Curriculum Vitae is a document that contains all information about an applicant. It has his or her personal information, educational background, job experiences, strength, hobbies and references among others. A well-developed CV is the key to acquiring your dream job and thus should follow the procedure in creating one as well as mentioning the important aspects.
Once you have been programmed for an interview, you can cajole the interview committee with your amazing personality and skills included in your curriculum vitae. It is also backed up with your other documents and a good cover letter (application letter). To assist those who have doubts, worries and are confused about how appropriate to write their CV, this document is here to clear your doubts, remove your worry and ensure that you get the perfect job meant just for you. Below is the procedure you need to note and steps to follow in order to come out with the perfect CV.
IMPORTANT THINGS TO TAKE NOTE OF WHEN WRITING A CV IN CAMEROON
Writing your CV in English Language
Though Cameroon is a bilingual country, writing your resume in English and searching for a job in especially French speaking regions can be really difficult for applicants. Even though it might be a little more difficult, the potential benefits far outweigh the effort required. The world is more connected now than ever before, and English is a dominant language in the world especially in business, football, etc. A cover letter and CV written in English will show that you master the English language at a professional level.
Proficiency in English is crucial since many international companies are now hiring in Cameroon. They mostly go search of those who can communicate in English fluently. Not only that, many Cameroonian companies are setting their sights on the international market as well, which means you’ll need to speak and write in English to compete. If you want to improve your chances of finding a job in Cameroon then an English CV will be your best option. If you would like to improve your English skills or have a better understanding of the English language, there are plenty of resources online that can help you learn. if you need someone to assist you in the process, contact us.
However, writing your CV in English in one thing and writing it in good English is another. English language has a lot of complicated tenses and sentence structure is also a factor to take note of. You should be very vigilant about your spellings, grammar, punctuation and hand writing. Also avoid word to word translation from French to English and don’t use words you do not know the meanings.
PRESENTATION OF YOUR STORY
It’s not enough to write your CV, send it in and hope it lands you the job. Many applicants will have a resume that qualifies them for the job, thus you have to have something that makes you to stand out. You need to make sure you engage the recruiter with your story. Take the time to think about what makes you unique, or what makes you the most perfect candidate for the job. Once you know you need to show this story throughout your CV, in the following:
- Title
- Exclusive summary
- Body (internship and work experience and education)
Each section plays a different role in telling your story to the recruiting committee. Your title and executive summary both act as a teaser for things to come, they are the introduction. Make your title obvious and recognizable, so a recruiter can read it and know what kind of applicant you are. Your body should include your most relevant work experience with examples (we go through work experience and education below). Make sure you don’t put everything in your CV, keep it succinct and keep your story consistent. With this in mind you can start to piece your CV together, first you should focus on the formatting.
THE FORMAT OF THE CORRICULUM VITAE
An important thing to consider when deciding on how to format your resume is the format of your CV (structure). You should ensure to present the areas and domains you are versed with or have advantage like good academic performances, good trainings and experiences you have. That is, you can’t begin writing about educational background and u begin with the level you had the worst performances. Beginning with domains you have a lot of positive achievements will give you an upper hand over the other candidates. Make sure you keep the style clean and easy to read. Your CV will probably contain different sections, make sure you put them in the correct order:
- Name & contact info ( name as it appears on your documents and a reliable contact which is always reachable)
- Title / introduction (subject)
- Work experience
- Educational background
- Skills and experiences
- Languages spoken
- Awards
- Interests (hobbies related to the job descriptions should appear first)
- References (this will enable the interviewer know how reliable you are since you didn’t have problems in your former jobs)
You should ensure that;
- Your contact info is easy to find ( can be easily seen in case they need to call you back)
- Your CV is designed for functionality
A simple CV is one that is easy to follow and leaves a generous amount of white space on the page. A functional CV is designed to allow a recruiter to skim it and pick out vital bits of information. Note that just because you need to keep it simple, doesn’t mean it needs to be boring and filled with unimportant stuffs – try to find the balance between simple and creative. You should also;
- Set your CV as a PDF ( some job applications are done online and a PDF version is best for professional reasons)
- Ensure to use 12 point font
- Use either: Arial, Calibri or Helvetica theme font
- Your CV should not be more than 3 pages.
WORK EXPERIENCE
This section is one of the most important parts of your CV. Your work experience will be a major determining factor in deciding whether the recruiter or hiring manager is going to consider you for the interview or not in case of online application.. Your work experience needs to be formatted in a clear and simple way; and, so that it shows what you’ve done; your responsibilities and that you can solve problems. When organizing your work experience make sure you do the following:
- Have the most relevant work experience at the top
- Keep your language simple (avoid using heavy words relating to a particular field)
- Only use work experiences relevant to the job you are applying for
- Leave out any work experience older than 15 years(focus on the recent ones you still have a very good mastery of)
WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE LITTLE OR NO WORK EXPERIENCE WHEN WRITING A CV IN CAMEROON
If you have little or no work experience, you don’t need to worry much. There are so many other things you can do if you don’t have a lot of work experience. A strong way to gain points in such a case is to focus on your educational background and the few internship program experience. You should also use your abilities and interest as a positive side or advantage to win the job.
WRITING ON YOUR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
Depending on the type of industry you work in your education could be a make or break – especially in the STEM fields or for an accountant or lawyer, your application. Listing your education qualifications on your CV is an excellent idea, as it will the hiring manager that not only can you see something through to completion but you are also willing to learn. There are many things to when writing your education in your CV, but some of the most important things to think about are:
- List your highest level of education first.
- If you have a Bachelor’s degree or higher, you don’t need to include your high school
- If you don’t have a degree, list your highest qualification
Below is an example of how you should write your education experience in your CV:
– 2015 (year of graduation)
-Master of Electrical Engineering (degree)
HIMS University of Engineering (university), City Name (City where university was located)
Major (if relevant or interesting)
You need to include a section that lists all relevant skills you have for a particular position: HTML, Photoshop, Microsoft Excel, French or JavaScript etc. Make sure you leave out obvious programs like Word or Email, these will make you seem a little technologically inept. Hard skills should not be confused with soft skills, these are skills that are quantifiable and often technical. This means when you list your hard skills you should include how competent you are at each:
HTML: Advanced
JavaScript: Intermediate
French: Fluent
Make sure you split your skills up into relevant sections. If you speak multiple languages, group them together, if you have different technical skills, perhaps some involved with administration or web design, group them together. Make your CV as readable as possible.
Give your CV some extra personality by including your interests. Although, try to steer clear of any interests that might be controversial (think religion or politics). There’s nothing wrong with having interests in these areas, it’s just best to keep your CV as neutral as possible. Also, if you’ve won any awards – even if they’re specific to a previous job, you should include them.
REFERENCES USE TO WRITE A CV IN CAMEROON
References are the people who have worked with or under them, those who trained you and those who supervise you at your jobsite in your previous jobs. Some people allow the space for reference completely empty which is not the best thing to do. You should include the names, of some people you have worked for, the name of the company or institution and the contact info of the individual. A lot of interviewers nowadays are interesting to know a little bit more about the person they intend recruiting. They call one or two of your references to find out how reliable you were while working for them. Once you are done writing your CV, Proofread your work then read it again, edit it and double check for any mistakes you might have missed