the responsibility of handling the cash register shows that you are a trustworthy employee.

Skills

In this section, you can highlight professional skills (problem solving, budget management), technical skills (video editing, hygiene standards) or personal qualities (adaptability, synthesis) that make sense in relation to the targeted position. However, avoid cliché terms that recruiters find in all resumes (punctuality, autonomy).

Languages and computer skills can be the subject of a separate section where you will carefully indicate your level precisely.

Languages: use the CEFR nomenclature (A1 - A2: beginner level; B1 - B2: intermediate level; C1: fluent level; C2: bilingual level) and cite certifications obtained if any (TOEIC, TOEFL).

Computer skills: rather than the simple mention "office automation, Office Pack", detail the programs and programming languages you master (Excel expert level, Business Object fluent level, HTML, Java, Python, C++).

You can also specify certifications, licenses, as well as aptitude certificates obtained (Voltaire Certificate in spelling, TOSA for office automation, B license, first aid certificate). However, if these certifications are essential for the position you are applying for, it is better to include them in the education and training section (heavy goods vehicle license, BAFA).

Interests

This section, although optional, can add value to your resume if your hobby reflects a character trait, a skill useful for work or values common to the company. However, it is important to note that presenting your extracurricular activities is not of major interest to recruiters, who focus mainly on your professional skills. If you decide to include this section, limit yourself to three or four activities maximum, providing relevant details, and avoiding sensitive topics such as politics or religion.

And the layout?

Recruiters spend little time on each resume, so it is essential to take care of the presentation so that your resume is pleasant to read and the information is clearly visible.

Good practices:

• Your resume must fit on a single page. For long careers, you can go up to two pages if the content is relevant to the position sought. Remember to place the most important information on the first page.
• Avoid unreadable single-block presentations and prefer double-column formats.
• Aerate the layout by leaving margins, clearly identifying the titles of the different sections.
• Bet on sobriety: no more than two colors, do not abuse pictograms, bold or italic words.
• Use a readable and professional font (Calibri, Arial, Time New Roman) in size 10 to 12 points.
• Always send your resume in PDF format to avoid compatibility issues.

A resume in summary

To multiply your chances of getting a job interview, keep in mind that:

1. Your resume must be well presented and fit on one page.
2. Sort information and adapt your resume according to the targeted position.
3. Be precise and concise, use action verbs and quantified examples.
4. Hunt down spelling mistakes.
5. Remember to send your resume in PDF.

Need a helping hand?

Don't start from a blank page to write your resume. Book-CV offers you many templates whose style and structure have been designed according to professions and business sectors. You just have to choose the design that suits you and get started!

CREATE A RESUME