Every day employers receive dozens of CVs from many highly-qualified applicants. How do you make your CV stand out? Should it be concise or detailed? Should it be classically structured, or should it catch attention by its originality? Should it be modest or boastful?
Read on to see the points in your CV that are an absolute must and could not be disregarded. We at Jobzippers spoke to several hiring managers to get their insights on what makes CVs successful.

1. Name and contact details
Begin with the basics – state your name (no pseudonyms please) and your contact details – address, phone number, where you are most likely to be reached and your email (it has to be professional and not include any nicknames and/or other inappropriate words). Make sure that the information is up-to-date and is presented clearly.
2. Employment histories listed first
Recruiting specialists suggest that you state your employment history first, in the reversed order (from the latest ones backwards), including internships and volunteer experiences. Only after that should you move on to your educational details. Work experience is highly valuable nowadays so the employers want to have an immediate idea of what your previous experiences were.
3. Appealing career summary
Make sure that you list all the necessary details of your work positions so they reflect your various skills and are not overly repetitive. This is your chance to bring forward relevant skills, strengths, attitude, knowledge and experience to the recruiter.
Your employment list should include the name of the company, your designation, your job responsibilities and achievements. It is always better to present this information in bulleted format rather than a clumsy paragraph.
4. Major accomplishments
Do not think of CV-writing as boastful. Use it as a chance to demonstrate how you could create value for the company. Mention some figures when you talk about your achievements. For example:
Worked as Business Development Assistant for ABC Company from August 2005 to February 2010.
Job responsibilities:
- Assisting in setting up 4 franchisees across 3 countries
– Maximising the business from existing customers to the tune of $ 500,000, as a part of the Business Development team
Achievements may be different for different industries. If you’re a software engineer, you may have a lot of smaller projects and clients. Maybe you were hired as a student fundraiser for a couple of short-term assignments. Mention everything that you find relevant but don’t go overboard and repeat yourself. Subtlety is still key.

5. Out-of-work achievements, interests and hobbies
Do not forget to mention your out-of-work achievements, interests and hobbies as they reflect your personality and skills. Present the relevant achievements in the order of priority i.e. the most important achievement first. Similarly, present your interests as well. Write about the achievements that display a facet of your personality. For instance, if you have been the president of your college, do mention it. It shows your leadership skills.
6. Good presentation
Make sure your design is simple, attractive, and readable. As with any resume, you should use a clean font such as Times New Roman or Arial. Be consistent in your use of boldface, underline, or italics to help lead the reader through the document and avoid contrived graphical elements.

7. Consistency
The point that is often disregarded is the consistency throughout your resume. Use the same tense throughout the CV (if you use past tense, keep using it till the end, if you use the -ing form listing your responsibilities, stick with this until you put the very last dot (- copywriting, – planning the budget, – engaging with local communities, etc.) Changing the tense in every second line leaves the reader confused and annoyed.

Hope these basic CV-writing tips will help you boost your CVs and make them reflect your personality better. Next time we will present the 7 worst things to have in your CV.
Jobzippers offers free CV checks for students registered with us. Don’t hesitate to take advantage of this service – get in touch with us and attach your CV – we will make sure it’s consistent and ready to be sent out to the companies of your interest.

Very soon many of you will enter your final semester of college. Make sure to use this time wisely as you have probably heard that landing a job in this economy is a real challenge. In order to carefully prepare yourself, take the necessary steps today and don’t wait until you graduate. What you do today might be essential for your whole future career.

 
According to a survey by Braun Research in April 2011, companies will hire 9.5% more graduates from the class of 2012 than they did from the 2011 graduating class. However, employers are still looking for the best of the best in their hiring practice. The same study found that 71% of 500 recent four-year college graduates would have done something differently in their last semester to prepare for the job market. What were those things? We have analyzed the most common regrets of the recent graduates to help you avoid these mistakes in your own career development.

“Wish I had started the job search earlier”

 
Putting off your job hunt is not a smart move at all. Unfortunately, senior year students don’t start thinking about their careers until they have to. These causes big gaps between graduating and landing a first job – sometimes months, and sometimes years. While everyone starts going crazy about the job search in the late summer and fall, use your last semester to give yourself some more time – now that you really have it. Plan on exploring and applying for several jobs per week. You won’t feel overwhelmed by your new duty but it will highly increase your chances of getting hired.

