5 CV Formatting Principles You NEED To Use (Template Included)

[@MrWeThePeople23]

Since using this my phone has been ringing non-stop and I've managed to secure an interview after 4 weeks of hearing nothing back! Thank you so much mate. Didn't realise how important formatting was and was stuck in the old ages! Hoping the aerospace industry has room for me. All the best mate, top work.

[@rajsidhu]

I am so happy to hear this @MrWeThePeople23 ... thank you for sharing and I'll be cheering you on in your goal of aerospace roles :-) Raj

[@rajsidhu]

I'm so glad to hear this @MrWeThePeople23! Formatting is wildly important and I'm glad you've seen the impact. Good luck with those aerospace roles buddy 🙂

[@asmanawaz3282]

Really helpful. I appreciate your time

[@rajsidhu]

I appreciate the comment :-) Raj

[@genericpie]

Really enjoying these, Raj. Very well presented and informative. In terms of the CV structure at the end, what would you recommend for an IT/Tech student who might need a more technical skill-oriented CV? I often see they frontload their CV with a dedicated skills section, whereas your CV example has the skills section at the bottom. Any thoughts on this? Thanks

[@rajsidhu]

Thanks @genericpie - much appreciated! There are pros and cons to having a separated skills section with IT/coding/languages etc near the top. Pros: early visibility, Cons: the info is decontextualised so the recruiter won't know how/where you picked this skill up (random free online short course Vs University level) or how deep it runs. E.g. if it says "Python" in a skills-section early on, I don't know what you can do with it (matplotlib etc) or if your understanding of it will be relevant to what I want you to do with it. To optimise, I'd say, talk about the IT/Tech skill the job description wants - early on - but nested inside specific experience/education to help contextualise them. The only exception is if the specific skill has been self-developed outside of academia/a job/internship etc. You can also have a "Other Technical Skills" section for IT/Tech skills that aren't 100% relevant to the role but still shows your quality in other ways. I hope this helps! Raj :-) P.S there's always a degree of subjectivity with this answer... e.g. take a random sample of 100 recruiters, and I'd maybe say 30-35ish might want that skills section at the top. I think - on balance - my approach would be preferable.

[@abenaampong1013]

Hi Raj, this is really helpful! I just wanted to know if the skills listed under each job experience need to be similar, or if it's okay if they are different?

[@rajsidhu]

Hi there @abenaampong1013, it's definitely ok to list different skills - preferably the ones on the job description for the role you're targeting. If you want to see how I do this, I cover it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qH6XnXeJrdyKlck All the very best and let me know if you have any other questions :-) Raj

[@abenaampong1013]

@ Thank you so much!

[@razvan9795]

Firstly, I want to say thank you for the valuable information you're sharing. Secondly, I see this type of structure applies to people with few jobs, but how about if you have multiple jobs? What is the acceptable maximum number of pages?

[@rajsidhu]

Dear @razvan9795 it's a good question. You can approach this in a few different ways, but generally I'd advise not to go over 1.7 pages. For example - using myself as a case study - I've worked for 20 years in 7 different roles, but I'd still only present a 1 page CV. I don't include every role and I present only super-relevant information. The role of the CV is therefore not to be a complete record of your work history, but rather a selective presentation of the most relevant info. If you're keen on including all your work experience Razvan, I'd maybe advise sticking to 2/3 bullet points max for each experience so it doesn't take up too much space - but still conveys contextually-relevant quality. Does that answer your question? (and thanks for your kind words!) Raj :-)

[@saymachowdhury1972]

Thank you. You've answered my question ​@@rajsidhu

[@dapriluns4061]

Hey Raj, The video is well presented and quite informative. Quick question though, when it comes to listing education, wouldn't it make sense to have your current university at the top?(the one you are currently attending) And for job experiences, wouldn't it be better to lead with the most relevant ones? Just thinking this might help highlight your current studies and showcase the experiences that align most with what you're pursuing. Another question: Would it be more effective for a student applying for a summer job to prioritize listing education first to highlight current studies and relevant coursework, followed by professional experience to showcase related projects or experiences? When in comes to a Master of Science, do you still think it is better to list the three bullet point: Organisation skills Analytical skills Communication skills. If I am currently attending the university what recommendation would you give me to write for these points?

[@rajsidhu]

Hey @dapriluns4061 - yes it definitely makes sense to have current university on top and to lead with the most relevant job experiences. If the most relevant experience was a while ago - you can have 2 separate sections: "Relevant Work Experience" and "Other Work Experience" so you can retain the same time /chronological format of presenting information. On your other questions: (i) if the summer job you're applying to has more skills in common with past experiences rather than education, then put them top - or education if that's most relevant. Basically, always lead with the most relevant thing: and that then dictates the order of material presented, and lastly (ii) Those 3 bullet points will be different for each Master's. Look at their course prospectus, see what they want from applicants and make those top 3 things you find the things you showcase in bullet points. I show this in more detail on this video here : kzbin.info/www/bejne/qH6XnXeJrdyKlck

[@broakwasi8209]

Simple with good content ❤

[@rajsidhu]

I appreciate that :-) Raj

[@drreemjkhidir]

Thank you Raj for this series on CVs, been very useful ! I would like to know your opinion on academic CV, if I'm applying for a msc/mpil, would all of these rules still apply ? and would it be fine to just include one bullet point on job role.

[@rajsidhu]

Thank you @drreeemjkhidir! Yes these formatting rules absolutely still apply for MPhil/MSc/MA application. These principles are founded on how we like to consume information, so this includes admissions tutors for Master's programmes too. The only thing to note with crafting a CV for a Master's application is to include any exposure you've had to literature reviews / research methodologies / working on long term projects, or working with a supervisor. I hope this helps :-) Raj

[@JesseCohoon]

That reminds me of the non designer's design handbook the "CRAP" principle Contrast - so everything doesn't look the same Repetition - so things are easier to "track" Alignment - So your eyes don't have to go all over the place Proximity - group things of "like" together

[@rajsidhu]

This sounds spot-on @JesseCohoon. I had no idea of this book ... it's nice to know of the resonance! Raj

[@grevel1376]

The way you use spaces and tabs in word hurts me. It could be just one right aligned tab and you made it so that when you change anything to the left the entire document will fall apart

[@rajsidhu]

@grevel1376 Honestly, it hurts me too :-) Raj

[@hassansyed6087]

1000th Subscriber, right here ---> Now you can start monetizing this bish. Haha Great video Raj

[@rajsidhu]

Ha! Yessss! Thanks for being my 1,000th subscriber, Hassan :-) Raj