When you are an international student, writing a CV could be rather difficult, especially if you are looking for a job that would be in another country. You might not know what to expect from employers and what information to provide.
Luckily, you don’t need much experience to develop an interesting student CV. Your CV might be useful in many situations: for school projects, part-time work, studying, volunteer work, etc.
An employer is most likely to review a CV during the initial phase. Hence, your CV should be straightforward and succinct, and should convey some connection to the employment you are seeking.
Here are some tips on how to write a CV as an international student.
1. Become Aware of Employers’ Objectives
Before writing your CV as an international student, take your time to read the job advertisements and requirements to see if you qualify.
Read through the requirements for skills, qualifications and experience asked for by the employer. Your CV must demonstrate that your skills and experience meet the job’s criteria.
For instance, jobs in the restaurant industry may require communication and customer service skills. Computer skills, organisation and attention to detail might be required for an office-based vacancy.
Avoid using a generic CV for every job application. Make only small changes to each task; only have the necessary guidance to hand.
2. Input the Information About You
When writing a CV as an international student, certain elements must not be omitted. One of these things is your personal information.
Your personal contact information should be at the top of your international student CV, and should include a way for recruiters to reach you if needed.
You can include:
- Full name
- Phone number
- Professional email address
- City and country where you live
- LinkedIn profile (if applicable)
You do not necessarily need to provide details about your age/date of birth, your religion, marital status, etc., unless you are specifically asked for this information by the employer.
Avoid sending messages with your personal email. Generally, an address with your name is better than an address with a joke or nickname.
3. Include a Short Introduction About Yourself
Review your personal profile and provide a brief background about yourself to the employer.
Produce 2–4 sentences introducing yourself, telling the reader you are an international student, what school you are in, useful skills you have and what kind of job you are looking for.
For instance, you might tell the employer that you are a student studying Business Management with strong communication and organisational skills, and that you want a part-time Customer Services role.
Don’t just think about where to start; think about what you have to offer.
4. Include Your Education
Since it’s a new career and the job market is limited, it’s more important for international students to create a CV that details their educational background and skills.
Start with the course or the most recent qualification that you are currently completing or have completed.
Include:
- The institution/campus is listed in the title block.
- Course or degree
- Location
- Beginning and end dates for the project(s)
If you can, add any relevant projects, subjects, or achievements related to the job.
A computer science student might mention the computer science programming projects in which they participated, or courses they have taken in computer science, when talking about a science-related position.
5. Add Your Work Experience
When writing your CV as an international student, you may not have enough local work experience that you can add for this section. However, that should not deter you. Include the relevant work experiences that you might have had from your home country.
You have worked in different environments, showing that you’ve adapted well. Be sure to include the job title, company name, city, and dates of employment for each position.
Next, list your role in bullet points.
For example:
- Assisted customers with purchases
- Answered customer questions
- Organised objects on shelves
- Answered phones and offered administrative support to customers
Avoid losing sight of what you learned and what activities you did. It is also important to note that you include your work experience that is relevant to the job you are applying for.
6. If You Don’t Have Any Work Experience
Even if you do not have any work experience, you can still create a very impressive student CV. Consider activities you have been involved in at school, university or in the community.
You may have:
- Applied for a job at the organisation and was accepted.
- Helped organise an event and put it up.
- Carried out a group project
- A team member who provided housing for student members of a club, group or community
- Given social media management for a group
- Participated in community activities
Such activities can be demonstrated as elements of working with others (teamwork), communicating with others (communication), leading others (leadership), organising others (organisation), and solving problems (problem-solving).
Describe an activity you did, rather than just stating the activity.
Suggested: How to Find a Part-Time Job as an International Student
7. Highlight Your Skills
When learning how to write a CV as an international student, remember that your skills are a very crucial aspect. The CV you write should be relevant to the job that you are applying for.
Skills that might be helpful are:
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Customer service
- Time management
- Computer skills
- Organisation
- Research
- Problem-solving
- Adaptability
Avoid just listing a lot of skills that do not relate to the job you are applying for and without providing any proof. For listing communication skills, describe how you used communication skills in a job, school, volunteer or other activities.
8. Include Your Language Skills
International students have the opportunity to employ their linguistic abilities in their careers. If you are bilingual, include this, particularly if the job requires you to communicate or provide customer service.
Honesty is the best policy regarding this level. Describe your ability as being beginner, conversational, intermediate, advanced or fluent.
Never say that you know a language well if you don’t.
9. Keep Your CV Simple
A good international student CV certainly isn’t one with a complicated format, graphics, or design. Employers should be able to find the crucial information at their fingertips.
Have clearly phrased headings (in English), bullet points and short sentences. Don’t have long stretches of text when writing your international student CV.
A single-page CV will be sufficient for most student applications. Make sure to emphasise information that shows you are truly qualified for the job.
If it’s likely that something will be sent, be sure your spelling and grammar are perfect.
10. Review Your Work for Errors
It is important for international students to know about working rules in the country they are studying.
Different countries have different work rights and rules. There might be an upper limit on the allowable number of hours a student can work, or there could be other limitations placed on the types of work a student can undertake.
Please get information from the government website or the immigration website. For example, students in the United Kingdom can visit the UK Council for International Student Affairs UKCISA to know more about work rights. If you are in Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada IRCC is the right place to get more information about studying and working in the country.
Be honest about your work authorisation when an employer questions you.
Make Your CV Match the Job
The number one tip to bear in mind is that the best CV writing tip for international students is to tailor your CV to every important application.
Analyse the job description and jot down the key requirements. Then, it’s essential that your CV reflects skills and experiences that match the job demands.
Say a business expands and decides to hire someone with customer service experience; for example, factors should include your duties and communication skills based on the above list.
