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A good resume is like the first handshake when introducing yourself to someone: start strong and decisive but brief and effective. Every recruiter will take only from 10 to 20 seconds, when looking at a resume, to understand if the candidate will get a screening call or not. That's why, as a rule, it's better to be concise and on point.

A resume is not to be confused with a CV (Curriculum Vitae), a long and extended version listing all your experiences and skills, rarely used in modern times. Today the two terms are used ambivalently, and when talking about CV, we mean resume.

Ideally, every resume always contains the same main sections:

• Name, Contacts, and a brief description of yourself
• Soft Skills and Technical Skills
• Work experience
• Education and Certification
• Hobbies and Volunteer work (if applicable to the job you are seeking)

What is important in general? 

• Give all essential information at the start, possibly using keywords that you can spot in the role description.
• After your name, a good idea is to give yourself a title corresponding to the job description to set the tone of the CV; for example, if applying for a position as Change Manager, this would be "Project & Change Management expert."
• Insert a summary about why you are an asset and what is your work experience of a maximum of two or three sentences.
• Depending on if you are a junior or a senior, a recruiter will look at different things. Of course, not all experience is always relevant, and the resume must be tailored to the job you want or are applying for. Once you have many years of experience, you will not need to write all the internships or traineeships you did at the start of your career, though if you are still a junior, it can be a crucial detail to insert. Additionally, all job experiences are better accompanied by KPIs to measure your success as an employee and a leader.
• The same consideration can be done for the university grades/degrees. If you have extensive experience, it will be sufficient only to mention your degrees unless some of your majors or minors are crucial to getting that specific position.
• Languages are generally appreciated, especially when spoken fluently or at a professional proficiency level. On the other hand, Dialects are usually not useful unless mentioned explicitly by the job description.
• Certifications are also necessary, especially if mentioned as requirements in the job description.
• Use the right tool to build your CV: it can be a template created by you or taken from the internet. You can also use Word, LaTeX, or other editors.

What to avoid generally?

• Strong colors or colors that make sections or the content unreadable.
• List all your tasks in the experience section.
• Listing student jobs not inherent to the position you are applying for
• Give your birth date, age, address, or other sensitive information, unless requested in the application form.
• Pictures, if applying for big North American corporations.

Finally, do not get discouraged by a low rate of interview invitations or positive responses. Use all feedback received on your resume to circle back and continuously improve.

If you want to know more, see the blog for tips to build a strong resume (an example) and links to free resume-building tools.