How to Create a Resume from the Perspective of a Neurodivergent Candidate

This text is for those of you seeking tips, advice, or answers to questions about creating a resume. Finding, obtaining, and maintaining suitable employment is often more challenging for neurodivergent individuals than for the neurotypical population. This text aims to guide you through one aspect of this challenging journey – creating a resume that best represents you. I have tried to include insights that may be useful for a neurodivergent person.

Outline:

  1. What is a CV
  2. Why is a CV Important
  3. Key Aspects of Creating a CV
  4. CV Format
  5. CV Content

1. What is a CV

A resume, also known as a CV from the Latin “Curriculum Vitae,” is a structured document that summarizes your professional experience, education, and skills. It is a tool that allows you to present your professional life and potential to employers. In a resume, you provide information about your education, work history, skills, and other relevant details such as certificates, training, or volunteer activities. Its main goal is to present your qualifications so that you are the most attractive candidate to potential employers.

2. Why is CV Important

When you decide to apply for a specific position, the employer will most likely ask for your resume, whether you are applying in response to an advertisement or, for example, through LinkedIn (I write mostly because some progressive employers may be satisfied with your LinkedIn profile). Having a current resume in a presentable format will almost certainly be useful.

The resume is often the first contact with the employer. When applying for a job, it is the primary source of information the employer has about you. The company representative who first reads your CV does not know you, your strengths, or your weaknesses. Therefore, it is crucial to have a well-prepared resume that will make a good impression and advance you to the next stage of the selection process.

3. Key Aspects of Creating a CV

  • Make the Best First Impression

Your CV is the first thing the employer will see. It is your chance to make a good first impression and a cornerstone of your success in the job search process. A well-written resume reflects your professionalism, demonstrates your ability to clearly and concisely articulate your experience and skills, and shows your ability to work with computer programs or how creative you are. Be objective when creating it, do not exaggerate, nor underestimate yourself.

  • Tailor it to Your Goals and Needs

Your resume can and should be adjusted to match specific job opportunities or career goals. By tailoring your resume for each job application, you can highlight the skills and experience most relevant to the job. Read the job description carefully and adapt the content of your CV accordingly. Use keywords from the job description, but only if you truly possess those skills.

  • Graphic Design

Not only the content but also the appearance and format of the resume are important. Different job opportunities may require different graphic designs for your resume. However, it is not necessary to learn to work with graphic programs. Websites and applications focused on CV creation, where you can choose from available templates and just fill in your details, can be helpful. Some of these applications are paid, but you can find some for free. For example, in Czech, you can use: zivotopisonline.cz, cvvzor.com, or canva.com/create/cv/.

For more creative positions, you can also choose a more creative form of CV. Always remember that the design should not interfere with the readability of the document. It is crucial that the resume is easy to navigate and that the reader can quickly find what they are looking for.

You can also create your resume classically in MS Word. Pay attention to formatting, structure, and choosing the appropriate type of font. For documents that will be displayed primarily digitally, sans-serif fonts are recommended, while serif fonts are better for printed documents. Avoid sending your resume in MS Word format. If the recruiter opens the document in a different program – for example, a recruiting application, the formatting of the document may “break.” Therefore, convert the resume to .pdf format before sending it. The same applies if you create the resume in programs that may not be available on every PC.

  • Grammar

It is crucial that the resume is free of grammatical errors. If grammatically correct writing is not your strong suit, for example, due to dysorthography or lack of attention, have the text checked. You can easily use tools like MS Word spell check, MS Editor add-on, or AI (ChatGPT, Copilot). Ensure that the final document does not contain grammatical errors, missing words, letters, etc.

4. CV Format

Consider the format of your CV and how best to structure it. There are several options; in the Czech context, three of them will be most useful:

  • Chronological CV

This is the classic approach to resumes as we know them in the Czech environment. In this type of resume, your work experiences are listed in chronological order, starting with the most recent job and ending with the oldest. This format can be sufficient for those with a stable career history or who want to emphasize gradual professional growth. This traditional type of resume includes:

  • Personal and contact details
  • Work experience with a description of job duties and achievements
  • Education
  • Language proficiency
  • Additional information as preferred (e.g., internships, certificates, etc.)

