Spain CV Writing Guide

Overseas career sounds like an adventure to many people. However, work in Spain needs more than just the obvious Spain CV with Spain cover letter writing and translation – it requires methodical preparation. You will face issues that almost certainly did not even cross your mind when you become interested in employment in Spain.

Do not take too lightly the influence a Spain CV can have on your adventure! For instance, you will experience the different immigration rules and practices, job application procedures, selection trends and the management culture.

A CV is similar to a resume in that it provides more details about one’s professional qualifications, experience and education. However, the term "Curriculum Vitae" most often called CV, typically carries a different meaning depending on whether one distributes the CV within the US, Canada or internationally (external to the US or Canada) or is seeking a faculty, academic, research, clinical or scientific position.

You can turn your current resume into a CV. A CV is similar to a resume in that it outlines your professional qualifications and history, but it does so with more detail by adding to the resume the detailed descriptions of your educational and/or professional experiences and personal information that may include nationality, date of birth, marital status, etc.

There are no strict rules for CVs in Spain. The aim of your Spain CV should be to persuade the employer to invite you for a job job interview. Therefore, your CV is a marketing tool, which you should customize to the market in which you intend to use it. Write an introduction that contains many power words and action verbs. Scanners that are programmed to select specific words notice these keywords.

Prepare yourself - before writing your CV find out information about the company you want to work for. Such information will help you to adapt your CV more effectively to each specific job and use proper examples illustrating your achievements.

Your Spain CV should be no longer than two A4 pages. Usually is in reverse chronological order - most recent activity first, direct, well structured with little space between the headings and contain the following sections:

• “Personal Details” - list your name, place and date of birth, marital status, address and telephone number, and national ID card or passport number. Often Spain's CV is kept on file for lengthy periods, so any contact details you give have to remain accurate in the long term. A daytime phone number, with the international access code and e-mail, are most important.
• “Education” - detail the institutions you attended with their locations, your academic emphases, diplomas, degrees and dates of attendance. Describe, in order of fluency, your level of oral and written knowledge of languages. Also, mention any honours received, computer skills and overseas travel or study. Include details about internships, courses and part-time jobs.
• “Work Experience” - remembering to begin with your most recent work experience. List with dates the companies where you have been employed, their locations and specializations, your job title, positions held, tasks, responsibilities and duties performed.
• “Other Activities” – mention your participation in major seminars, apprenticeships, publications, stays abroad, voluntary activities and hobbies.

Make your CV more effective by providing examples to illustrate your achievements. Use power words and action verbs such as contributed, organized, demonstrated, trained, managed, developed, coordinated etc. Bullet points these at the start of a sentence for maximum impact.

Complete your Spain CV with a simple "References available on request". It is best to avoid putting references on your CV unless you have been specifically asked to provide them. Employers usually ask for references when they actually need them. This is a strong indication that an employer is interested in you. However, references from former employers are hardly ever requested in Spain.

Carefully consider what to leave out of your CV and exclude anything that might give prospective employers a chance to discriminate against you.

In Spain, the Internet is increasing in importance as a medium to look for a job. However, you should be aware that an electronic CV does not look the same as a standard one. Spanish employers often scan CVs by, so make your CV scannable by avoiding for example lines or italic fonts etc.

The recruitment process tends to be rather long, so check how long it will take to get a response.

Most employers expect to receive your CV together with a cover letter translated and certified qualifications and copies of diplomas.

Check the spelling and grammar of your Spain CV. Use the word processor's spell and grammar checker. If you are not confident of your ability to detect grammatical, punctuation and language usage errors in Spanish or other languages or if you need help in organizing your CV, send it to a professional for assistance.

Remember that your CV must be targeted, scannable and generate hits. If you have difficulty with your CV writing instead of staring at a blank piece of paper, use CV samples and CV templates.

Most recruiters expect to receive a cover letter together with your CV. So, prepare a cover letter convincing the reader why you are the best candidate for the interview using cover letter writing tips.

In recent years it becomes increasingly popular to join the LinkedIn or Facebook social networking websites for professionals, where you may search for jobs and have your keyword-optimized, rich content profile with a current CV. Hiring managers use them more frequently to consult your profile and supplement or check against the CV you send along. If you do not have an account, create one and include your social media link(s) on your CV.
However, you should manage your online presence. Eliminate any photos and statements that could reflect poorly on you. From an employer’s point of view, someone who emphasizes partying on a social networking site is not focused on jobs and those who post complaints about work or colleagues are less desirable candidates. The online CV should not include sensitive information as it could show a lack of respect for confidentiality and discretion.

Other Spain CV Info

To be successful in your Spain job search and get the job you want, you need to prepare a Spain cover letter and Spain CV which you must email instantly to the prospective employers selected during a job search in Spain.

When you receive an invitation to the Spain job interview, you may apply for a Spain visa and a Spain work permit. Then prepare yourself for a job interview and take a look at Spain's dress code because how you dress is one of the most important attributes in not being hired for available jobs.

Check the job interview dos & don'ts, job interview tips and other job search skills pages.

In addition, on the international info, job search, visa, work permit, cover letter, CV & resume, job interview and dress code pages you will find many useful tips for overseas job seekers.

Good luck with your Spain CV!