How to write a killer CV after graduation by Jessica Fender

The vast majority of graduates face the Catch-22 for entry-level jobs. Graduates can’t get the first job because they don’t have work experience, and they can’t gain the first experience because no one wants to hire them since they don’t have the required experience.

If you want to overcome such a problem and get a job right after graduation, you should put effort into writing a winning CV. You should show your prospective employers that even though you don’t have specified work experience, you have enough skills and knowledge to complete assigned tasks.

Here is a brief guide for you!

Provide contact information

The header of your CV should include your personal information: your full name, contact phone number, and email. Also, if you have a complete LinkedIn profile, you can add your LinkedIn URL.

Keep in mind that you shouldn’t use unprofessional email addresses like nicegirlkaren@gmail.com and automatically generated links like www.linkedin.com/in/karen-5475889015/ in your CV. Your email address needs to match your name (e.g., karen_smith@gmail.com). And your LinkedIn URL needs to be customised this way – www.linkedin.com/in/karensmith/.

Describe your work experience if any

If you don’t have relevant paid work experience in the field, it doesn’t mean that you don’t have any work experience at all. Think of an internship program and volunteering projects you have worked on as well as part-time jobs you have had while in college. If you manage to explain how your past experience relates to the job you apply to, you will create an outstanding resume.

Let’s say you want to get a marketing job at a big company that sells pet food and accessories. If you have worked at a pet store and volunteered at a pet shelter, you can specify that in the work experience section of your resume. Even though this experience doesn’t directly relate to the field of marketing, you can use it to “sell yourself”. Here is what you can write in your resume:

Store associate – June 2020 – April 2021

Pet shop XYZ

• Increased repeat purchases by 15% by helping customers make more informed buying decisions.
• Offered to add new types of pet toys to the product range and increased sales by 9.5%.

SMM manager – September 2020 – May 2021

Pet shelter

• Created content for Instagram and Facebook to engage the target audience. Attracted 5,000+ new followers within 4 months.
• Leveraged various digital marketing tactics to find new homes for 60+ pets.

Quantify your achievements to show how your hard work, your skills, and your ideas benefited your previous employers. It will make recruiters believe that you can complete the designated tasks and benefit their company too.

Write about your volunteering projects

Do you want to specify more than one volunteering project in your CV? Add the “Volunteering” section to your resume. List the names of organisations you have volunteered for, describe your experience and explain how it will help you succeed in a new job.

Specify your education level

In this section, you should mention the name of the University you graduated from and write a few words about your academic or leadership achievements. For instance, you can describe your role in a college environmental club or list the competitions you won.

List your soft skills

Soft skills are as important as hard skills. As a graduate, you can’t boast about your hard skills. So, it will be a good idea to draw the recruiters’ attention to your soft skills.

How many skills should you list on a resume? You should list from five to ten soft skills, depending on the job you apply for.

What skills are worth listing on a CV? Any skills that match the job description and your current skill set. For instance, if a company X is looking for a candidate with outstanding problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity skills, and if you possess those skills, you should add them all to your list.

Add information about languages and certifications

Do you speak foreign languages? Make sure to mention that in your resume and specify your language proficiency levels. It will help you to make a good first impression on recruiters.

Also, you can list your certifications. Just make sure they are relevant to the job you apply for! For instance, if you apply for a Java developer job, you can write that you have Oracle Java Certification. But if you apply for a marketing position, there is no sense for you to show off your Java Certification.

Write a CV summary

A CV summary is one of the most important parts of your resume. It goes right after personal information.

In your CV summary, you should present yourself in the most favourable light and explain why you are a perfect fit for the job. Here is an example of a well-written CV summary:

“Marketing graduate passionate about green marketing and social media. An out-of-the-box thinker with successes in the creation of branded content that resonates with modern customers and skyrockets sales.”

Proofread it

Once you finish writing your graduate CV, you should proofread it. You can do it by yourself, use online grammar checkers, or delegate this task to one of your friends. Just don’t skip this important step! Polish your writing, and you will get one step closer to the job of your dreams.

Wrapping up

Resume writing is a daunting task, and you should put effort to complete it. Follow these eight steps, and you will write an ideal CV. It will help you find a job after graduation and kick-start your career.

About the author

Jessica Fender is an educational blogger and content specialist at EssaySupply. She enjoys sharing her knowledge with students of all ages and making learning easier for them.