Guidelines for making Europass CV :
Guidelines for making CV for 44 European countries like Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden, UK etc.
Tons of resumes layout is available on the internet most of them are very attractive brochure with shades and unwanted graphics with too much copy-pasted content from google teaching the employer the duties and responsibilities with fewer details regarding job profile, education, training and experience. That is why European countries standardized the CV format based on the simplest template that ranges from typically one to two pages based on guidelines. Employers generally spend less than one minute reading a CV before deciding to reject it or shortlist it for detailed consideration. If you fail to make the right impact, you miss your chance.
Guidelines :
- Concentrate on Essentials :
Europass CV is very simple you can do it online from their website https://www.europa.eu/europass/en or if you are skilled in the computer you can do the same layout in MS Word, Pagemaker or Adobe Indesign as per your skill based on the template following the guidelines. Typically one page. Two A4 pages are usually more than enough, irrespective of your education or experience. Do not exceed two pages. Avoid unwanted details. If you hold a degree, give full information like subject, college name, university name, place and year of passing. No need to add higher secondary education or secondary education details. - Be clear and concise :
Use short sentences. Avoid clichés. Give specific examples. Quantify your achievements. Update your CV as your experience develops. - Always adapt your CV to suit the post you are applying for :
Concentrate on the relevant aspects of your training and work experience. Don’t hesitate to remove old and irrelevant experiences if it does not add value to the position. Eg. A lady who has 4 years of experience as a light vehicle driver who would like to apply for the same profession in Malta removed her 2 job experiences as a nanny and 2 years of experience as an office lady in the U.A.E. Highlight your strengths according to the needs of the employer and focus on the skills that match the job. If you have any training which is not relevant to the application also needs to be removed. Do not artificially inflate your CV; if you do, you are likely to be found out at the interview. - Pay attention to the presentation of your CV :
You need to follow specific guidelines based on the rules and regulations regarding using photographs, gender, nationality, etc. No need to put details of your home country. You need to mention the name of the country where you are presently working. Eg. Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. Pay attention to the type of font used san serif font preferably Helvetica, Arial or Verdana as these fonts are very simple to read and understand on the monitor. If you are setting your CV online, you can select any of the templates shown on the website so that the font and layout are set automatically. In the Europass template, more details are asked regarding your skill mother tongue and other language(s) like Listening, Reading, Spoken Interaction and Spoken Production. You need to mark your levels in different levels. (Levels: A1 and A2: Basic user; B1 and B2: Independent user; C1 and C2: Proficient user) Need to check spelling and punctuation and ensure the layout is clear and logical. Have someone else re-read your CV so that you are sure the content is clear and easy to understand. CV File is finally saved in pdf format with the job name Eg. Light Vehicle Driver.pdf so that the Application Tracking System (ATS) can easily track your CV for selection for further processing. - Do not forget to write a cover letter.
The cover letter needs to be brief. Use a maximum of three sentences and format the sentence without using the first person “I”. In the cover letter, you need to mention your education, year of experience and a request to follow the resume for details.