• Home
  • About us
    • Academy
    • Accreditations
    • ELA Business
  • Courses

    About Courses

    • English Language Courses
    • University Preparation
    • Exam Preparation
    • Teacher Training
    • Business Training
    • Medical English
    • Bespoke Courses
    • Foreign Languages
    • Work Placements and Work Experience

    English Online

    Skype Lessons

    Work for NHS

    Medical English
  • Groups
    • School Study Vacations
    • PON & POR
    • Mini-stays
    • Work Placements
    • English for the Workplace
  • Exams
    • OET – Occupational English Test
    • Exam Preparation Courses
  • Course Fees
  • Services
    • Accommodation
    • Airport Transfers
    • Edinburgh Bus Pass
    • Social Programme
  • Gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Information
    • Arriving at ELA
    • Student Welfare
    • Enrolment Form
    • Course fees
    • FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Privacy & Cookie Policy
    • Refund Policy
  • Contacts
  • Online courses
    • Basket

      0
      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • Instagram
      • Youtube
Have any question?
+44 7305778641

+44 7305504161

info@elacademy.co.uk
DOWNLOAD BROCHURE
ENROLMENT FORM
ELA-EDINBURGHELA-EDINBURGH
  • Home
  • About us
    • Academy
    • Accreditations
    • ELA Business
  • Courses

    About Courses

    • English Language Courses
    • University Preparation
    • Exam Preparation
    • Teacher Training
    • Business Training
    • Medical English
    • Bespoke Courses
    • Foreign Languages
    • Work Placements and Work Experience

    English Online

    Skype Lessons

    Work for NHS

    Medical English
  • Groups
    • School Study Vacations
    • PON & POR
    • Mini-stays
    • Work Placements
    • English for the Workplace
  • Exams
    • OET – Occupational English Test
    • Exam Preparation Courses
  • Course Fees
  • Services
    • Accommodation
    • Airport Transfers
    • Edinburgh Bus Pass
    • Social Programme
  • Gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Information
    • Arriving at ELA
    • Student Welfare
    • Enrolment Form
    • Course fees
    • FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Privacy & Cookie Policy
    • Refund Policy
  • Contacts
  • Online courses
  • Basket

    0
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram
    • Youtube

Articles

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Articles
  • Writing CVs That Attract and Don’t Distract – Part 1

Writing CVs That Attract and Don’t Distract – Part 1

  • Posted by Allison Nunziante
  • Categories Articles
  • Date August 21, 2019
  • Comments 0 comment
A step-by-step guide of how to create international CVs

How to Create a ‘No Nonsense’ International CV

 

Overview

Why are CVs so important? When applying for a job your CV is the way you sell yourself to a company. However, knowing what to put on you CV and how to format it can be confusing, especially when applying for jobs internationally.

Not every country expects the same thing out of a CV, so you need to do your research and think carefully about format, presentation, structure, language and content. You can easily find examples of acceptable format and content on the internet by searching for CV criteria and styling norms per country.

However, no matter the country the key to a successful CV is to make sure it is easy to understand, short, clear, simple, and contains all of your relevant skills and experience. Likewise, it is important to make sure you don’t include any information which is irrelevant.  You want your CV to attract an employer and not distract them from key information.

This is a step-by-step guide of how to create CVs which are ‘no nonsense’ and mainly focus on the CV conventions for the UK/USA, which are the same for the majority of English speaking countries. These conventions also work as a good framework to edit from for a majority of international countries/companies. However, I will also mention a few tips for mainland EU CVs.

Format, Style, Presentation

Though it is often thought that the content of your CV is the most important, I find that to be untrue, especially when you think about the fact that sometimes thousands of CVs are sent to companies for some job postings. If your CV is not formatted correctly, looks cluttered, has an inappropriate style for the country or an all-around distracting and unclear presentation your CV will be skipped over no matter how good you think the content is or how qualified you think you are for the job.

Length: A typical CV length is 2 pages no matter the country. If you are just beginning your career and are light on experience there are different things you can include to pad out your CV and to focus on your goals and academic achievements. Similarly, if you have wealth of experience and find 2 pages limiting there are things you can, and probably should, leave out to reduce the length to 2 pages.

Format and style: Although many countries have different expectations about the ways a CV should be formatted, there are many similarities and many of the changes you would need to make are down to organisation. Most countries/companies expect you to create a CV in reverse chronological order. However, it is always a good idea to check the format expectations for any country/company you are applying for.

CV Format, Style, Presentation

For mainland Europe there is a programme called Europass. This program was designed to facilitate ease of application when applying for jobs across much of the EU. Twenty-five countries have signed up to this programme. However, it is important to note that many companies expect a normal CV personalised for the job you are applying for and that the Europass is not standard for higher level positions or top companies, especially within the UK. For further information on the programme please refer to the Europass website.

Though there are many differences from country to country most of the English speaking world, and definitely the US and UK, follow the same formatting conventions: They expect things to be listed in reverse chronological order and grouped by work experience, followed by education, and then skills/languages. However, if you are recently out of school and you want to draw focus on your academic achievements, you could have education as your first heading followed by work experience if that area is lacking.

