Picking up your career and starting anew in the times of crisis is a great challenge. To support Ukrainians in their search for employment, our talent scouts want to share some tips on creating a brilliant CV – and a LinkedIn profile that stands out. 👇
1- Add a personal profile section
Identify what you can offer to a prospective employer.
Summarise any career highlights that will draw attention to what you have accomplished. It should be tailored for each role you apply for and aim to make you stand out.
Here, you can briefly explain that you are a Ukrainian refugee seeking a job in The Netherlands.
2- Summarise your skills
Use brief bullet points to list the skills and experience you have that are specific and relevant to the role.
Hiring managers will scan this section of your CV very quickly to see what you can offer and whether you are suitable for the role. Wherever possible, use the same adjectives as those used in the advertisement.
3- Highlight relevant experience
Include your work history in most recent historical order – Your most recent role should be of most importance to your prospective employer
Set out your previous roles, experience, volunteering, placements or internships here
It is important to tailor this section of your CV to the job, specifically where key responsibilities in previous roles are applicable for your application.
Include employer details, your job role/title, your employment dates and no more than 3-4 lines of what you did in that role.
4- Shout about your achievements
Significant achievements should be identified using active words, such as ‘planned’, ‘built’, and ‘created’ are useful in detailing things you have achieved and how you overcame challenges both personally and as a team member.
Better if achievements are measurable by numbers, such as increased sales over the target by 10%.
5- List any training, education, and courses
Again, in reverse chronological order, most recent first. This should include for each item:
Institution (School, College, University)
Qualification with Grades/Distinctions etc.
Dates attended/completed
Only list what is relevant or required for the role you are applying for, starting with the most recent. It is important to showcase where you may have up-skilled or could bring new knowledge to the organization.
✍️ Pro- tips for a CV that gets you noticed
Keep it brief – a standard length for a CV is just two sides of A4, but depending on the circumstances (the sector you’re applying to or your experience level), a single page or up to three pages is also acceptable. (See example on the right 👉)
Headings – Clear headings make things easier to read and the document easier to digest.
File type – for best all-round readability, save it as a pdf – this can be done in most word processing software such as Word and Google Docs, by ‘printing to pdf’. Or you can use a tool to do a conversion, there are many available online.
Font type – Good, clear fonts like Arial, Times New Roman or Calibri are ideal
Font size – body text should be 10 to 12 point and headings between 14 and 18. Make sure it’s readable, don’t cram too much in or reduce the size of the margins, standard should be fine.
Tailoring and keywords – if you’re applying for a job you REALLY want, make sure you tailor your CV for the role and add relevant keywords.
Explaining any gaps in your CV – be open about your career development and be prepared to answer questions on the topic of your professional growth over the years (even if it was not continuous at times!)
📍 Useful Links and CV template websites that are free:
📍 Useful Information: JCW will work with Ukrainians to help them to understand their local job market and any customs or requirements needed to work in their settled location. They will provide practical advice on CV writing and interview preparation, and use their international network to connect Ukrainians to English-speaking roles around Europe where possible.
LinkedIn is an excellent platform for networking and even finding jobs. There are a number of things you can do to make your LinkedIn profile stand out.
Turn on the “Open to Work” feature.
By doing this, recruiters are more likely to notice you. You will also have the green #opentowork banner around your profile photo.
Use the right keywords
If you want to be found and noticed by recruiters, your profile must contain the right keywords.
Keywords are industry-specific terms that can help you get noticed. If you can’t think of any, read a few job descriptions of the positions that interest you.
When you find the relevant keywords you want (i.e. “Marketing) include these in your experience section and Headline.
For example: “I am a Marketing professional with 10+ years of experience in digital marketing and social media marketing”.
Professional LinkedIn Groups
Use the search field at the top to find Groups that you want.
Then click “Request to Join” and wait until you are approved.
You can see jobs and conversations in these groups. What’s more, try and post about your situation and ask for open positions. The bigger the follower count the wider your reach!
Put a headline in your profile about Ukraine
Update your profile status: Include a description like “Ukrainian refugee looking for a job in The Netherlands in the financial sector”.
You can also put the flag emoji Ukrainian flag in your headline 🇺🇦
