Tips for writing your CV/Resume0

Dear all Ychallenge participants,

Some of you may notice that we require you to submit your CV/Resume when register for our Competition. That’s a crucial step for us to shortlist all registrants for the Preliminary Round, help the individual registrants to form teams, match the teams with the suitable companies and bridge all to many career opportunities awaiting you during and after this event.

A large number of our participants are still studying and writing CV/Resume may not be familiar with them yet, therefore, in this Note-series I have collected some tips on how to write a resume for your reference.

Of course, there are many ways you could write your CV/Resume & you can find tons of information in the internet about it. So I will share what I think is useful tips, and we can discuss more here.

In general: a good CV/Resume have preferably not more than 2 pages, including clearly your objectives, your education + relevant achievements & experiences to the job (or in this case the Competition) that you apply to.

HL.

—– The first article I would like to share with you—–

7 tips for writing your résumé

A résumé can make or break your bid for that dream job. Yet so many jobseekers make common mistakes that can be easily avoided when writing their résumés. Here are some tips on how to compose a résumé that will impress prospective employers and set you apart from your peers.

By Everlyn Lee

1) List your achievements in school and at work

Do not leave out any detail that makes you an attractive candidate. Organise your list in a chronological order, starting from your most recent achievements. However, make sure than your résumé is not longer than necessary. As a rule of thumb, fresh graduates should not have résumés that are longer than two or three pages.

2) Emphasise relevant strengths

Using the same résumé for all your job applications is lazy and works against you. Take the effort totailor your résumé to each job application. Highlight and elaborate on your strengths that are relevant to the job, but be concise and avoid repetition.

3) Adopt simple layout & design

Go for a clean and uncluttered layout. Use tables and bullets to break down long paragraphs. Also use subheads such as “Employment Background”, “Academic Qualifications” and “Referees”. Avoid adding fancy pictures to your résumé.

4) Use good language

Stick to a formal tone, and present yourself as a professional with a good command of English. In addition, use positive statements and back them up with relevant facts where possible. For example, “I succeeded in improving sales by 120%” will sound more impressive than simply “I improved sales”.Avoid big words when simple ones that convey the same meaning are available.

5) Stick to deadlines

Missing the deadline for submitting your résumé is equivalent to eliminating your eligibility as an applicant. On the other hand, a résumé that is submitted early will be seen early by employers. It also signals your motivation and drive, since you took the effort to beat other candidates to the application.

6) Be smart

You are not explicitly required to list your reasons for leaving your previous jobs, unless requested otherwise. But if you wish to include them, ensure that they are appropriate and that you do not sound bitter about the departure. Even if you did suffer a hard time in a previous job, try to find something good to say about it. Otherwise, it’s a better idea not to say anything at all.

7) Check for errors

Get someone to proofread the résumé for you. You will be surprised by how others can spot glaring mistakes that you fail to detect by yourself. Spelling and grammar mistakes damage your credibility and should be avoided at all costs.