Recently graduated? 10 sharp tips for you!

10 sharp CV-tips for new graduates

1. A resume requires courage. You have completed your education and want to start marketing yourself. Therefore, you need to be acutely aware of what you have to offer to employers. Perhaps you don’t have any job experience, and this you must have the courage to point out professionally.

   Show that you have understood what the employer wants. Be sure to address the requirements professionally so that a job robot or employer selects you. Make use of Jobindex and the CV-tools offered at Jobindex' website, job centers, training centers, and trade unions.

   
   

2. Call the employer or headhunter. Find out what is nice-to-have and what is need-to-have in the job. Be sure to include it in your professional profile. If the job task is to ensure customer satisfaction and avoid customer complaints, then address it in your resume. If the employer needs someone to get the assignments completed on time, give examples of how you get the job done. Don‘t be too humble. For what do you have to lose by drawing attention to your strengths and fighting for the job?

   Make sure to focus on the job. When you describe your responsibilities and experiences from student jobs, internships, or voluntary work, then ensure that it relates to the specific job. In short, target your resume for the job. And show your passion for the job.

   
   

3. One-pagers. When it comes to length, many graduates write one-page resumes. And these one-pagers often work surprisingly well. Everything superfluous is peeled away. Hard-skills are set up in forms with nice graphics. IT language and language skills are read visually, including the levels.

   See Helena Holm's bold CV – and she got the job!

   
   
4. Structuring your CV
   1. Name, contact info and practical info
   2. Personal profile (About me).
   3. Education.
   4. Work experience. Student jobs, volunteer jobs, etc. Use bullets to highlight special competencies such as teaching, coding, customer service, sales, etc.
   5. Competencies (Skills).
   6. Personal details (About me).
   
   

5. Education before job experience. As a recent graduate, your education is typically more critical than your student jobs. That’s why your education should come before your jobs in your resume.

   If you have a good grade average or thesis grade, then include it. Depending on the job, you can also describe your thesis, including title and supervisor.

   If your education is new or not very well-known, explain briefly what the education enables you to do. Decode your title so that an employer does not have to guess, look it up or move on to the next application. If you’re still studying, then inform the employer of when you expect to complete your education. Do not pretend to have completed, if you haven’t. They will find out when you are asked to submit your diploma.

   
   

6. Bullets rather than novels. Instead of writing long sentences, use bullets in your profile text. Not everything has to be included, only the most essential things, so the employer becomes curious enough to want to meet you for an interview.

   
   

7. Personal interests, hobbies, private. Employers want to get a feel for who you are apart from your education. What drives you? What are you passionate about? You can include this at the end of your resume or integrate it into your profile as in Helena Holm's CV. Instead of writing about all your 99 interests, name 2 or 3 of them and see if you can show something about yourself based on them. Here are two examples.

   1. Cake baking as I love to gather family and friends around the table.
   2. Chess games: My strategic and abstract abilities come into play - and I am challenged. I love The Queen's Gambit.
   
   

8. Get yourself a mentor – and a cheer squad. Too few have a mentor and/or a cheering squad. These may end up being worth their weight in gold.

   An experienced mentor as a role model can serve as an opening door to the job market. She or he can give you input and feedback and prepare you for different roles, job opportunities, and cultures in the particular sector you want to be a part of. A mentor can also reach out to her or his network for coffee meetings, internships, etc. Experienced people often want to be mentors as they enjoy sharing their experience, knowledge, and network with others. Besides this, they get inspired by being in touch with younger people.

   Your cheer squad can be friends, family, or others who are rooting for you in your job hunt. Both mentor and cheer squad should challenge you and be honest. They may see some completely different potentials in you that you weren’t aware of. And they can help explain exactly howyour skills from scouting, sports, programming or volunteering can be used for in a future job. F.ex.:

   1. If you’ve been a sports coach or scout leader, you are probably good at motivating and coordinating others, something that many employers like.
   2. If you do your own coding in your spare time, then an employer may deduce that you are good at concentrating, working independently, and continually wanting to improve your skills.
   3. Volunteer at an NGO, café, or bar? Volunteering often gives good communication and social skills. Besides this, it demonstrates that you like to do things for others voluntarily and have a mental energy surplus.
   
   

9. Be prepared to provide references, diplomas, etc. You don’t have to write who your references are on your CV. References can be managers from your student jobs, teachers, supervisors, etc. Be ready to provide 2-3 names that an employer may contact. As a recent graduate, diplomas are often crucial as they provide insight into subject choice and your academic level.

   
   

10. Arguments for selecting a newly graduated.

    1. Have the latest professional knowledge: Describe with specific examples what your knowledge can be used for on the job.
    2. Open to testing yourself.
    3. Can be shaped according to the needs of the workplace.
    4. Have a new perspective on things and contribute with fresh ideas and angles.
    5. Cheaper than someone with 20 years of work experience.
    6. Commitment: a newly graduated will often invest time and effort in the job as there is a high degree of motivation.