{"id":5801,"date":"2020-10-05T14:14:35","date_gmt":"2020-10-05T14:14:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jobs.lu\/news\/?p=5801"},"modified":"2020-10-08T11:48:48","modified_gmt":"2020-10-08T11:48:48","slug":"your-guide-to-writing-the-perfect-cv-cover-letter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.jobs.lu\/news\/your-guide-to-writing-the-perfect-cv-cover-letter\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Guide To Writing The Perfect CV & Cover Letter"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 9<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

The key for a successful job search lies in a good cover letter and a great CV.
\nIf you aren\u2019t sure how to start your CV or what to include in your cover letter, then our Ultimate Guide will answer all your questions.<\/p>\n

How to write a cover letter<\/strong>
\nAlways add a personalized cover letter to your application, even if the employer doesn\u2019t explicitly require one. This is your opportunity to add further information that doesn\u2019t belong or fit into your CV. It will also give an additional personal touch to your application.
\nEmployers are usually looking for the following, when it comes to cover letters:
\n\u2022 Tailored skills from the job description
\n\u2022 More detailed information from your CV (but not a direct copy)
\n\u2022 The value you would bring to the company. In other words, an answer to the question: why should we hire you?
\n\u2022 A reflection of your personality
\n\u2022 Perfect spelling and grammar
\n\u2022 Well written and structured content<\/p>\n

Tips for your Cover Letter<\/strong>
\nFind the right balance<\/em>
\nWhen showcasing your skills and experience, try to be confident, but not arrogant. Nobody will be impressed if you say for example: \u201cEven though I haven\u2019t had a great experience as a leader, I have managed teams in absence of supervisors\u201d. Rather say: \u201cI have managed several teams for 5 years in different phases in my company and have gained [skill X] during each occasion.\u201d
\nLimit yourself to the facts surrounding your achievements and your performance. Don\u2019t try to show off in your cover letter, this can appear arrogant and discourage employers.
\n
\nPoint out your abilities<\/em>
\nPick 3-4 of the qualities that are mentioned in the job description and briefly refer to them in your cover letter. It\u2019s always good to use concrete examples in terms of facts and figures. For example, \u201cDuring my financial executive role in Frankfurt, I was involved in banking contracts ranging from \u20ac20 million to \u20ac100 million\u201d sounds much better than \u201cI was a financial executive in Germany.\u201d
\n
\nDiscuss the company<\/em>
\nDo your research about the company and talk about the aspects that impress you the most. If this is for example their innovation spirit, give an example of how it is leading the field in this department.<\/p>\n

Keep it Short<\/em>
\nThere is no reason to go beyond a single A4 page unless the application is for a senior position, the recruiter will not read more than the first page anyway. Your cover letter should contain the highlights of your career and should be short and sweet. It shouldn\u2019t have more than three to four paragraphs and each one should get straight to the point.<\/p>\n

Send your Cover Letter as a PDF<\/em>
\nAny computer can open a PDF file without the need for conversion. Don\u2019t send your cover letter in a file that needs to be converted as the hiring manager might just move onto the next person instead.
\nAddress the right person
\nDo the necessary homework to find out who you\u2019re sending the application to. \u201cHello Mr. Tomson\u201d sounds much better than \u201cTo whom it may concern\u201d or \u201cDear Sir\/Madam.\u201d If you don\u2019t know who will be reading the letter, it\u2019s always better not to address anyone.<\/p>\n

Proofread<\/em>
\nYou would be shocked to discover the number of spelling and grammatical errors contained in the average cover letter. Just ask a family member or a friend to read over it once more after you have proofread it yourself.<\/p>\n

Cover Letter Content<\/em>
\nA classic cover letter should contain 3-4 paragraphs. Try to address a specific person and proceed as follows:
\n\u2022 Opening Paragraph: Highlight the value that you can bring to the role. You can also indicate the position you are applying for and the reasons why you applied. Some may consider this as a waste of time, but it may be the case that the company will be advertising more than one job.
\n\u2022 Middle Paragraphs: This paragraph should include details on how your skills, experience and education make you an ideal match for the specific requirements of the job. This is where your researches about the company can be quite useful, you can include information about the company itself to show that you have done some research.
\n\u2022 Final Paragraph: Conclude by thanking the reader for their attention and specify that you would welcome the invitation for an interview.<\/p>\n

