Writing
a CV

A well written Curriculum Vitae is vital to getting the job you want. It is your marketing tool and how well you sell yourself depends on how well written your CV is.

As Luxembourg is a very international environment, it is good to adapt your CV to the culture and the corporate language of the Company that you are applying to. We never adapt anything on your CV prior to sending it to our clients as it is important for us that our clients see the real you through your CV.

We all have different expectations from a CV and it is interesting to see how each person reads a CV. It is usually read very quickly and scanned by the competent eye to search for key words. Ensure that the KEY WORDS are clearly visible.

For some jobs, a photograph on a CV might be requested, but in general we feel that the decision is up to you whether you want to use a photo on your CV or not. You should feel comfortable with it. If you do decide to use a photo it should be recent (not one that was taken 15 years ago!) and it should show you in the best light, be professional and of good quality.

Writing your CV

• Compile a clear, concise and well-presented CV
• Do keep it short. A CV should be 1 to 2 pages; if you have a lot of work experience you can stretch it to 3 pages (A4) but not longer
• Put details of education, academic achievements and work experience into reverse chronological order
• Use bullet points: avoid using sentences and paragraphs
• Emphasise previous successes, promotions and rare skillsets, make yourself very difficult to disregard
• Choose a presentation format that allows you to target key skills and key achievements. Do use bold capitals to highlight headings and important details
• Quantify experience and achievements with facts and figures to show how you performed against specific targets, timelines or KPI’s if you can and it is relevant to your work
• Re-read the job description for the position that you are applying for, and ensure that any relevant work experience is indicated on the CV
• Ensure that the keywords are clearly visible on the CV
• Don’t use company jargon or abbreviations – make sure the reader can understand clearly what you are writing about
• Be honest; nothing turns an interview sour more quickly than the uncovering of exaggeration or the stretching of the truth on a CV.

What you need to avoid

• Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors
• Flowery language
• Lying
• A grubby or hand written CV
• Indication of your desired salary on your CV
• Lots of colour graphics unless you are going for a role that requires such skills

Key information

• Personal Details:
  • Name
  • Address
  • Contact Details (telephone numbers and e-mail addresses)
  • Date of birth (optional)
  • Nationality (optional)
  • If you have a work permit to clearly note this
• Profile (recommended): A descriptive profile of your professional designation, including your key immediate ambitions. Ideally this should be 3 sentences. This can also be detailed in your cover letter.
• Educational & professional qualifications: Dates – Colleges/Schools attended – Examination Results/Qualifications
• Employment History: Employer’s name/ address/ sector Dates of employment dd/mm/yy positions held – Duties and responsibilities – Major achievements
• Additional information (recommended): other skills, languages (very important in Luxembourg), training courses completed, driving license, hobbies, membership association.

Would you like additional information on this subject? We would be delighted to give you a copy of our brochure “HELPING YOU GET THAT JOB”. We have compiled a guide of tips and advice to help our candidates through the recruitment process. This is available in both hard and soft copies. Please feel free to contact us at contact@dorecruit.com

PEOPLE DO MATTER