Tips and advice
Here are a few helpful hints
Curriculum vitae
Our team has a great deal of experience reading and analysing curriculum vitae (CV). This is the reason why we wish to give you a few hints on how to write and update your CV.
The presentation of your CV is as important as its content. The CV reflects your knowledge, your know-how and who you are. It must reflect your image because this sets the first impression. Take the time to write it with dedication and your efforts will be rewarded.
A CV written in French or in English must be no longer than two pages (maximum). You must be clear and precise when you are writing your CV; focus on short sentences. You do not need to list everything on your CV. Let the employer talk to you, if he wants to know more.
Content
We recommend you write your name along with the position you want to apply for, in the subject section of the e-mail.
Header
This section must have your family name, your fist name(s), your address, your phone number(s), and your e-mail address, if you have one.
Writing your CV is the only chance you have to indicate your knowledge, your know-how (skills) and who you are (attitude).
Education and Training / Work Experience
This section must illustrate your education and training along with the most important work experience. It is up to you to choose the order in which you want to present those two aspects. This depends on your professional objectives and what you want to point out in your CV.
However, we recommend that you list your training and your work experience in chronological order, starting with the most recent one. It is best to write the dates you started and ended for each one of them. Furthermore, we suggest you use action verbs to describe your work experience.
It is not only important to write your job description but it is also valuable to reveal your accomplishments to the future employer. Illustrate them by listing the most important ones first. This is what the employer wants to know when he/she reads a curriculum vitae.
Advanced Training / Professional Associations / Community Involvement
In this section you can add all your other training, your volunteer work and if you are a member of a professional association.
Computer Knowledge and Languages
This section lets you list all the software you are familiar with and other computer knowledge. This is also the section in which you write the languages you can speak and write.
Never write private information on your CV
Avoid:
- attaching a picture with your CV
- writing you social insurance number
- mentioning your date of birth
- mentioning your social status (single, married, spouse, common-law marriage)
References
Take the time to choose your references and to let them know you are looking for a job. Furthermore, you do not need to write your references on your CV. If your future employer wants to know more, he will ask for it. You may only write the following at the bottom of your CV: ‘‘References will be provided upon your request.’’
Cover letter
To complete your job application, we highly recommend attaching a covering letter to your CV.
This letter must be no longer than one page. This allows you to sell yourself. This is where you can write your professional skills and your personal qualifications. You could also specify what attracted you to apply to this position and why you think this company could be a good match.
Letter Content
Introduction
In this section, mention the position you would like to apply for and where you learned about this job opening.
Content
The first paragraph must illustrate your skills, your abilities and the qualities you have to do the work. In the second paragraph, you can mention what you know about the company, it’s challenges or their industry.
Conclusion
The last paragraph is used to thank the employer for the time he/she has taken to read your CV by writing a standard greeting at the end of your letter.