 
“Wish I had networked much more than I did”

 
According to the Braun Research survey, 29 % of respondents claimed they should have spent more time building a solid professional network. Even though it might seem not a top priority during the job hunt, in fact it is. Different resources suggest that about 70% of jobs are found through networking. Students who spend all their time screening job boards should also dedicate some time to establishing connections with professionals in the field of their interest, who are respected and involved in the workforce: company representatives, industry experts and alumni, and anybody who could potentially help with the job search. For the most part, people love to help students and young professionals. As long as you are thankful and gracious, and not trying to hard-sell yourself right off the bat, potential connections are likely to be receptive.

 
“Wish I had taken on a job, an internship, or a volunteer position in addition to my courses”

 
There can be no substitute for experience. Many employers nowadays require having some professional experience under your belt before entering the workforce. Relevant internship experience is appreciated everywhere and if the employers have to choose between two people with more or less equal assets, they would of course pick the more experienced one.
You might look for internships that provide college credit or are paid. Otherwise, gain work experience in a customer service, and use this experience to build skills and connections, wherever possible. If you wait on tables, talk with people at each and every table. In fact, there are numerous CEOs who started networking while they were bartenders. Working online could also be an option, while you’re still in school. There are positions like social media officer, copyeditor or a web designer (if you have skills) that you could do from home. Many of these types of jobs have flexible hours, an added benefit for busy students.

 
“Wish I had been more involved in career-relevant extracurricular activities”

 
Chances are, in your university, there are some (or many) on-campus groups, clubs, events and activities to give you experiences that can translate to the working world. Skills gained in school will stay with your throughout your whole professional life. You can gain relevant experience by planning events on campus or working as a freshman orientation assistant, for example. Companies want to hire people who understand how to manage projects, work in teams, and possess great communication skills. Experts say that you should frame the extracurricular experience you’ve had in a professional way. Try thinking of your biggest accomplishments as a member or leader of an extracurricular group, and using them to brainstorm resume bullet points.

“Wish I had monitored my online appearance better”

 
We recommend that you start doing this early – the best time for such activities is now. Clean up and privacy-protect your Facebook account. Monitor what you put there and think if it’ll be considered appropriate if the potential employer sees it. Consider tweeting interesting news (instead of which class you’re skipping), be careful where you “check-in” on your smartphone, and set up a solid LinkedIn profile. Add a signature line to your e-mail account and set up a decent voicemail message. These little steps can help you appear more professional and increase your chances of getting employed.

“Wish I had attended the career center more often”

 
As a college student, you clearly have an advantage other job seekers don’t – an on-campus career service staffed with people who assist students looking for jobs. The reality is that most career centres aren’t taken advantage of to their full extent. As you try hard to use any possible ways of becoming competitive, be the one who does take advantage of these services. Get to know the counsellors there, so that they know what you’re looking for and are able tell you about new opportunities. It’s also a good place to practice your elevator pitch, draft introductory e-mails or cover letters, perfect your resume, and test your interview skills.

 
“Wish I had kept better track of my achievements”

 
Never underestimate yourself. Even the smallest achievements can demonstrate your ability to add value, which is always appreciated by the employers. Start creating tangible results with your name on them and keep track of these achievements. Tracking how many donations you collected from calling alumni or that you created a new filing system for the admissions office are achievements that translate to everyday work activities. Don’t forget to highlight your academic awards, such as making the dean’s list or honour society. You might also want to track your results in a public setting – for example, your LinkedIn profile.

 
“Wish I have focused more on developing relevant skills”

 
Having an awareness of industry-specific skills as well as broad, transferable ones is a way to really stand out. As the companies aren’t investing as much in training these days, the employers are looking for someone who can hit the ground running.
Develop your understanding of chain-of-command issues, working with older, more experienced colleagues and working with people in parallel roles in other departments, or with vendors and customers. Use experiences offered in the university, or go for an internship.
Seek to build an excellent customer service knowledge – not only to use as a professional, but also to use as a job seeker. That includes making yourself available, being fully prepared for interviews, and knowing how to solve the problems that might appear.

As a university student, use all the advantages available to you to equip yourself with anything that might be of use when you leave the school. Create a plan for the semester, in terms of career development, and follow it in the next few month. By doing this, you will put yourself well ahead of the competition. Never waste a single chance to getting closer to your dream career.