Students CV, CV Tipsin with your personal details
Your personal details are the starting point for identifying who you are. Include your full name, email address, cellphone number, and physical address this can sometimes work to your advantage if you’re applying for a job within your area. include your driver's license if you do have.
Avoid adding unnecessary information such as your ID number, religious affiliation, photograph (unless requested), or marital status. Keep it simple and professional — employers are more interested in your skills and experience than your personal background.
💡2. Summary
Include a short, attractive summary that highlights who you are, your career goals, and your key skills. This section should give employers a quick idea of your personality and professional direction.
For example:
“I am an enthusiastic and motivated candidate who is eager to learn and grow within a professional environment. I aim to develop my career further by gaining hands-on experience and contributing positively to the organization.”
Keep your summary brief, confident, and aligned with the job you’re applying for it’s your quick introduction to the employer.
💡3. Experience
If you’re a student with no work experience yet, you can leave this section out or replace it with volunteer work, internships, or projects that showcase your skills.
However, if you do have work experience, start by listing the company name, followed by your employment start and end dates. If you’re still currently working there, replace the end date with “To date.”
After that, include your key responsibilities and achievements in bullet points.
So the basic structure should look like this:
Company Name | Employment Dates | Key Responsibilities
Example:
ABC Company | January 2023 – To Date
🧠"- Handling client inquiries and maintaining communication records"
🧠"- Assisting with administrative tasks and data entry" etc....
💡4. Key skills
List all the important skills that are relevant to the position you’re applying for. If you’ve worked before, include the skills you developed in your previous roles.
If you don’t have work experience yet, focus on your soft skills especially those that match the requirements listed in the job description. This helps your CV pass through the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), as it scans for keywords related to the job.
Examples of key skills:
🧠Good communication
🧠Interpersonal skills
🧠Time management
🧠Team collaboration
🧠Technical or computer literacy
🧠Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
💡5.Education
Include your educational background starting from high school up to your tertiary qualifications. There’s no need to include your primary or kindergarten education.
When listing your education, follow a clear format that shows the institution name, qualification, and dates attended.
For example:
🎓 "ABC High School — Year Started to Year Completed | Highest Grade Achieved"
🎓 "University of ABC — Bachelor of Commerce in Human Resources Management | Start Date – Completion Date"
💡6. Other Expertise
This is basically some of the expertise's you've acquired, it can be self-developed expertise.
💡7.Certifications & Achievements
This section highlights any certificates or achievements you’ve earned outside your formal studies. These can include online course certificates or third-party training programs you completed while in high school or university.
Including certifications shows your commitment to learning and self-development, which employers value highly.
Examples of certifications:
🏅 Cisco Certificates
🏅 Udemy Certificates
🏅 NetAcad Certificates
🏅 Google Digital Skills Certificates
💡8. References
References are an important part of your CV. They give potential employers a chance to verify your work ethic and character.
Include a maximum of two references — people who know you well professionally or academically and who can provide positive feedback about your performance. Always make sure you’ve informed your referees in advance so they’re prepared to respond if contacted.
Example:
👤 Name: ABC | Position: Lecturer | Institution: ABC University/College
👤 Name: CDE | Position: Manager/Coordinator | Company: XYZ Company
💡Career Tips, job Applications, Students, Mistakes
🎯1.Cover letters written Poorly
Cover letters serve as the face of yourself; it basically outlines what skills have and who you are in general. This is where you begin to sell yourself to the employer.
The employer checks your cover letter to actually see if you are best fit for that specific role which they are looking for. For example, if you are applying for an HR role, this role requires you to have good communication skills as you interact with employees almost every day.
this role requires you to understand different personalities and how to handle different personalities, so you need to outline these characteristics to stand a good chance of being appointed.
🌟2. Lack of Integrity on The CV
Always be as truthful as possible when writing your CV. You don’t want to include false information and then struggle to keep up with those lies during an interview. Everything you include on your CV should genuinely relate to you, and you should be able to confidently explain or provide proof if an employer asks about any detail.
🎯3. Poorly Written CV
Your CV needs to be as detailed as possible because employers see your CV before they meet you in person. It should immediately catch their attention at first glance.
Avoid including personal information such as your ID number.
When describing your experience, be thorough and use the correct industry terms this shows that you truly understand your field and have solid knowledge of the job you’re applying for.
References are also very important. Always communicate with the individuals you plan to list as references so they’re aware they might receive a call to speak on your behalf.
Lastly, ensure that your CV looks professional, from the structure and grammar to the overall presentation.
🌟4. Ignoring the Application Tracking system (ATS)
The majority of companies today use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to make the hiring process smoother and more efficient for the HR team. Manually screening hundreds of CVs takes a lot of time, so many organizations rely on ATS software to automatically filter and shortlist the best candidates.
Before your CV even reaches a human recruiter, it first passes through the ATS which is why it’s very important to tailor your CV to match the advertised job description. Use simple, clean formatting and naturally include keywords from the job posting. The ATS scans for these keywords to determine whether your CV fits the role.
🎯5. Failing to Follow instructions on the Job Requirements/Description
It’s very important to follow all the instructions provided by the company when applying for a job. Some employers include specific instructions to test your attention to detail.
If a company requests a cover letter, make sure you include one and ensure it aligns with your CV in both tone and content. For example, if the job description specifies that certain documents must be submitted in a specific format, follow those instructions exactly as stated.
Ignoring or missing even simple instructions can lead to your application being rejected before it’s even reviewed.
🌟6. Not following up
It’s important to follow up after submitting your job application. Doing so shows your continued interest in the position and helps keep you on the employer’s radar.
Send a polite follow-up email about one to two weeks after applying. Express your appreciation for the opportunity and kindly inquire about the status of your application. A simple, professional message can make a positive impression and set you apart from other candidates.