A glance at the application shows the experts in the HR department whether you seem suitable for the advertised position or whether they are looking at the next application portfolio. The resume is especially important because it provides the reader with a quick overview of your career and your goals.
Is the curriculum vitae from school sufficient?
The requirements for cover letters are changing. Surely you dealt with cover letters in school. However, if a few years have passed since then, you should assume that the procedure is now outdated. Therefore, please do not take the resume you created back then to update it, but create a new one. Also adapt your resume to the requirements of the company you are applying to.
What should I include in my resume?
If you are applying for a part-time job working nights in a laboratory, it makes sense to be cautious about listing your hobbies. If, for example, you identify yourself as an active triathlete, this could lead to rejection. However, the fact that you are studying chemistry or medicine is important information. If you do voluntary social work, this will be of great interest to the charitable organization where you want to do your internship.
The formal structure
You know the tabular resume, but you also know the written-out form. Tabular resumes are more reader-friendly, so this variant is more suitable. Start at the top with your current situation and write backwards to the beginning of your school career. The reason for this is that it allows the reader to assess your development. It may happen that a company asks for a detailed curriculum vitae. Such a resume may be two to four pages long. In the case of a written resume, you should take the time to explain the background of your activities. The big challenge, of course, is to balance too much detail with too little. The reader needs some of the information, but reading it should not take him too much time. The resume should not bore him either. Therefore, think carefully about what the employer should know and wants to know.
The resume gives an impression of your person
In Deinen Lebenslauf gehören Fakten. Vergiss aber nicht, dass Dein Lebenslauf Deine Visitenkarte ist. Dein Lebenslauf entscheidet also, welchen Eindruck Dein zukünftiger Arbeitgeber von Dir bekommt. Er kann aus dem Lebenslauf Deine Fähigkeiten herauslesen und sich über Deine Qualifikationen informieren. Nimm Dir deshalb ausreichend Zeit für Deinen Lebenslauf und passe ihn genau an das Stellenangebot an.
Your resume must offer this at a glance:
- Who are you?
- When did you graduate from high school?
- What are you studying, where and since when?
- What further training have you attended?
- Jobs?
Divide your curriculum vitae into education and practical experience. Also pay attention to the layout. The font size must be easy on the eyes. Keep spacing, use bulleted lists for better readability when appropriate. Give the resume to a second person afterwards and ask them to evaluate it. Use a meaningful photo, which you'd better have professionally taken. A snapshot is not suitable, no matter how well done it may be.
Your contact details
You know that your contact information should be legible on your resume. Take special care when choosing your e-mail address. A dubious e-mail address can be a criterion for exclusion from employment. If you do not have an email address with your real name, set one up.
Submit online or send by mail?
Find out if your potential future employer would like to receive the entire application online or by mail. It is also possible that the company will provide the application forms as a download. This is then also relevant for your application. Often such forms are very concise and leave little room for additional information. In this case, it is advisable to clarify by telephone whether you can submit additional information. A suitable explanation would be to state that you have additional qualifications that you would like to present.
Other mistakes you should avoid
Your additional skills, such as personal qualities, belong in the application, not in the resume. You can list your hobbies at the end if they fit the application. Leisure activities that show that you are a team player and like to take responsibility are very suitable. Hobbies with a high risk of injury should not be included in your resume. Do not try to present yourself as particularly exciting. Otherwise, you can expect to be asked about this at your interview and may not be able to answer the questions. But also make sure that your resume is not too boring. If your resume is rather meager, take the opportunity to add various focal points that made up your education or jobs.
