Atypical course: how to highlight it on your CV?

Peel the ad

First of all, analyze the position and the company concerned. “It is a question of dissecting the advertisement, the verbs and keywords used, of measuring whether it is a versatile or very specialized position, of identifying the know-how and qualities expected, the required diploma, the level of experience, but also to learn about the values ​​of the company, its management style ” details Sonia Valente, professional retraining coach, specializing in multipotential profiles.

Hunt info

Contact collaborators via Linkedin, if possible operational staff with less tongue in cheek. Collect clues on the interpersonal skills, skills and profiles most popular: more creative, versatile, specialists, negotiators, trainers, project managers …? “All this analysis will serve as a guideline to build your CV” insists Sonia Valente.

Determine a logic

Then ask yourself what in your degrees, internships and experiences most closely resembles the previous analysis and the job you are applying for. It is certainly the most complicated and the most frustrating exercise. “We must avoid the catch-all CV, without a logical link. In some cases, it may be wise not to reveal everything, even if this sometimes turns out to be annoying ” concedes the coach. This strategy is all the more important when we know that recruiters rely on keyword-hungry robots to select CVs.

Prove what you say

Illustrate your experience, whether academic, professional or personal, with concrete results. For example: in a given internship, I got X contracts, in a given job, I supervised X people … “It proves your perseverance, your ability to succeed, to support a team” Sonia Valente attests. You can also drag a link to your thesis, portfolio or blog.

And on the form of the CV?

In addition to the “classic” sections (training, experience, skills, areas of interest), Pauline Lahary, founder of the start-up MyCVFactory suggests adding a small paragraph at the top of the CV: “It is a question of explaining in a few lines your heterogeneous background, and your professional objective today”. A good solution for candidates who prefer to play the transparency card. This is also a way of reassuring recruiters from the outset, who are still very cautious about atypical profiles.