How to Write a CV

Özgeçmiş Hazırlama Adımları

  • You should use A4 paper.
  • The CV should be a maximum of two pages long.
  • You should avoid writing long paragraphs.
  • You should not use second or third person narrative (Use passive verbs instead of active ones.).
  • You should not underline any words or sentences. 
  • You should not make any spelling mistakes. 

  • You should use a recent photo (not older than a year) representing your professional image.
  • Men should prefer a suit, tie, and shirt, and women should prefer a shirt and blazer, or just a shirt.

  • Your full name, contact number, open address and email address must be correct and up to date, and you should include them in the first paragraph.
  • You must include relevant information such as date and place of birth and marital status.
  • If you are applying for a job abroad, you can include the nationality information.

  • You should write the programmes you graduated in reverse chronological order.

    For Example:
    2016-2020 Beykent University / Faculty of Law / Law
    2013-2015 Beykent University / Vocational School / Justice
    2009-2013 X High School 
  • Highest ranks you achieved, significant achievements or grade point average can be included in the CV.

         

  • They should be written in reverse chronological order.

       For Example:

        ABC CONSULTANCY JSC / İstanbul                           04/2014 - Present

        Accounting Specialist

        Consulting for firms in financial legislation, preparation and keeping track of payrolls, carrying out personnel procedures and managing billing procedures through the Netsis software. 

 

         XYZ Accounting Ltd / Ankara                                      07/2013 - 09/2013

         Intern

         Preparing payrolls, processing invoices into the Netsis software, observing the works carried out in the accounting office.         

  • You can briefly mention your position, duties and responsibilities.
  • You should emphasise your achievements.

  • Here you can mention the courses, trainings, and certificates you received.
  • You should definitely mention the seminars, conferences and student club events you attended, and certificates you received while studying at the university.

COMPUTER SKILLS: 

Computers skills which can be mentioned in a CV are as follows:

  • Microsoft Office ...
  • Word. ...
  • Excel ...
  • PowerPoint ...
  • Outlook ...
  • Access …

(If you do not know how to use these software programmes, you can take free online trainings.)

You can mention other computer skills related to your department/programme which will give an advantage to your career, and be one jump ahead.

 

 

FOREIGN LANGUAGE

You should not just write “good” about the foreign language skills section in your CV. To eliminate the questions such as “‘Good’ according to whom?” and “Do you have a certificate?”, you should definitely be more specific and give some details such as the name of the course you took, course completion date, and your level.

Or, did you take a TOEFL, IELTS, or YDS? If yes, you should write your score.

HOBBIES 

Your hobbies mentioned in the CV are the reflection of your personality. They give hints about whether you are a team player, patient, organised or not. Thus, the way you write about your hobbies in the CV is important. You should take another look at your routines before adding your hobbies in your CV, and include the self-enhancing ones.

SOCIETY AND CLUB MEMBERSHIPS

You should include the activities you did and the area of these activities. You should definitely mention the club activities and social responsibility projects in which you participated. You can also mention your club-related works.

  • You can add two references.
  • If you are a new graduate, you can get one of the references from the head of the department of your university, and the other from the manager of the firm where you have completed your internship.
  • If you have no reference, you do not need to add a reference section.
  • Do not add any reference from the people who do not know you very well, and notify your references in advance.

Ön Yazı Nasıl Yazılır?

Introduction: This paragraph describes who you are, where you saw the job opening and applied for the job.

Body: In this paragraph, you explain why you are interested in the position. The body paragraph is the section where you make a difference with other candidates, and talk about your personal experiences and qualifications. It is important that you convince the employer that you are suitable for the job, and you have the motivation and eagerness in this section. You should also mention your future objectives.

Conclusion: This section includes a meeting request and good wishes.

  • A cover letter is an introduction letter which presents your CV to the institution. You can consider it as an invitation for the employer to read your CV. It is complementary to your CV, not a letter repeating your CV or a summary of it.
  • While writing a cover letter, it is important to include your future plans. You should not give information about the past. 
  • The aim of the letter is to highlight why you want to work in that institution and why you are a good fit for the position. Thus, you need to write a new cover letter for every company you have applied to, and update your cover letter while making a new application.
  • A strong cover letter makes its reader want to meet you, in other words, to invite you for an interview. A brief, explicit, easily comprehensible, impressive, precise, accurate, and plain cover letter is considered successful.
  • If there is a year-long gap in your CV, you should definitely explain its reason in the cover letter. The recruiter may hesitate to invite you for an interview due to this interval.  Thus, a cover letter save lives!