CVs and covering letters: passports to employment

Revamp your CV!

Whether you need to find a job or simply want to change, if your job search isn't going well, it's because your CV isn't perfect. It's time to redo your CV and letter of motivation !

CV template or blank page?

It's the key to a new job. But how to make a good CV ? Start with a CV template or a blank page, but personalise it to suit the job on offer. Above all, go straight to the point. Recruiters need to find what they're looking for!

Take an introspective look at yourself and write your CV with a retrospective view of the course of your life, your 'curriculum vitae'.

Focus your career path by omitting certain experiences and keep it concise: a manager will only mention his distant experience in fast food if he is applying for a job as head of service. marketing of the brand in question!

But making a good application also means practising a forward-looking vision that you will need to share with your next employer.

A well-done CV is not enough!

Supplement your CV with an original covering letter and reassure your interviewers. Highlight your behavioural skills: empathy, confidence, creativity, ability to withstand stress, to make decisions, to plan, sense of teamwork, decision-making or innovation, etc. For the same technical skills, these soft skills will make all the difference!

The language of the other, between jargon and key words

Cover letter or the perfect CV have no ideal model. Prefer to write in plain language, choosing key words that will catch your reader's attention. For unsolicited applications, personalise these documents to give yourself the best chance of being selected. You'll need to appeal, in short, to stand out from the crowd. To achieve this, speak the other person's language: it's the surest way of both being understood and being recognised as sharing the same DNA. The jargon of a profession contributes greatly to its identity. You can't ignore it, but don't abuse it.

Quality first and foremost!

This shows just how much care you need to take when drafting these documents. Not only do you have to be attractive in terms of content, but you also have to be good on form. Imagine the disastrous effect of a CV or covering letter riddled with spelling mistakes! Passing through the forks of a search engine, a recruitment agency or a human resources department is already quite a feat...

Don't waste your precious chance of convincing your future employer! Have your CV and covering letter proofread by a professional!

But what can you expect from a CV professional?

Ugood application is not enough in itself. It represents the values you embody. If you neglect the content or the form, you will give yourself an image that is at odds with what you want to promote. By entrusting the proofreading of your application to a professional, you will wipe out any errors of attention, syntax, typographical conventions, spelling or grammar. Alternatively, use a good antidote. It'll do you a lot of good, but it'll never be a panacea!

Avoid the basket!

A flowing text will encourage the recruiter to read you and keep you out of the recycle bin at first glance.

You're not a spelling champion ? Above all, you'll give the impression of a humble professional who knows how to rely on others to do an impeccable job.

Visit free CV-building advice on the cvsansfaute.fr blog