No-Go\u2019s<\/strong>
\nBeginning with your name<\/em>
\nIs is not necessary to begin with your name since it is already on your CV and other parts of your application. A better way is to start with your qualification responding to the job description.
\nIt sounds for example far better if you begin your cover letter with \u201cI\u2019m a sales professional with 10+ years of automotive industry experience\u201d than with \u201cMy name is Joseph Schmit.\u201d
\n
\nLying<\/em>
\nThis should actually be quite obvious and applies to your CV as well. You may think it would increase your chances, but it\u2019s very likely that your lies will be uncovered. Nowadays, companies spare no effort and perform a lot of background checks. All it takes is one tiny lie to be uncovered and your chances of landing the job are gone.<\/p>\n

The attempt to justify quitting or a redundancy<\/em>
\nThe reader of your cover letter is only interested in your latest information and not necessarily in the reasons why you were laid off or why you quit your last job. Such information, might be suspicious to the recruiter and they might believe that you still have unresolved issues and are unable to move forward. You can discuss such matters during the interview.<\/p>\n

Repeating the content of your CV<\/em>
\nRemember that your Cover letter is an attachment of your CV. Therefore, don\u2019t repeat its content. Above all it an opportunity to express your interest in the field, your ambitions and to show your personality.
\nAlways do your research about the hiring organization and try to add one or other historical facts related to the company\u2019s past. You can talk for example about how exciting it is to be a part of the industrial change of the company and name a recent change of the company in this field.<\/p>\n


\nHow to write a CV<\/strong>
\nCV stands for Curriculum Vitae. It is important to keep in mind this is not a resume of your life. Consider your CV as a summary of your experience, skills and education written to convince employers that you are the ideal employee for their company.<\/p>\n

Tips for the perfect CV<\/strong>
\nLimit yourself to one A4 Page<\/em>
\nAgain, there is no reason to go beyond one A4 page when writing a CV (unless the application is for a senior position). Recruiters tend to skim the content because they must read a lot of applications. If they are confronted by a several pages long CV, it will probably end up in the bin.
\nYour CV is above all an opportunity to show a company that you meet all the requirements. The goal is to being called for an interview. Be brief and express your personality trough your cover letter.<\/p>\n

Make sure it is error free<\/em>
\nAn astonishingly high number of resumes contain at least one grammatical or spelling error, which can be the reason for immediate rejection. Careful proofreading is the key and will increase your chances of being invited for an interview!
\nAlso, double check your contact information (phone numbers and email addresses) and the dates in your education and employment history.
\n
\nShow that you understand the job description<\/em>
\nMany people skim the job description only to create a completely unsuitable CV. To prevent this, always read the complete job description and highlight important keywords.
\nYou can still have a chance of getting an interview for the job, even if you are not 100% perfect fit. If there are a few aspects where you\u2019re not strong, compensate by adjusting existing skills. By carefully reading the job description, you save time and apply only for jobs where you have a real chance.<\/p>\n

Show your value<\/em>
\nThe recruiter wants to know if you fulfil the job and whether you fit well into the company\u2019s corporate culture. A good CV should answer both questions and include your skills and interests. Include key skills relevant to the role such as negotiation and persuasion, leadership or your ability to work under pressure.
\nThink about how you have gained and grown these skills. This might have happened during a volunteer program and not necessarily during your last job.
\nWhen describing your interests, do not add activities like \u2018videogaming\u2019. Such self-related hobbies are not considered to be particularly social. Rather mention where you worked as part of a team. You might have been a member of a band or trained a local soccer team.<\/p>\n

Make the most of your experiences<\/em>
\nFocus on your most recent 2-3 positions unless you have older jobs relevant to the position you\u2019re applying for. When describing your employment history, be as specific as possible.<\/p>\n

Keep your CV up to date<\/em>
\nYou need to update your CV regularly and always add new experience or skills as you achieve them. Always remember to add details of a new project you\u2019ve just worked on. Recruiters are always looking for people who are constantly striving to improve their existing skills.<\/p>\n

Add references<\/em>
\nIn the most cases, it\u2019s enough to add \u2018references available upon request\u2019 but in some instances, recruiters will specifically ask for them.
\nThis is the reason why you should always get your references from former employers and look to leave your current workplace on good terms.
\nYou can use a teacher or a tutor as your reference, if you haven\u2019t worked before.<\/p>\n

Avoid Gaps<\/em>
\nRecruiters usually become wary, if there is a gap in your CV.
\nIt\u2019s best to positively justify your absence from the workface. You might took some time out to explore foreign countries and new cultures. In that case explain why you decided to travel and outline what you have accomplished and the skills you learned during your travel experience.
\nDon\u2019t change the dates of past jobs to avoid gaps, as recruiters can just call past employers and uncover your lies.<\/p>\n

