A resume writing business has been growing rapidly because there is a need for professionally written CVs that can impress recruiters and get more interviews. However, many people wrongfully assume that such help is needed only for professionals and executives whose experience is hard to put in one page.

Experts from skillhub.com can't agree with that statement. Students and people with no experience need great CVs to get employed. Their CVs should skillfully intertwine their academic accomplishments with career expectations, creating an image of a prospective employee.

Thus, should you be a student who's about to look for their first job, you are recommended to start with crafting a winning CV first. For that, you should either study the requirements or address the professionals.

If you choose to work on your student CV by yourself, here are a few pieces of advice with samples that you might need.

First, Choose the Format

Student CVs go through ATS like any other. For them to be scanned without any distortions or loss of information, these CVs should be ATS-friendly.

Thus, think of your format and structure before you get to writing. Simple black & white templates will definitely be a better choice compared to those with figures, charts, tables, etc. A neat and less appealing template will make your CV look more professional. Opt for simple and clear fonts as well to make your CV easy to read and aesthetically pleasing.

Study Your Targeted Position

Every beginner's CV is based on the job description of the targeted position. Since there is no experience to boast, the best thing you can do is to analyze what's expected from a successful candidate and present your key skills in the proper perspective.

If you want a general CV, find a few job descriptions that fit your career goals and highlight the qualifications and competencies in them. Your CV must become a combination of the common skills employers seek in the right person for the job.

Start With an Engaging Personal Statement

You have only eight seconds to make a recruiter interested in your CV and your candidature in general. Most of this time they spend reading your personal statement or objective. Thus, it is really worth working on.

This section should be dedicated to your skills, achievements, and academic credentials that make you unique. At the same time, this statement is usually not longer than two or three sentences. Thus, the task is to bring all your ambitions and qualifications to the light while remaining precise and concise.

Here is an example:

An aspiring M.B.A. student looking for a position of Business Analyst to start a professional career, gain new skills and apply knowledge of Data Analysis and Validation to support business decision making and promote process improvement. I am an inspired junior professional, ready to initiate data-driven changes to improve business efficiencies and add value. I am also a talented team leader with an excellent academic track record in the fields of Statistics, Accounting, and Financial Modelling.

Add Academic Qualifications

The best strategy to make your student CV look more professional is to shift the attention from a lack of experience to your education. Thus, don't just put your academic credentials but be creative and add more information.

For example, apart from putting your degree and university's name, consider adding coursework, projects, awards, and relevant subjects. If you were good at something, your grades and special achievements are worth mentioning.

Your educational qualification should appear in reverse chronological order. The whole section should precede the experience section if you have a few irrelevant places of work.

For example:

Ph.D. in Psychology (Behavioural Neuroscience)

The University of British Columbia, Sep 2015 - Feb 2020

M.A. in Psychology (Behavioural Neuroscience)

The University of British Columbia, Sep 2013 - Sep 2015

B.A. in Psychology (with High Honours)

The University of Saskatchewan, Sep 2007 - Jun 2013

Educational Achievements:

●       Was awarded national and university level research grants totaling over $80,000 in project funding.

●       Published 7 peer-reviewed papers where was mentioned as first author.

●       Presented research findings at 15 national and international academic conferences.

●       Won best MA Thesis in the Psychology Department and best presentation at the journal club.

Online Courses:

●       How to Code in MATLAB, Coursera - Completed

●       Project Management by the University of California Irvine - Ongoing

Add Work Experience if Any

Even if you didn't try yourself as a sales assistant, waiter, or bartender, there must be other work-related experiences you had. Almost any student did something worthy of including in the work experience section. You just need to think about what it could be.

As a student, you can add slightly irrelevant experiences to your CV. They matter for recruiting firms and your prospective employers because it means that you've been earning soft skills all this time. The more skills you find relevant to the position in question, the better.

Expand Your CV by Adding Other Sections

Do not finish your resume in the middle of the page. Think of other achievements that made you who you are and can contribute to your professional profile. For example, include your volunteer accomplishments, community involvement, and awards from sports or school competitions. Prove that you are active and passionate in different roles.

You can also mention your computer skills, hobbies and interests, and foreign languages. This tells more about what kind of person you are and what transferable skills you already have.

Final Tips

Never forget to justify your text when you are done writing. Check the dates, align them into a column, and make sure there are no typos in your contact information.

Proceed with proofreading and editing your text. No recruiter forgives an error in a CV. Due to its condensed format, all imperfections are easy to notice.

If you hesitate whether some information is worth mentioning, it's probably better to remove it. Truly relevant facts don't make you question their importance.

Try to ensure your CV fits one page. It's a golden standard for professional resumes; consequently, recruiters expect one-paged CVs from students as well.