This is the most common type of resume used in the Czech environment in the past, but it is not the only way to approach resume creation. Nowadays, we more often encounter variants of the so-called functional resume.

  • Functional CV

The functional resume allows you to focus on your skills and abilities and how they match the job you are applying for, rather than just listing your work experiences chronologically. It is therefore much more informative and can represent you better. This type of resume is suitable for everyone, but it can be especially helpful for those with an irregular work history, few work experiences, changing careers, or gaps in their employment history.

In this type of resume, before listing your work experiences, you focus on your professional profile, ambitions, goals, and, most importantly, your key skills.

  • Professional Profile

    This is a short paragraph at the beginning of the resume, written under the header with personal and contact details. This introduction should be equivalent to your brief self-presentation. The employer gets basic information about you in your own words and is motivated to read the rest of your resume. The text should summarize your key skills, experience, and abilities that can contribute to achieving the employer’s goals in a few sentences. You can also mention your career aspirations, e.g., where you want to develop further.

    Example (administrative worker): “I am a precise and thorough administrative worker with more than 5 years of experience in administration and office management. My strengths include excellent organizational skills, the ability to effectively solve tasks, great attention to detail, and the ability to work independently. I am looking for an opportunity to apply my skills and abilities in a stable and supportive work environment.”

    Example (IT career aspirant with limited experience): “I am a motivated and enthusiastic individual aspiring to a career in IT with a passion for technology and a strong interest in programming and system administration. I am looking for an opportunity where I can apply my knowledge and grow as an IT professional.”

  • Skills

    This section should include both “hard skills” directly related to the job you are applying for and “soft skills,” i.e., your personal qualities, special talents, interpersonal, or communication skills. Some of your “soft skills” can be very valuable, e.g., attention to detail, the ability to work independently, analytical thinking, a high level of concentration, the ability to view things from different angles, etc. When listing your “hard skills,” base them on the job description you are applying for. List skills in thematic blocks. When listing your skills (both hard and soft), think about whether and how you can talk about them in a potential interview and provide examples of when and how you use them. During the interview, they are likely to ask you about them. Base your list on your real individual strengths, so you can be more true to yourself during the interview.

    Example (worker in social services):

    • Communication Skills: ability to listen, understanding clients’ needs
    • Organizational Skills: planning and coordinating care and support, managing documentation
    • Emotional Intelligence: ability to empathize and support clients in difficult situations

    Example (IT specialist):

    • Programming: Java, Python, C++
    • Databases: SQL, NoSQL, MongoDB
    • Web Technologies: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React
    • Data Analysis: R, MATLAB, Excel

    For hard skills, you can also specify how long you have actively used them and in what type of work or activities.

Then follows the listing of your work experiences, language proficiency, etc., as in a classic resume. In this type of resume, you can better omit irrelevant work experiences than in a chronological resume.

  • Portfolio

A digital portfolio is a collection of information that represents your work (in terms of creations) and allows insight into your skills, abilities, qualifications, and achievements. The portfolio can complement a functional resume by linking to it in the resume. You can build on the skills you list in the functional resume and present them realistically to a potential employer (e.g., in web design or graphic creation). However, the portfolio can also be a standalone piece where you mention all the important information. As always, it is crucial that your portfolio presents you in the best possible light.

5.    CV Content

  • Personal Information

Include your name and contact details, such as your phone number and email address, in the personal information section. You can also add links to your profile on professional social networks, websites, or portfolio if you have them and they are relevant to the job you are applying for.

What is not necessary to include are purely personal details such as your date of birth, exact address, marital status, number of children, or their ages.

  • Email Address

Ensure you have a professional-sounding email address. If possible, avoid addresses containing nicknames, etc. The email address should be yours only – not your spouse’s, family’s, etc. Communication between you and the company should be limited to you. For example, a job offer is a very private document and should not be accessible to other family members.

