Tetiana Hrycyk - our regular consultant and speaker - shared with us information on how to write a resume that will be effective on the Polish labour market. Tetiana has been living in Poland for over 7 years and successfully coordinates foreign recruitment at Job Impulse. Moreover, in the Business Help Center for Ukraine, she advises Ukrainian women on issues related to finding a job in Poland.
Searching for a job is a process, that requires well preparation. First of all, analyze your experience to determine exactly what job you are looking for, in what profession and for what salary. Then look at the job offers and choose the ones you want to send your CV to. In Poland, it is customary to call a resume CV. Its quality has a tremendous impact on whether you will be invited for an interview. In your CV, you write about your education, skills, professional path and achievements.
When searching for a job, your CV is your business card, so you should put a lot of effort into it. Your resume should correspond to the position for which you are sending it. Sending exactly the same CV to all job offers reduces your chances of being invited for an interview.
Elements of a professional resume
A typical CV in Poland consists of the following parts: personal and contact details, short biography, professional experience, education, skills and knowledge of foreign languages.
Personal data (name and surname) should be placed at the top of the CV. Contact details can be below your photo (if you add it), it's worth providing your e-mail address, current phone
number and town where you live (there is no need to provide the exact address). If you are ready to move to another city, highlight this. You can also add a link to your professional profile on LinkedIn. We will talk about the development of the profile on LinkedIn in another article.
If you want to add a photo to your CV, make sure it is professional: a portrait, subdued colors, appropriate clothing, a delicate smile. In Poland, it’s customary to add a photo to your CV. However, it’s not mandatory.
Next to your personal data, put a short bio, with a brief summary of your professional experience. You should showcase your strengths and achievements, highlight what you can bring to the company and in which directions you want to develop. It is worth indicating the achievements that match the position for which you are applying.
Well-described professional experience, corresponding to the specific requirements stated by the employer in the advertisement, will be your pass to the interview.
You don’t have to describe all your previous positions and duties in detail, but you should rather focus on those that are close to the employer’s expectations. Remember not to exaggerate or downplay your experience, provide only truthful information. Your work experience is key to the recruiter, so be prepared for detailed questions during the interview.
Think about of your skills and abilities and make a list of them. In your CV, indicate both hard and soft skills that may be relevant to the position. Modify this section depending on the position you are applying for. When describing your education, provide the period of study, the name of the university and the field of study. It is also worth to showcase completed courses and received certificates.
Knowledge of foreign languages – in a separate column, enter what languages you speak and at what level (according to the CEFR system from A1/A2 to C1/C2). At the end of your CV, you should add consent to the processing of personal data, which will allow the recruiter to contact you, e.g. to invite you to an interview. Without this consent, you may not proceed to the next stages of recruitment. Template of the current consent to the processing of personal data, which should be included in the CV:
I agree to the processing of personal data provided in this document for realising the recruitment process pursuant to the Personal Data Protection Act of 10 May 2018 (Journal of Laws 2018, item 1000) and in agreement with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation).
Worth knowing!
The CV should be prepared in the language of the offer: if it is published in Polish, the CV should also be prepared in Polish. If the advertisement is in English, the CV should be written in the same language.
Useful tips
- Professional resume templates can be found on MyCV, Canva, Resume.com.
- Before you send your CV, read it again, check for errors (you can use
https://languagetool.org/pl).
- Ideally, your CV should be no more than 2 pages, but the final length will depend on your experience and the position you are applying for.
- Do not attach greater importance to the design/look of the document than to its content.
- Upload your CV in pdf format, paying attention to the name of the file.
- When sending a CV for a specific position, you can add a short cover letter.
- It is not necessary to include marital status, age, hobbies and interests in your CV.
- The effectiveness of your job search depends on the number and quality of resumes sent.