Use professional fonts<\/em>
\nUse for your cover letter as well as for your CV Times New Roman, Garamond or Arial and size 11 or 12. You should also use bold font when starting a new paragraph or section to separate it from the rest and make it much easier to comprehend.<\/p>\n

CV content<\/em>
\nA typical CV should have the following structure:
\n\u2022 Contact Information: Enter your full name, address, mobile phone number and email address.
\n\u2022 Education: Include details of university\/college and secondary school information starting with the most recent. Remember to add any professional qualifications you have achieved.
\n\u2022 Work Experience: Begin with the most recent jobs and then you work your way backwards. You can also include volunteer work and internships if relevant.
\n\u2022 Skills: Choose at least 3-5 skills and demonstrate how they relate to the job.<\/p>\n

What else?<\/em>
\nIf you are asked to provide references, include two from past employers.
\nYou can include hobbies, but ensure they are in some way related to the job opening. While learning a foreign language in your free time may be seen as useful by an employer, spending hours playing the latest video game doesn\u2019t really impress the recruiter.
\nYou can also leave the following information out of your CV:
\n\u2022 A photo: CVs with photos are less common in Europe so there is no need to include one, unless it is required.
\n\u2022 Date of birth: You don\u2019t need to include this, since legally employers can\u2019t discriminate on age.
\n\u2022 Place of birth: This information is unnecessary.
\nCV No-Go\u2019s<\/strong>
\nLying<\/em>
\nLying on your CV is definitely a bad idea. Even a minor lie will cancel your chances to get a job and probably destroy your opportunity to find a job in the sector if word gets out.<\/p>\n

Bad formatting<\/em>
\nSince recruiters spend in average 8-10 seconds looking at every CV they get, you need to ensure yours is concise, easy to read and well-formatted. Don\u2019t use too many fonts or font sizes, it will be a counterproductive approach.<\/p>\n

Use lengthy sentences<\/em>
\nKeep the paragraphs and sentences in your CV short and to the point. The CV is not the place to showcase your outstanding talent for poetry.<\/p>\n

Not selling achievements<\/em>
\nRemember that your CV is a great tool to talk about your relevant achievements or successes. Recruiters are interested in how you\u2019ve got concrete results in previous experience. People tend to shy away from this process but in reality it\u2019s your chance to shine.<\/p>\n

Undervaluing experience<\/em>
\nBe careful not to leave out relevant information when trimming down your experience. For example, it\u2019s not necessary to mention that you were the trainer of a soccer team during your college time. However, if the club achieved something under your leadership, it could be well worth mentioning. Working part time in a restaurant or a club in university can also show your ability to balance study and work.<\/p>\n

Too much detail<\/em>
\nDetails of your previous jobs are useless and often boring. Don\u2019t share details of your tasks in a restaurant during your summer holidays as they are easy to guess by recruiters. It\u2019s best to concentrate on whether you were trusted to take payments and how many customers you had to serve a day.<\/p>\n

Tailor your CV & Cover Letter for each application<\/strong>
\nRecruiters can receive up to 100 applications for a single job so they\u2019re used to see generic cover letters and CVs. Don\u2019t use these templates otherwise your chances to land the job will be zero.
\nMake sure the layout of your CV is correct but tailor the content according to the requirements of every single position you apply for even if the basics are the same.
\nTailor made CVs<\/em>
\nThere are a few things to consider, when tailoring your CV for a specific job:
\n\u2022 Read the job description carefully: Try to get a clear vision of the job and make your CV fit.
\n\u2022 Skills: Use adjectives like those that are used in the job description, but try to be imaginative or else recruiters will see that you just copied them.
\n\u2022 Company Culture: Do your homework to learn more about its values and culture. It\u2019s best to think about your interests and to show how you would fit into such a company.<\/p>\n

Tailor made Cover Letter<\/em>
\nRemember that it takes a lot of time and effort to write a good cover letter.
\n\u2022 Create an outstanding Cover Letter: Recruiters should be able to remember key things about you after reading your letter.
\n\u2022 Show your interest: Explain why you apply and your motivations for the job.
\n\u2022 Personalise: Get to know the name of the person that will read your letter and precise it.
\n\u2022 Provide evidence of your skills: Illustrate your competencies with right examples without repeating the CV\u2019s content.
\n\u2022 End Strongly: Include your enthusiasm for the job and the firm you\u2019ll provide any further information if needed.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong>
\nTake enough time to create a tailored and outstanding Cover Letter and CV and you might get the chance of an interview.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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