Europass CV – How and when to use it? (2023)

What is the Europass CV?

The Europass CV is a standardized CV format, recognized and used in many European countries. It was created with the aim of facilitating the mobility of European citizens in the labor market across the European Union.

Composed of different sections, you will be able to present in a clear and structured way your personal information, your professional experience, your training, your skills and your languages. To complete each of them effectively, consider first educating yourself onhow to make a resumeproperly, especially if it's your first time.

What is the Europass CV used for?

The Europass CV offers many advantages to help you in your job search in Europe, including:

It is recognized by many European countries

This offers you an opportunity for professional mobility on a European scale.

It facilitates the distribution of your application

It allows you to apply directly on the company's website or to be routed to recruitment platforms, which increases your chances of being spotted by recruiters. This CV aims to comply with European employment standards and to provide a fair platform for candidates applying for jobs or training.

It uses a standard format that helps in the presentation of your profile

This makes it easier for recruiters from different countries to read and understand your profile.

It helps you enhance your profile

By highlighting your skills, qualifications and professional experience in a structured way, the Europass CV can help you stand out from a standard CV.

What are the different additional Europass tools for?

In addition to the Europass CV, there are several additional tools to enhance your professional profile, including:

The Language Passport

In the current version of Europass, the Language Passport is a language self-assessment tool integrated into the Europass profile under the name “Language skills”.

By assessing your language skills in detail using theCommon European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), you will communicate clearly and understandably your level of comprehension, oral and written expression in different languages.

Supplements to the diploma or certificate

Your diploma or certificate obtained in France may not be recognized abroad. The supplement allows you to give additional information about your education, such as the subjects studied, the duration of the program and the results obtained, as well as your skills.

It is the responsibility of the organization that issued your diploma or certificate to complete the necessary documents.

The Europass Skills Passport

It allows you to describe yourProfessional skillsand non-formal skills, acquired during voluntary, associative or leisure activities, for example.

The “Europas Mobility”

This document helps you to highlight your international experiences that you have carried out in the past as part of your studies, your internships, your volunteering experiences or language stays. It is up to the sending partner (the school, the establishment organizing your stay or your employer) to complete the necessary documents.

Benefit from the advantages of the Europass CV

Just like writing a standard CV, the Europass CV includes the essential sections of a CV, such as:

Facilitate the translation of your qualifications

One benefit of using the Europass CV builder is the ability to translate your CV into30 different languages.

This feature allows you to easily apply to companies located anywhere in Europe, which can be particularly useful when looking to work in European countries where you do not speak the local language.

Additionally, you can highlight your language skills on your Europass CV by using the 'Languages' section to show that you have the necessary language skills to communicate effectively in a workplace or classroom. This section can also support an international experience.

Create several Europass CVs for free

One of the main reasons why the Europass CV is so popular is that it is completely free to use and download.

In addition, the Europass site allows you to quickly update your CV as your experiences and qualifications change over time. You can also use information from your previous CVs to create multiple Europass CVs and tailor them to specific employers.

You can access yourEuropass profileonline and save your information as long as you have:

a working internet connection
a computer to register an account
a smartphone to download the EU Login application

Although you have to enter your information manually, the video tutorials are visually useful if this is your first time creating a Europass CV.

For example, thisvideo guide to create your Europass CVuses a screen recording to explain step by step how to fill in your Europass CV information. For the moment, English remains the only language available in audio but subtitles in 25 European languages are offered to accompany you.

Understand the disadvantages of the Europass CV

While the Europass CV has many advantages, it is important to also understand its potential disadvantages:

1. Lack of originality

Its standardized format may lack originality and may not correspond to all sectors of activity or all types of profiles. Additionally, the standardized Europass CV layout means that your finalized Europass CV is unlikely to stand out among other applicants.

If you are looking for roles that require innovation and originality, it would be better to choose the format of avideo resumeor a creative design through a resume builder platform, for example.