  • Photograph

If you want to add a photograph to your resume, it should be representative and ideally a portrait. Avoid candid shots, inappropriate clothing, or photos taken from an ID card. Make sure the photo is of good quality and not blurry. The photo in the resume is a significant part of the first impression you make on the recruiter or hiring manager. Therefore, if you decide to add a photo to your resume, it is crucial that the selected photo helps you. If you feel that a photo in the resume will not help you, for example, due to a visible handicap, you do not need to include it in the resume. The photograph is not a mandatory part of the resume. There is no “unwritten rule” that you should add it to the resume, although it is still customary in the Czech Republic. It really depends on your discretion.

  • Education

Start with the highest level of education achieved and proceed in reverse chronological order. Include secondary school only if you have not completed higher education or if it is relevant to the job you are applying for. Do not include primary school unless it is your highest level of education. If you started higher education or another program but did not complete it, mention it only if the experiences gained are relevant to the job. You can also include relevant courses, certifications, and accreditations in the education section.

If you have completed internships, you can list them either in the education section or the work experience section, or create a separate section for internships.

If formal education is not a strong point of your resume, expand the section dedicated to exceptional skills and focus on the soft and hard skills gained outside formal educational institutions. Do not hesitate to leave out education in the resume if necessary. The key is that your experience, skills, and overall impression of the resume show that you have the necessary qualifications for the job.

  • Work Experience

The section dedicated to work experience is, of course, a key element of your CV. This section lists your career over the past approximately 10 to 15 years. The goal is for the employer to know whether you have the necessary experience.

List work experiences in chronological order from the most recent to the oldest. The work experience section should be consistent with all other parts of your job application materials (other sections of the resume, cover letter, portfolio, etc.).

How to Format Work Experience in a Resume:

  • Job Title, Company Name, Location
  • Month and Year of Start and End of Employment
  • You can add a few bullet points briefly summarizing your job duties or achievements. These can be your results or certifications or awards received during employment.

Is it Necessary to Include All Work Experience?

You have the freedom to choose which work experiences to include in your resume and which to omit. Include work experiences relevant to the job you are applying for and that help present your professional profile in the best light. If you have work experiences that are not relevant to the job, you can omit them. This can include jobs you did during studies, temporary jobs during employment gaps, or periods when you worked in a completely different field. However, if you gained relevant skills or experience in such a job that could be useful to the employer you are applying to, you can include them in the resume and highlight those skills.

How to Handle Employment Gaps in a Resume

Employment gaps in the chronological work experience do not always need to be hidden, especially if you have relevant reasons for their existence. Employers today often understand gaps in work history, particularly if they are due to personal, health, or family reasons. Therefore, you do not need to try to hide or fill these gaps in every case.

You can explain these gaps if necessary, for example, in a cover letter or during an interview. It is certainly possible to state that you cared for a family member or temporarily left the workforce for personal or health reasons. If you used the time for personal or professional development through courses, volunteer activities, etc., be sure to emphasize this to the employer.

  • In What Language to Write the CV

If you are applying to an international company and the position requires English, you can write the entire CV in English. The HR department of such companies will be linguistically equipped and often requires an English version of the CV. In these companies, it is also likely that some of the managers will not be Czech. If this is your case, it is ideal to have both language versions of your resume prepared.

  • Including Information About Disability Status in a Resume

If you are applying for a job in a protected labor market as a person with disabilities (PWD), then this information is crucial for the potential employer. Otherwise, if you are applying for a job in the open labor market, it is not necessary to include this information in the resume. Information about your disability status is not essential for the employer at the resume and interview stage unless your health condition affects job performance.

For the employer, it will be important whether you are medically fit for the specific job you are hired for. This is determined during the pre-employment medical examination.

  • Is It Necessary to Write a Cover Letter?

When responding to a job advertisement, it may be advisable to include a cover letter with your resume. The job ad may sometimes indicate whether a cover letter is required. For some higher positions, a cover letter may be considered standard. For less qualified or manual positions, a cover letter is less common.

The cover letter allows the applicant to express their interest in the position in more detail and explain why they are a suitable candidate. You can use it to further highlight how your skills, qualities, or experience match the job requirements. The cover letter is also an opportunity to explain any gaps in work history or career changes that may be less clear in the resume. It is also an ideal way to elaborate on aspects not included in the resume, such as special interests, projects, achievements, or other relevant experiences related to the job or company focus.