A Curriculum Vitae and a cover letter are the 2 elements that help you present yourself to an employer in response to a job offer.
It's important to know that recruiters spend an average of 11 seconds per CV.
This is somewhat depressing, considering all the time we spend responding to a job offer. Nevertheless, this demonstrates the importance of having a well-structured and clear CV that highlights the essential points, preferably on a single page.
The keywords the recruiter is looking for must stand out immediately. This is why it's recommended to adapt your CV and cover letter to each application you send.
Don't hesitate to stand out by contacting the recruiter to ask a question about the recruitment, to know if they received your application well... This might ensure they spend those few extra seconds on your CV that make the difference.
The CV in the age of artificial intelligence
Today, more and more CVs are first read by automatic sorting software, called ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems). This software is used by companies to make an initial screening of applications.
Concretely, this means that before being seen by a human, your CV may be scanned by software that seeks to identify certain keywords, skills, or structures. If these elements are not present or are poorly organized, your CV risks not even passing this first step.
Here are some tips to optimize your CV in this context:
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Write a professional summary of a few lines at the top of the CV, explaining who you are, what you have done, and what you can bring to the company.
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Use the exact words present in the job offer. For example, if the company talks about "project management," use this expression in your CV.
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Highlight concrete, quantified results if possible. Rather than writing "responsible for social media," you can write "30% increase in Instagram engagement in 6 months."
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Avoid vague phrases like "motivated," "dynamic," "team spirit," unless they are illustrated by a real situation.
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Clearly separate technical skills (software, tools, languages...) and human skills (organization, autonomy, communication...).
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Use a simple structure, without multiple columns or overly complex graphic elements. This helps ensure your CV is well read by the software.
Online tools to easily create a CV
Nowadays, you don't need to stress too much about your Word document to make a nice CV design. Many websites give a free helping hand in terms of design, important sections to fill out...
These websites also provide lots of advice for making a CV that will catch the recruiter's attention.
You can check out the following sites:
- CVdesignRin a few minutes, create your CV for free, choose a template, customize its design, then download it as PDF.
- Canva: for a personalized and original CV.
The video CV: an option to consider
The video CV is a more recent way to present yourself, which can suit certain people, particularly in professions related to communication or media.
It allows you to show your personality, your way of expressing yourself, and can really make the difference if done well. But it requires preparation.
If you're comfortable with this format, it might be worth trying.
I recommend reading Zety's article on how to make an original video CV in 2025?
How to justify a gap in your CV
This is a question many people ask themselves because a majority of people experience one or more periods of inactivity in their professional life. Rare are those who manage to have a linear path throughout their entire professional life. This hardly exists anymore.
A period of inactivity can be due to dismissal, work incapacity, job searching, a long trip, volunteering, time for children or elderly parents...
It's important to be honest about your path, both in the CV and during a potential interview. Recruiters pay attention to unexplained periods, but they understand breaks if you know how to explain them. You're never obligated to go into details about your health or other matters if you don't feel comfortable.
What's useful is to show what this period brought you:
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What did you learn or learn about yourself during this time?
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Did you develop certain skills? You developed many.
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Did you take training courses, read, reflect on the continuation of your path?
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Did you complete a personal project or participate in volunteer activity?
Even if it's not always easy to formulate, taking the time to answer these questions will allow you to talk about it more serenely and show that you drew something positive from this period.
Cover letter
For the cover letter, there are thousands of articles on the internet to give you good tips and tricks. Job&Sense recommends, for example, this one: "Cover letter essentials that will make the difference" " from the Welcome to the Jungle site.