Additionally, the generic Europass CV layout can be a problem if you:

want to showcase your personal brand
have professional experience or an atypical background
plan to highlight specific qualifications or accomplishments

If you want to find alternatives to the Europass CV to respond to job offers in more creative or artistic sectors, there are manyfree resume templatesand originals that will better meet your expectations.

2. Lack of personality

The Europass CV can be perceived as impersonal, as it leaves little room for creativity. Also, you can only upload your resume in PDF format, which can be problematic because you won't be able to make changes to your resume once you upload it.

3. Structure and content constraints

It is not yet possible to create a CV that is formatted automatically and you will have to manually type your information paying attention to your structure.

The professional experience bullets are not automatically generated, so you will have to write your own sentences of achievements and accomplishments, remembering to organize them and proofread them carefully.

Your CV must always be personalized and adapted to the job offer. The personal touch you need to bring to it aims to make you stand out. Indeed, showing recruiters who you are and how you will fit into the company culture can earn you points, which can be more difficult with a Europass CV.

How to make an effective Europass CV

Now that you have understood the challenges of using a Europass CV, here are some tips for making your Europass CV effective in order to increase your chances of attracting the attention of recruiters:

1. Adapt your Europass CV to the job

As in writing a general CV, you must adapt your Europass CV by choosing your sections according to your profile and the position targeted.

For example, a junior profile such as a student or intern will have to highlight certain qualities more than others compared to a professional with a few years of experience. In addition, you will therefore have to put yourself forward by choosing certain sections rather than others according to your profile, in particular through additional sections:

Additional topics

your foreign languages if you speak several
voscomputer skills
your volunteer experience
your areas of interest in relation to the position sought
personal or professional projects
extracurricular activities

These additional sections will give weight to your application and should not be overlooked. However, remember to include only information related to the position you are applying for.

2. Place rubrics correctly according to your experience and training

Organizing the sections on your Europass CV is just as important as choosing them. Well structured, your CV can gain in effectiveness and impact, just as it can lose clarity if you choose to put the wrong headings forward.

Think carefully about how you want to present yourself to appear qualified for the position based on your experience and education.

For example, if you have solid professional experience, put the heading “Professional experience” first. If you are a recent graduate, emphasize your education and skills instead.

Here is an example of organizing the sections of a CV for a junior profile:

Resume headings for a junior profile

professional goal
SKILLS
formation
professional experience
additional sections of your choice

However, you need to understand what each heading corresponds to to better complete them:

The professional objective

Optional, it can nevertheless be useful to better understand your motivations and objectives if you are a junior profile or you are applying to a school.

SKILLS

Place your “Skills” section before your “Training” section if you are applying for a job.

Formation

If you are applying for an academic training, this section must follow your "Professional objective". It must include your latest diplomas or training. You can also include your certifications if they are related to training, or if you do not want to have a section dedicated to them.

Professional experience

This includes your internships, apprenticeships, odd jobs and any other type of employment, giving priority to those related to the position in question.

Additional topics

They may include your foreign languages if you speak several of them, your computer skills, your volunteering experience, your interests in relation to the position sought, personal or professional projects as well as extracurricular activities.

On the contrary, if you are an experienced profile, put your professional experience first by listing your positions anti-chronologically. By presenting your most recent experiences first, a recruiter will understand at first glance your level of experience and skills by seeing yourresume titlepresent as well as your accomplishments and responsibilities.

3. Order the headings according to the standard CV of the country you are interested in

Find out about the type of CV commonly used in the country where you are applying because theCV presentationmay vary from country to country. It is therefore important to comply with local standards and adapt the order of sections accordingly to meet the expectations of local recruiters.

For example, if you want to work for a Swiss company, it is customary for your “Skills” section to follow your “Professional objective” on yourSwiss CV.

How to edit your Europass CV

To better reflect your personal style while remaining professional, change the color and text size.

Here is the section that allows you to easily change colors, text size, as well as remove the logo and page numbers from your Europass CV:

Remember to use appropriate colors for the sector you are interested in and a readable text size to make the CV easier to read: