Making a CV as a university student involves a big challenge: being a good candidate with little or no work experience. If you’ve already faced that blank sheet of paper and don’t know what to write to prove you’re the right candidate, we’ll help you.
Unlike those who have been in the job market for a few years, students must rely on their skills, qualities, volunteering and academic achievements. Even your internships, courses and any extracurricular activities that demonstrate your skills are useful.
Introduce yourself
Add a short description to your CV. Include what you are studying, what your career goals are and what you can do for the organisation you are applying to. Focus on what you can offer the employer and not so much on what the employer can do for you.
Place this section at the top of your CV and try not to keep it longer than 3 or 4 lines. It is a short presentation that should not bore the reader. Its aim is to make a good first impression and to invite further reading.
Create a functional format
Instead of emphasising work experience, create sections that highlight your skills, qualities, and personal and academic achievements. If you don’t have a lot of work experience, this format will help you to focus on your potential while de-emphasising your limited work experience.
To increase your chances of success, we recommend aligning your skills and qualities with the requirements of the job you are applying for. This way, you will make the employer see that you have all the necessary tools and knowledge to fill the vacancy. This could encourage them to give you the opportunity.
Take care of spelling and grammar
A CV with spelling and grammatical errors makes a bad impression. Especially because it makes your CV look unprofessional and sloppy. To avoid these mistakes, after writing your CV, send it to a friend to read it and help you spot any spelling or grammatical mistakes you may have missed. It is better that your friend sees it than your potential employer.
Make a list of your academic achievements and extracurricular activities
To start organising your information, we advise you to make a list of all your academic achievements and extracurricular activities in which you have participated. Then, think about which ones you should include on your CV according to the skills or knowledge required for the job.
At this point, don’t be overwhelmed if you haven’t won a prize or medal at university. You can include activities as simple as volunteering on a university project, being a teaching assistant, tutoring younger students or being a member of a university club.
Even getting the highest final grade in a class can give you extra points. Especially if the subject matter relates to the skills required for the job. The key is to highlight what can make you a good candidate.
Focus on your education and skills
If your work experience section is very short or non-existent, it is best to focus on your education and skills. Don’t just include your current university studies, but also all the courses and workshops you have attended. Think about everything you have studied that could be useful to the company and how you have prepared yourself to take on the job.
In the Skills section, include all the technical skills that you would put into practice in the job. For example, if you know how to use any particular software such as Microsoft Excel, Photoshop, Corel Draw; and any of these are considered a plus for the vacancy, be sure to include them.
We also recommend that you include the Qualifications section. This section brings together your best skills, especially if they match those of the perfect candidate. Teamwork, assertive communication, crisis management, leadership, creativity… are some examples of the qualities you could highlight about yourself.
Take care of the details
If you are going to place a photo of your face, make sure you look professional with appropriate attire and a friendly appearance. It is also important that the photo has good framing and lighting so that your face is visible and the employer gets the right image of you.
Ideally, you should be seen from your face to your shoulders and leave some white space around you. We don’t want a photo with your forehead or chin cropped off.
Another detail you should take care of is your email address. It’s best if your email address is first name + last name @gmail.com. This will look more professional than the email you created when you were 13 years old with nicknames, signs and numbers.
If you can’t create an address with your first and last name, try alternating first and last name, adding your middle initial or last name, or adding just a full stop or hyphen between the two.
