How to Write an Absolutely Amazing CV or Resume

20 Oct How to Write an Absolutely Amazing CV or Resume

Writing an impressive resume or CV is step one to landing your dream job. since this is the first impression potential employers will get of you. CV stands for curriculum vitae, meaning “course of life,” and reflects the purpose of the document: to summarize your achievements and qualifications for a job opportunity. But how do you condense your academic and professional life onto a single page? Here’s how to write an absolutely amazing CV.

1.   Pick a clean, simple format and lay the information out clearly. Your contact details, most importantly your name, email address and phone number, should always come first. There are many different ways you can arrange the different sections of your CV, though for university students or fresh graduates, the most relevant information is your work experience and education. Since you’re applying for an international internship, it’s also a good idea to include any additional language skills near the top of the page. Here’s an example for the order of resume sections:

• Name and contact details
• Work Experience
• Education/ Languages
• Awards/ Achievements
• Memberships/ Associations/ Extracurricular Activities

2.  In the Education section, the header should include your university, current studies and expected graduation date. If applicable, add bullet points to highlight special awards and study abroad courses. Here are a couple of examples:

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA at Chapel Hill                                 May 2019
Business Administration

• Dean’s List (Fall 2017)
• Honors Carolina
• Buckley Public Service Scholar

VIRGINA TECH​, Blacksburg, VA                                                                           August 2017 – Present
B.S. Business Information Technology (BIT) Finance
Expected Graduation: May 2021

3. In the Work Experience section, be specific about the title of each position you’ve held. Quantify your results, responsibilities and accomplishments, for example: “Supported 20 clients from seven different countries,” “Gave a 20-minute presentation in Spanish on new markets.” Be sure to highlight any computer programs or social media platforms used in a professional capacity. Here is an example:

XYZ Company, Madrid, Spain                                                                               July 2017 – August 2017
Full time Event Planning/ Marketing Intern

• Assisted in organizing the two-day Global Events Conference on Marketing Strategies in Spain with over 200 international attendees
• Wrote and scheduled social media posts for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in both English and Spanish
• Researched and updated new business contacts in Italy, France, Belgium and the USA.

4. Listing your Awards and Achievements is a good opportunity to make you stand out as a memorable candidate. You can also link these back to skills you acquired that demonstrate why you would be perfect for the job even if you don’t have much previous work experience. For example:

Entrepreneurial challenge (2016)

• Won national Entrepreneurial challenge by turning $100 initial funding into $5000 for charity in three months.
• Organisation: Successfully organised and managed an event for over 200 people, raising over $2500
• Communication: Delivered a presentation to 75 people to secure us the win and made professional connections with several large businesses including Banana Republic.
• Leadership: Treasurer during the project and helped to conduct events and presentations within our team.

5. For the Memberships/ Associations/ Extracurricular Activities section, be sure to highlight relevant experience. This can be knowledge that’s applicable to the job (“As editor of the student newspaper, I have a keen awareness of current events,”) or general soft skills (“My leadership and teamwork skills were developed as captain of the volleyball team.”) Here are two examples:

UNIVERSITY WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM
Development of strong worth ethic and leadership skills. Liaise with team members and coaching staff to foster team cohesiveness and the importance of a known common goal. Assisted team in reaching the NCAA SCIAC Championships (2015).

ADOPT A GRANDPARENT VOLUNTEER Singapore, October 2015 – June 2016
– Spent time with and organized activities for patients in a center for Dementia and Alzheimer’s Care. Was assigned a patient to build a relationship with and find out more about his past and his family for the center. Learned about his two daughters, his work as a gardener and his passion for traveling, details staff were not aware of.

When you’ve finished writing your CV, ask a professional you know, like a parent, teacher or older friend, to look over it. Our Placement Team is also dedicated to fine-tuning your resume to help you find the perfect internship, but make sure to send it to us in editable format so they can make changes as they see necessary!

Are you ready to embark on your summer internship adventure? Submit your CV and application here!