14 Tips to Write A Resume or Curriculum Vitae

A Malaysian Biotech award winner, Dr Mahaletchumy Arujanan shares 14 tips to write a good and impressive resume/CV. Remember, your CV is a mirror-image of you.

1. Highlight achievements, not tasks

For those who have previous working experience, do not list your day-to-day responsibilities or routine tasks in your CV. Instead, highlight what you have achieved and gained from the job and the results it gave the organization. Briefly list out how each task made you a better team player, negotiation skills and ability to manage crisis.

2. Usage of correct grammar

Regardless of what language your resume/CV uses, make sure that the language used is grammatically correct. Cvs with bad English reflects the attitude and learning ability of the candidate. According to Dr Mahaletchumy, all CVs that come with bad English often end up being trashed by employers.

3. Customize your CV

Each CV should be customized for each application and emphasize on the most relevant role that matches with the job you are applying for, even if it is a minor role in your current job.

4. Stress on your skills

In the CV, stress on the skills that you possess, be it leadership skills, presentation skills or any other qualities. Also, highlight on how you have added value to your organization.

5. Limit your pages

Dr Mahaletchumy stressed that your CV should not be longer than 2 pages, unless you are applying for an academic/research position.

6. Emphasize on outstanding co-curricular activities

It is crucial to emphasize on your outstanding co-curricular activities only. Do not include all your co-curricular activities starting from primary school. Long list of activities may cause the real good ones to be drowned and left unnoticed.

7. Include your awards

If you have received any awards including education awards,research funding awards, co-curricular activities awards and scholarships. This helps to reflect the qualities in you.

8. Highlight your internship

It is recommended to highlight your internship or your practical as where you do your internship matters too. But remember, focus on your achievements and skills gained and not your responsibilities.

9. Avoid using adjectives

Avoid the usual adjectives such as 'excellent self-starter', 'good team player', 'natural leader’ and ‘good communicator'. These are too generic. Your achievements should demonstrate these qualities.

10. Include your long-term goals

Most of the time, candidates only mention their short-term goals in the career objective section, e.g. “Getting a job that meets my skills where I can contribute to the company”. It shows you are not ambitious and far-sighted. Career objectives should describe your long-term goals.

11. Spend time writing your CV

Many think writing a CV is an hour job. But it really requires a lot of thinking and self-reflection. Look for positive words, ask yourself how you fit in and can add value to the organization and the job.

12. Make your CV outstanding & unique

There are hundreds and thousands of applications received for a particular job vacancy. Thus, you must think of how you can make your CV outstanding and unique. How can you offer something that is not offered by most candidates?

The design, organization, font type, colour and size certainly play a role in making your CV stand out compared to other people's. Therefore, it is highly advised to really put effort in writing your CV.

13. Do not add common computer literacy

Adding the common computer literacy like Microsoft Word, Powerpoint and Excel does not empress the employer at all. Even schools students use them to do their assignments and projects.

Instead, add more impressive computer literacy such as Wordpress, Google Analytics, SPSS and so on. These skills will make you appear more valuable in the eyes of the employer.

14. Include additional information

It is highly beneficial to include additional information that can demonstrate your uniqueness. If you have a blog, feel free to include it in your CV, as it shows your communication skills, critical thinking and opinions. Not only that, it also portrays your social work and interest (demonstrating your time management, network and character).

Additional reading :

3 Tips to Land that College Internship

6 Skills Every Employer Wants

20 Important Skills to Learn if You Want to Earn Big Money Without a Degree