How do I write a good CV?

Your first contact with a potential future employer comes through your CV or resume. To better prepare for the introduction, in this blog, we bring information that will help you highlight the parts of your medical CV that are most important to hospitals in the country you are applying for, and at the very beginning, I briefly invite you to read a story from Dr Mark and Dr Dan.

Two doctors with similar qualifications are applying to competition for specialists in Sweden. Although both have similar demographic and educational characteristics, there is one big difference – Dr Mark decided to invest half an hour before completing his CV to gather as complete a description of the experience, skills and certificates he gained by attending various health congresses. He described his current position through several passages because he knows that a potential employer will not hire a specialist just assuming his experience and responsibilities. His colleague, Dr Dan, did not invest half an hour even just for filling out his CV form, and he listed only a few procedures he uses in his daily work and described his current position in 3 sentences. Although more time invested does not necessarily mean a better CV, Dr Mark presented himself better to the hospital, which opened the door for a Skype interview, and ultimately led to his move to Sweden.

The point of this short story is not subtle at all and lies in the fact that a good resume allows you to present yourself to the employer in the best light, which could be understood by the metaphor when a guy wants to approach the girl he glanced at. A good first impression will bring him an invitation and a first date where the couple will get to know each other thoroughly, while in case of a weak first presentation, the girl will simply wait for the next admirer 🙂

I understand, it’s important to make an effort around a CV. However, what should I focus on, what is important to emphasize?

This section primarily depends on the country you are applying for. Scandinavian employers pay the most attention to your skills and previous experience, and a well-filled “Clinical Skills” table is very important because based on the professional competencies the hospitals invite doctors for a Skype interview, which provides much better insight into the character match of a candidate and potential colleagues which are already working in the new hospital.

The CV form for the English-speaking area is somewhat different, and in addition to the table, which also needs to be filled in well, they also focus on a brief description of your daily obligations at work. It is necessary to use this part in such a way which will emphasize your strengths and parts of the current position in which you most enjoy working. In this section, you should not describe the skills and procedures and what they mean, because the person who will read your CV is familiar with the topic and is more interested in the domain that you regularly manage and which is in your daily responsibilities.

The German and French-speaking areas do not have particularly highlighted parts where they seek your experience, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to bother about it. Whether to insert a paragraph in the cover letter or briefly state skills and experience through job descriptions, it is certainly good to emphasize your skills because a CV that stands out among others and that highlights your good characteristics can only help when it comes to selecting the candidates for a Skype interview.

In addition to emphasizing your professional skills, the difference between a good and a bad CV could also be found by having:

• A decent image (professional headshot is not required, but the used picture must be decent)
• Neatly formatted text (avoid different font sizes and shapes in the same paragraph)
• Text without grammatical errors (you can always check on tools like Grammarly if it is English)

– to be successfully employed in the position you are interested in, you do not need to be either Arnold Schwarzenegger or James Bond, but you must adapt to the employer in such a way as to emphasize the skills you have which are most important to them 🙂

Lastly, it is important to remember that a perfect CV does not exist. There will always be a part that you think didn’t present you in the best light. If you are still not sure that you listed and described everything properly, send us the latest version of your CV and we will provide advice and instructions on how to present yourself to potential future colleagues. Once you apply for the opening and when you receive an invitation for an interview with the hospital, prepare yourself with the help of a previously published blog: 7 important tips on how to prepare for a Skype interview.

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