Presentation
It's not just the content of the resume that matters, a good presentation also counts for the candidate. Be careful to make it easier for those who are going to read the document to read, as submitting your resume is the first step in arousing the interest of your potential employer.
The type of paper and font
Use good printer and white sheets. The text should be printed in black (or a very dark gray) and in an elegant and classic font, avoiding the very fancy ones, as they are more difficult to read and can give an impression of unprofessionalism.
Some recommended fonts are: “Times New Roman”, “Arial” and “Verdana”. Use the font size that is pleasant to read: neither medicine leaflet nor billboard! 12 or 14 size fonts are suitable.
Amount of information
Ideally, your resume should be one or two pages long. Resumes that are too long tend to be discarded by recruiters.
Avoid printing your document double-sided. If your resume has two pages, submit it on two sheets of paper stapled together (no clips or those folds at the end of the sheet).
Beware of English
Review your text before printing, also ask someone else to read and correct possible errors. Resumes with spelling errors are not well regarded.
The File
If you are going to send it by email, save the file in PDF format, this way, you can guarantee that it will keep the same formatting when opened on another computer. Name the file with its full name.
How to fill in the Resume Content
Ideally, the resume should be brief and objective, prepared according to the company and the position for which you want to apply. When sending your resume directly to a company, make the necessary adaptations and make it more attractive for the position you intend to occupy, highlighting the most interesting experiences for that position. By registering on a job site or recruiting company, you can make it more general.
What to put on your resume
Distribute resume content into highlighted topics in this order:
- Personal Data
- Purpose
- Training
- Qualifications
- Professional Activities
- Complementary courses
1. Personal Data
Start by writing your personal data: full name; address (optional); marital status (optional); date of birth and also your contacts: e-mail and telephone. Contact information is very important, make sure it is up to date and entered correctly.
It is not necessary to put a number of documents, such as CPF or work card number. The company will only need this data later, at the time of hiring.
2. Purpose
In this topic, be direct and write what your area of interest is. If you are registering your resume on a job site, try not to put the name of the intended position (the positions vary depending on the company), write the area of activity a little more broadly.
Don't put too many goals together. If you have more than one different objective, create a resume for each one, focusing on the area of interest.
3. Training
Describe the courses you have taken starting with the most recent to the oldest. Cite the name of the course (with the degree measured: technical course, graduation, specialization, etc.), the name of the institution and the year of completion. If you are still studying, you can put the word “studying”.
Information about where you graduated from elementary and high school is irrelevant. They should only appear on your resume on two occasions: if this is your only training, or if you have completed a second technical degree in the area in which you are applying for the position.
You can describe your knowledge in another language here, but be honest about fluency, as you can damage your professional image by putting incorrect information on your resume.
4. Qualifications
Briefly describe some of your qualifications, skills and knowledge acquired in your past experiences.
Avoid placing very personal and subjective characteristics such as: “sympathetic” or “committed”. This type of information will be at the discretion of the evaluator at the time of the interview.
5. Professional Activities
You should always list your professional experiences from most recent to oldest.
Start by writing the name of the company where you worked and a short description of the activity (eg Empresa Tal - Commerce Wholesale of Electric Products). Include the period worked (month and year of start and end of activities). If you're still working, instead of the end date you can put the word “current”, or just leave the start date. Complete with the position held and cite the activities performed.
When describing the activities performed, focus on the most relevant ones and the results obtained.
It is not necessary to mention all experiences, if there are many. It is preferable to leave some out (especially the older ones), so the document is more concise. It is more companies experiences and better to highlight the most interesting of their activities than to fill the document with a large number of worked. Try to keep your resume for two pages.
6. Complementary Courses
Here you should cite extracurricular, short-term courses, workshops or lectures that are relevant to your area of interest. It is important to mention the institution, workload and year of completion of these courses.
If you have any international or exchange experience, you can mention it in this space. It can be a differentiator on your resume. If you have not taken additional courses, it is better to remove this item.
Finish your document by putting the city, month and year at the bottom of the page.
7.What to Avoid on the Resume
Just as important as knowing what to include on your resume is knowing what to avoid.
There are some information that should not be filled in on a resume, such as:
- Title “Curriculum” or “Curriculum Vitae”. Get started right away with your personal data;
- Photo, only if the employer requests.
- Name of parents, spouse or children.
- Wage expectation. Leave to discuss this topic in the interview.
- Certificates from courses you have already taken.
- Reference letters. If it is necessary to present, they must be delivered or felt in separate documents.