How To Write An Entry-Level CV

As a fresh graduate, writing your first CV can be quite daunting. You may have no idea of what to write down to make you stand out and ultimately land you a job. This, however, should not worry you.

Here are five tips to make you and your CV look professional.

1. Expound on your Education

When some job seekers realize that they don’t have much to show on their CV, they go to great lengths to make their CV appear full by using large fonts and text sizes, but this ends up highlighting the underlying problem.

The secret to adding more to your entry level CV is to expound on your education. Expound on the specific classes you took that illustrate your knowledge and expertise that is relevant to the job you are applying for.

Always research on the company you’re applying to and the specific requirements for the job. Think about specific classes you took that taught you the relevant knowledge to the job you are eyeing, and then highlight these under your Education section.

For example:

Job: Digital Marketing /Communications Assistant

Degree/Diploma: Communications and Media Studies

Major: PR and Advertising.

Project: The role of Digital Tools in Digital Marketing

Aim to have a great display of your knowledge and competence to the job you are applying for.

2. Give yourself a Professional Title

In past experiences, I can still remember a time when a friend of mine told me to give my Internship Experiences Professional Titles.

Instead of writing ‘Communications Intern- Company XYZ’, my friend urged me to replace the word Intern with ‘Assistant’, for my Internship experience to read ‘Communications Assistant’.

It’s all about how you brand yourself. Even if you just graduated, there’s no harm in branding yourself as an expert, because you are one.

If you graduated with honors or a major in Accounting, for example, it is okay to brand yourself as an Accountant and Finance Specialist.

This kind of branding will definitely differentiate you from other entry-level applicants.

Don’t be timid; be confident about your qualifications.

3. Swap your career objective with your professional summary

A professional summary allows you to build your personal brand, as compared to a career objective.

In the summary, you portray yourself as an expert, saying that you are so and so, and you can do this and that for that particular company.

A professional profile should be a short introductory paragraph that highlights your key strengths, skills, and areas of expertise.

It should be no more than 3–4 sentences long. Use it to market your unique skill set.

Also, ensure to incorporate 3 key selling points which include your degree and major, any relevant experience you have and any key skills you have developed.

Make sure you outline your ambition to perform within the given industry and include any achievements.

4. Only Include Credible Professional Experience

When considering what’s best to put on your CV, think logically. What will most impress an employer?

You may have held a part-time job, worked an internship, or have been involved in volunteer work. When writing your professional experience section, focus on this type of experience, and develop a structured display of the necessary skills you developed.

What if you don’t have any professional experience?

If you don’t have any professional experience, then it’s time to go and get some.

Consider what industry you are targeting career-wise, and then look for volunteer programs that will provide relevant experience.

Looking for a job as an entry-level job seeker is definitely not easy, but you can use the above tips to stand out from the crowd.

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