Posted by Phillip Jewell on
When pursuing jobs in Spain, your CV is one of your most important tools.
Whether you’re an English-speaking worker seeking jobs in Spain or you’re a Spanish resident, this guide will tell you exactly how to write a CV that impresses Spanish recruiters and hiring managers.
What's included in this guide?
- How to impress recruiters and hiring managers in Spain
- Everything English-speaking candidates need to know about writing a CV for jobs in Spain
- Which skills to include on your Spanish CV
- How to format your Spanish CV
- Two Spanish CV Examples
- How long your Spanish CV should be
- Whether to write your Spain CV in English or Spanish
Competition for jobs in Spain is high. At 13.7%, unemployment rates are significantly higher than the European average. Compared to other European countries – UK (3.8%), Germany (3.2%), Netherlands (3.2%), Portugal (6.9%) – Spain has a large number of unemployed residents. As of February 2020, unemployment is still on the rise in Spain.
Jobs at all ends of the spectrum in Spain are much higher valued than jobs in other European countries, such as the UK. With this in mind, it’s vital that you approach the Spanish job market with a strong CV that effectively articulates your competencies and is prepared in line with Spanish recruitment standards.
Use our advice and tips in this guide to make sure your CV does you justice and convinces recruiters that you’re the perfect person for the job.
*These unemployment figures were accurate as of December 2019, according to Google’s public data statistics.
*Sources for stats in this infographic: The stats in this infographic were taken from the following sources: Google Public Data (unemployment rate), Statista (percentage of service workers), Country Economy (minimum wage), Google Public Data (under 25 unemployment).
Photos are commonly included on CVs in Spain. As photos are such a regular feature of Spanish CVs, it’s advisable to include one unless you have been instructed not to.
Photos can increase or reduce the effectiveness of CVs, depending on the type of photo included. Photos of candidates who smile confidently and wear appropriate attire indicate competence and professionalism.
With this in mind, it's important to take some time to prepare a photo that adds value to your CV. Ensure it is a professional headshot. Wear relevant attire and smile confidently at the camera. Photos in which candidates appears unhappy, aggressive or uninterested tend to generate negative results in the job market.
As with photos, Spanish recruiters and hiring managers tend to expect some personal information on CVs. This information should be included at the start of your CV. Ensure to include your date of birth, nationality and marital status.
If you operate in an industry where specific personal details are required, make sure they are included too. For example, if you work as a member of cabin crew, you may be required to add your height or arm length.
The professional profile/personal statement is arguably the most important part of your CV. A short introduction of around 100 words, strong professional profiles communicate your job skills and experiences and convince recruiters to spend time reading your CV. Professional profiles are often referred to as profiles, CV profiles and personal statements.
Points to consider when writing your professional profile
- Years of experience
- Areas of expertise
- Key skills and competencies
- Education and training
- Your passions and interests
Use powerful adjectives and avoid superfluous information. Identify your unique selling points and focus on what makes you a great employee. If possible, use numbers and statistics to enhance your profile and catch recruiters’ eyes.
Professional profiles can be written in sentence form, bullet points or a combination of both. Both have their own advantages. Bullet points enable the key information in your professional profile to stand out, while sentence form gives you the option of going into more detail.
In the professional profile example below, we’ve used the sentence format. Note how the candidate’s key skills and experiences are articulated in just a few sentences.
Meticulous, customer-focused Waitress and Bartender, with over 4 years’ experience operating in four-star hotels across the UK. Recognised for optimising customer satisfaction by making guests feel welcome and maintaining a polite, hospitable demeanour during service.
Possesses a broad knowledge of standard operating procedures related to safety, hygiene and quality in the food and beverage industry. Utilises honed communication skills to engage with staff members from multiple departments and improve operational efficiency.
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) also come into play with professional profiles. ATS is a type of software used by recruiters and HR departments to filter and rank CVs based on specific keywords. As this software is widely used in modern-day recruitment, ensure to include the most relevant keywords for your profession.
For example, if you’re employed as a chef, important keywords would include kitchen management, menu design and people management. Take a look at the Spanish CV sample in this guide and notice how specific keywords have been peppered across the document.
When you’ve included your personal details, photo and professional profile, it’s time to add a section dedicated to your skills.
When showcasing your skills, less is more. Don’t include your entire skill set. Not only would this make your CV too wordy, but it would also draw attention away from your most important skills.
Which skills should you include on Spanish CVs?
The most important skills to include on your CV will depend on your profession and industry. However, there are some skills that make strong impacts on all Spanish CVs. These include Spanish language skills and knowledge of Spanish regulations/legislation.
