Making a first CV is always a difficult task but it remains a requisite step to land an internship, a student job or a first “real” job. Although we are talking about student CV, both its form and content remain similar to any type of curriculum vitae. It must convey a professional image and have all the sections necessary to develop a quality resume.
Make a Beautiful Student CV
A successful CV is a CV that catches the recruiter’s eye. Most of the time, recruitment managers receive tons of job applications for each offer. And CVs are always the first thing they look at when screening candidates. Even if the content is relevant and rich, it may easily fall into the cracks if the appearance of the document does not attract the recruiter. Please do not misunderstand us, the content must be qualitative but for the head-hunter to read it, the CV layout must be catchy. For this purpose, find a CV creator online and choose the best CV template for student. It must be unique, appealing and sober. Too much originality is to be banned, though.
Highlight your Skills on your Student CV
As a student or a young graduate, your work experience is certainly not your biggest strength. But the good news is that today’s recruiters tend to favour skills and know-how over experience. Writing a student CV is a complex art. You have to highlight your educational course in order to convince the recruiter that you are a perfect worker. Even if the curriculum vitae has to retrace your life course in general, the recruiter should not see it only as a succession of diplomas, experiences and activities. It must clearly identify the skills and know-how that you put at their disposal. Nowadays, head-hunters really appreciate soft and mad skills.
Make your Student CV Easy to Read
The title of a resume is only useful if it brings additional information or summarizes wisely your profile in one line. So, avoid banal title like “CV” or “Available Young Graduate”. Your curriculum vitae must fit in one page and never more. It is discouraged to use superfluous words that do not provide any useful information to the reader. The font size cannot be under 11. Use a serious and elegant layout. Put spaces between the lines to make the document readable.
The most Important Sections of a Student CV
The education section is essential for students and young graduates who are looking for a job or an internship. It should begin with your last diploma or the current course as well as the expected date of the graduation. Generally, you can go back to the British A-level or the high school diploma but not any further. The language skills and your driving licence can be added to the CV but not to this section.
The second section that must appear in a student CV is about the work experience. Even if you have never been a “real” salaried employee before, you must prove that you are not new to the job market. Mention your internships and your holiday jobs. No need to go through all of them if you have many, three or four are enough to showcase your profile. You must precisely describe the dates and durations, the name of the company, the location, the job title, the scope of the responsibilities, etc. Ideally, all of your former missions should reflect the skills required in the position to be filled.
Extracurricular activities are also important for students and young graduates. Nonetheless, it should not make your curriculum vitae look like an advertising catalogue for travel, sports and leisure. Pick the most meaningful interests that you can talk about with enthusiasm even if you no longer practice them.
Value and Sell your Profile to the Target Company
As you lack professional experience, reserve all the real associative responsibilities under the work experience section. You will then describe your volunteer missions or “little jobs” with clarity, precision and professionalism, using the same presentation structure as for professional experiences. Show how they provide you with the skills the company is looking for. Use no verbiage or jargon specific to your past experiences. On the contrary, sell your resume using the specific vocabulary of the position you are targeting or the ad you are responding to.
How about the Photo on a Student CV?
It can be a good idea because the photo humanizes the CV and makes the application more user-friendly. It will make it easier for the different interviewers to make contact and remember your application. Contrary to what is required for passports, you can smile to make recruiters want to meet you. The photo must be recent, of excellent quality and suitable for a job search.