Presentation: Once you know the style of the CV you need to write, there are many things to consider when formatting your CV, including: spacing/margins, font, headers, and colour.

In general, no matter the country, there are a few presentation guidelines you should always follow:

  • As far as margins go, you should try to stick to the normal setting of around 2.5cm. If you need a little bit of extra space you can decrease the margins slightly, but never go below 1.27cm. Anything smaller than that and you CV will look too cluttered and be too difficult to read. There should be plenty of white space on your CV, not only in the margins but also between sections to make the CV look organised.
  • Font size and style is also important. The size of your font for the main body of the CV should be between 10 or 12 pt. If you go smaller than 10, you look like you’re trying to squeeze too much onto the page and haven’t done proper editing. If you go larger than 12, you look like you’re trying to make up for content with size. As far as headings go, you should generally use between 14 and 18pt size. However, for your name you could go as large as  around 36pt. Though the standard is around 24-28.
  • The style of Font you choose should get a lot of thought. The standard choices are Arial and Times New Roman; however, it is perfectly acceptable to venture outside those two as long as they remain professional looking. Using a different font could even help your CV stand out visually. Other acceptable fonts include: Calibri, Verdana, and Helvetica. These fonts are especially useful as they were designed to be easily read on a screen.
  • The use of colour should be kept to a minimum. If you choose to add a little bit of colour, I recommend only using it for your name and possibly contact details. Try to stick to rather dark primary colours.
  • The use of italics should be kept to an absolute minimum, as too much of it can be difficult to read.
  • For headings it is better to put the words in bold and a larger font than to underline. You should make sure that you have proper spacing between sections. You can also make certain key words in the body bold to draw attention to them.
  • When using bullet points, make sure they are all the same style and size.
  • The most important thing is consistency in style and format throughout the CV.
  • Finally, I recommend converting your CV to PDF before sending it. This ensures that all of that careful formatting you’ve done hasn’t been changed by the time it reaches the company and that it will print easily.

 

Check the blog next week for our tips on Content, References and Cover Letters to Create your ‘No Nonsense’ International CV!

Tag:CV step-by-step guide, how to create a CV, impressive CV, soft skills, steps to create an international CV

  • Share:
author avatar
Allison Nunziante

Previous post

SQA Higher ESOL Course at ELA
August 21, 2019

Next post

Writing CVs That Attract and Don’t Distract - Part 2
August 28, 2019

You may also like

We are all in this together
We’re all in this together – a message from our Director of Studies
8 May, 2020
Study from home and get an International Certificate
Study from home and get an International Certificate
16 March, 2020
Coronavirus
Coronavirus – updated information for students
10 March, 2020

Leave A Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Categories

  • Articles
  • Courses
  • English
  • News & Offers
  • Study English at home

Latest Posts

How to motivate yourself learning English at home
How to motivate yourself if you are studing English at home
07Apr2020
How to communicate in English at home
How to communicate in English at home
14Apr2020
Free Speaking Skills Lessons on Zoom
Free Speaking Skills Lessons on Zoom
11May2020

elaschool

ELA-Edinburgh
#Cᴏɴᴠᴇʀsᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴄʟᴜʙ 🇬🇧
𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫 𝟏𝟔: 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 
Do you have a favourite gadget that you couldn’t live without? Have you ever bought a gadget that you have never used? What new gadget would you like to invent?
We’re looking forward to hearing your ideas!

𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞: Wednesday, November 25th, 6pm Uk time
Rᴇɢɪsᴛᴇʀ ɴᴏᴡ @elaschool ➡️ info@elacademy.co.uk 

#groupdiscussions #zoomclasses #webinar #englishskills #speakingenglish #speakingskills #technology #zoommeetings #englishconversation #englishlessonsonline #elaschool #elaedinburgh #studyenglishathome #learnenglish #scotland #instaenglish #instauk #englishlanguage #englishcademy #englishschool

ELA-EDINBURGH

A top English language school offering bespoke courses from General, Academic and Business English, Exam Preparation,TESOL Courses to Group Programmes.


71 George Street
Edinburgh EH2 3EE, Scotland

+44 7305778641

+44 7305504161

info@elacademy.co.uk

Company

  • Academy
  • Accreditations
  • Exam Centre
  • Blog Articles
  • Photo Gallery

Programmes

  • English Courses
  • Exam Preparation
  • Teacher Training
  • School Groups
  • Business Training

Study English Online

Study from home and get an International Certificate

© 2006-2020 ELA Group Ltd T/A ELA-Edinburgh. Registration Number SC533587

  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy & Cookie Policy

Become An International English Teacher?

Join thousand of instructors working worldwide with a globally-recognised qualification!

Learn more
Our website uses cookies
By continuing to use this site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.
AcceptReject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

STUDY ENGLISH ONLINE: We are now offering 1-to-1 and small group courses for General English, Business English, Medical English, IELTS, and Academic English courses online. Dismiss