So...you are thinking of applying for a Program in the USA...

Make sure your CV stands out!

Here are our top tips…

Your CV is your chance to show what makes you special, employers see hundreds of applications so don’t rely on the same old generic buzzwords. Use your CV to tell your story, only you get to decide how that story is told!

Think of your CV as a marketing tool, this is how you promote yourself to potential employers.  Imagine a CV as being a brochure all about you, what you have achieved so far and what you can bring to a potential company.   

THE HEADING!

• In the CV heading you will share your general information

• Remember to stick to one font style throughout

• Do not write CV on the top of your CV.  An employer knows this is your CV!

• Include important information such as your full name, address, email and phone number.

TOP TIP: Keep your email address professional!

DEVELOP YOUR PERSONAL BRAND!

• What makes you the most suitable candidate for the role?

• Think about what makes you unique. If you don’t know this yourself, then how do you expect a potential employer to see or understand?

• How do these relate to your prospective employer?

• Identify the characteristics through key words that match with the employer, their values and brand.

Do not be afraid to say that you are a “passionate content-creator”, or that you are a graduate with an “entrepreneurial spirit”. Employers like to see what they can gain from you that will benefit their company and show examples. Businesses will expect their employees to have traits like “drive, loyalty, passion, etc”; it is important to let them know from the start what you are bringing to the table.

What ingredients do you have that make you the best candidate?

• Knowledge 

• Experience

• Skills

• Competencies

• Achievements

• Goals

• Values

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INDUSTRY SPECIFIC AND OVERALL WORK EXPERIENCE

• Professional Industry Experience

• General Working Experience

• Volunteer Experience

• Educational Experience/Projects

• Work and Study Abroad

• Community Involvement

As well as a list, demonstrate how your experience makes you relevant to the job you want.

LIST YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

A brief list of responsibilities under your job title is fine, but employers really want to see your accomplishments. Did you successfully execute a 500-person event? Did you receive positive recognition from over 100 guests during your previous employment? Be quantitative with this information. If it is factual, then it’s not bragging.

Example

Joe Bloggs

Food and Beverage Supervisor

•    Responsible for the training and care of 20 service team members
•    Overseeing the hiring and promotion of over 10 employees
•    Successfully executing over 120 high-profile events boosting revenue by 30%
•    Managing supply costs and reducing expenditure by 25%

If you have diverse working experiences then do not be afraid to take the highlights that you want from the job. Retail? No problem, explain how you assisted with the scheduling of 20 staff members, how you handled end of day procedures and exceeded monthly targets by x%. List the transferrable skills and accomplishments.  Any previous work that you have done has brought you to this point and is therefore relevant in the eyes of an employer.

BE A TOP VOLUNTEER

Volunteering is a working experience and should definitely not be hidden away at the bottom of your CV. Compassion is a trait that is not easy to teach. If you’ve got it, flaunt it!

List volunteering experience just like you would a job. Did you raise awareness on social media about the effects of climate change? Did you execute small-scale beach clean-ups? It shows an entirely different set of skills that were not money-motivated, and it shows that you have the initiative to be proactive over what you care about.

Be enterprising with this by reaching out to companies and asking if you can volunteer with them - not only is it a way to give back but it also a great way to build your network.

ADDITIONAL TIPS

There is an ongoing debate as to whether you should put a photo on a CV. Our honest opinion (especially if you are dealing with a recruiter)? Yes!

Just remember that you could be the 100th person that recruiter has interviewed this month and a photo can really make the difference when it comes to reviewing candidates and helping to jog our memories. Aim to use a photo that is natural, professional and that has a clear background. Think passport photo – but remember to smile!