To get a job you need some experience but to get some experience you need a job. Bummer, right? But here’s a little secret: the employers are not only looking for the experience but they are actually interested in your potential, motivation and transferrable skills. Having no work experience for your CV may force you to lie but remember that naked truth is better than a dressed lie. In this guide, we will describe to you the complete process of creating a fresh graduate CV even when your employment history is non-existent.
Since you are a fresher, let’s start off with a blank canvas. Ditch the traditional Reverse Chronological format of CV and shift to the skills-based format. This way we will be able to focus more on our passion and our detailed understanding of the target industry than the listing of past job experiences. So, without further ado, let’s get into it.
STEP 1: Contact Information
First up comes the column of how the employer should contact you. Mention your professional email ID for example ‘yourfullname@domain.com’ instead of ‘cuteprincess@domain.com’. Preferable domains are Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo since they are considered more professional. If you do not have an email with your name then create one instead of using the existent unprofessional one which may work against you.
Next, mention your phone number and make sure it is active since you do not want to miss the interview call, right? And then go on and mention your social media accounts, LinkedIn being the most important one. Optimize your LinkedIn account since according to the recent study, 77% of the recruiters use LinkedIn to find the candidates.
ALSO READ: How to optimize your LinkedIn account
If you believe that your tweets about industry-related information on your Twitter account can help in informing the recruiter about your passion for a particular job or industry. Then surely mention that too. And if you are applying for a creative-based job then do not shy away from mentioning your Pinterest and Tumblr accounts.
STEP 2: Career Objective
This is the trailer of your CV. In a few lines, you highlight who you are, what are your career goals, and what you have to offer to the organization you are applying to. You will talk about a few of the best skills that you are planning to leverage in the position once employed. Ensure that the skills are related to the job description and you fit in the position perfectly well. Below is the format for the career objective:
- Describe yourself with your strong character traits for example; Highly motivated
- Use your university’s name e.g. MIT graduate
- Your skills e.g. C++, Java and PHP
- Name of the company you are applying to; XYZ company
- Your offer to the employer; eager to contribute to all phases of the developmental cycle.
‘A highly-motivated MIT graduate with a deep understanding of C++, Java, and PHP. Seeking to leverage my internship experience at different companies to assist XYZ in all phases of the developmental cycle.’
STEP 3: Skills
This is the place where you show off your transferrable skills. Keep a copy of the job description in front of you, then highlight all the key requirements of the position. Pick up the best 3-4 hard and soft skills that you can vouch for yourself and make a heading of those skills as shown below.
Skill #1: Job Related Skills
This can be a hard skill required for the job position you are applying to. You can mention where you picked up this skill from, mainly from your university courses. You can also talk about if you have implemented these skills somewhere and have achieved great results from them. For example: For a software developer understanding of Data structures and Algorithms is an important skill to mention.
Skill #2: Transferable Skills
These are skills that you pick up from day-to-day life experiences. It can be when you work over-time job, extra-curricular activities, or even at home. It shows the kind of employee you can be and how the company can leverage you. Under the heading, use 3-5 bullet points to describe how the skills will benefit the company. Examples could include excellent organizational and time management skills, mathematical aptitude, and problem-solving skills.
STEP 4: Education
Here we create the relevant experience by showing that even though we have not worked in an organization for years we still do have the knowledge, passion, and transferable skills for the job we are applying to. Put your most recent educational institution along with the year you have graduated in at the top. You can also mention your GPA if that is in the requirement of the job. Then, mention your majors, minors, and relevant coursework for the position you are applying to.
Next, talk about any projects or thesis that you have done that increased your understanding of the subject and your take away from that. You can mention your favorite subjects in your CV and why you liked them. This is an opportunity for you to guide the course of your interview towards your strengths.
Lastly, remark any key academic achievements such as years you have been nominated for Dean’s List, conferences you have participated in, and any publications and blogs. Check the format below to get a better understanding of the order.
The Institution’s name – Graduating Year
Majors and Minors
GPA
Relevant courses:
- X
- Y
- Z
- Thesis Work:
-Project overview. What was the project about?
-How did you approach this project? Mention any kind of research you conducted, for instance; online surveys.
-What did you learn from it and the conclusions you drew from it?
Achievements:
- Dean’s List
- Medals
- Conferences
- Publications and Blogs
STEP 5: Work Experience
Since you are a fresh graduate, it is understandable if you do not have work experience at hand hence there is no need to lie about it. If you do not want them to find out about it, then don’t do it. You may just lose the opportunity you would have otherwise gotten even without having to lie. But if you have gotten some sort of experience then surely mention it, it will give you an extra edge.
Talk about the internships you have done and in about 3-5 bullet points describe your duties, responsibilities, and your take-away from them. Basically, you have to demonstrate that you have already worked on something that has prepared you well for the job and you have an understanding of what is required by the hiring manager.
Corporate Internships:
- About the company: Overview of the company, such as Name, Industry, Products, and Services.
- Roles and responsibilities: Tasks assigned to you and how you fulfilled them. Try using numbers to show the impact of your work. Showing the results will paint a better picture of your capabilities.
- Your key learnings: How do you think that this internship prepared you for the job you are applying to now.
Other than the internships, if you are a part of a society or have initiated a club and have played a vital role in its events and competitions do mention those too and describe the role you have played in them. Make sure you use keywords such as organized, took initiative, or developed which catches the employer’s eyes and creates a good impression.
Before the CV reaches the employer’s desk, it is gone through an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) which searches and scans for such keywords that are the requirement of the position. Which is why it is important to X-ray the job description and pick up major keywords and spread them all over your CV.
Step 6: Hobbies
Mention everything you are proud of about yourself but you could not talk about it in upper sections. Love to read novels? Mention your most favorite one. A national-level swimmer? Brag about your medals. Inspired by someone? Discuss their biography. Just make sure you avoid penning down hobbies that are not impressive such as watching TV, sleeping, gym-ing, etc.
Hobbies give recruiters an idea about your personality for example; a painter gives the idea of being creative. And a sportsman spirit you may come out as having good leadership skills, being disciplined, and being organized. These may work as a conversation starter in your interview so avoid lying since if you have no say about it in the interview it may have an adverse effect.
Recruiter looks for skillset and potential in a fresh graduate’s CV so being fresh grad focus on improving your skills and create a CV that sells you well with a complementary Cover Letter. Keep in mind loud fonts, bright colors and inappropriate pictures may create a negative impression and will portray you as unprofessional. And spell check twice before finally hitting the send button because errors may show you as incompetent. For further advice, you can always contact us and get your work done in no time.
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