Of course, only include skills that you have mastered. It goes without saying that lying on your CV is never a good idea.
How to format your skills section
Use bullet points to make your skills stand out. Icons are another great way of drawing attention to your skills. We recommend focusing on no more than 10 skills. Any more than this will dilute your skills section.
In the CV example in this guide, notice how we’ve used five dots for each skill. These dots are used to measure the candidate’s proficiency with the skills, using a scale of one to five.
This approach enables you to communicate to hiring managers exactly how proficient you are with your skills. It's often important to state whether your skills are at an advanced level or not. For example, if you’re expert with Microsoft Excel, it’s important to convey this rather than leaving the reader pondering whether you’re a beginner.
Here is an example of a CV’s key skills section:
The next step is to articulate your work experience. This is arguably the most important aspect of your CV.
Use the reverse chronological format when detailing your career experiences (reverse chronological format starts with your most recent job and ends with your oldest job.)
What information should be included for each role?
Include your job title, the company name, location of employment and dates of employment. Always include both the month and year of employment.
As you will see in the CV example in this guide, we usually include one or two sentences below these details to provide some context. This may touch on the size of the company, your overall objectives and who you reported to.
Finally, include your responsibilities and achievements. Use bullet points and keep each point under two lines to ensure a simple reading experience.
Ensure to use powerful adjectives and verbs to bring your writing to life.
Examples of Powerful Adjectives
Examples of Powerful Verbs
Here is an example of a Spanish CV’s career summary:
Include details of your relevant education and training. If you have completed training that is relevant to the Spanish job market, such as Spanish regulatory training or Spanish language training, ensure to showcase this in the education and training section.
Start by detailing your highest form of education. This might be a degree, A levels of GCSEs. Then move on to training programmes you have completed. Leave out any training that you feel is not relevant to the role you are pursuing.
Finally, add any further information that could support your applications. Additional information may include languages, IT proficiency, volunteering activities and licences.
If you don’t have any further information to add, skip this section.
When you’ve completed all six steps, proofread your CV and iron out any mistakes and typos. Polishing your CV is a great way of showing recruiters that you’re well organised and thorough.
When preparing your CV or resume for applications in Spain, don’t exceed two pages in length. Those with less experience should opt for a one-page CV.
Ensure the margins of your document are not too wide or too narrow. Aim for between 1.5 cm and 2 cm on all sides of your CV. Using excessively narrow or wide margins will make your CV appear unprofessional.
Make sure you allow adequate spacing between text in your CV. This makes your document easier to read. To alter the spacing in Microsoft Word, highlight the text you would like to add spacing to, then click on the ‘Paragraph’ tab. Finally, alter the ‘Before’ or ‘After’ tab. We recommend selecting between 4 and 8 pt. of spacing between blocks of text.
Even if you don’t speak Spanish, it’s extremely beneficial to translate your English CV into Spanish. While English is widely spoken in many areas of Spain, especially around the resort areas such as Benidorm and the Costa Del Sol, there is a very strong chance that the person reading your CV will be Spanish.
If you’re applying for business roles in Spain, it is vital that you translate your CV to Spanish as English is not widely spoken in this sphere.
Here at CV Nation, we offer CV translation from English to Spanish at reasonable prices. Click here to contact us to discuss our English to Spanish translation services.
Many recruiters expect to see some personal information on CVs, unlike CVs for other European countries. While you don’t need to go into great details, you should include your basic personal details, including date of birth, marital status and nationality.
Unlike CVs for the UK and the United States, Spanish CVs should include a photo of the candidate. The photo should be a professional headshot.
Should CVs for Spain be written in English or Spanish?
We recommend preparing your CV in Spanish, whether you’re applying for an English-speaking job or a Spanish-speaking job. Even if you’re applying for English-speaking jobs that don’t require an understand of Spanish, it’s a good idea to get your CV translated into Spanish.
Submitting a CV in English may be considered unprofessional. Also, the recruiter reading your CV may not be fluent in English. If recruiters can’t understand some parts of your document, they might not be able to proceed with your application.
The most sought-after jobs in Spain depend on the region and city in question. However, the majority of jobs can be found in the services industry. This includes hospitality, IT and retail.
For expats and foreigners in Spain, some of the most popular jobs include:
- Tourism – Spain is a very popular destination for tourists. As such, there are always jobs to be found in the tourism industry. Popular jobs in this industry include bar work, catering and restaurant work.
- IT - With many tech companies in Spain, there are numerous IT opportunities, including programming and coding jobs.
- Customer Service – There are an abundance of international call centres in Spain, which are often on the lookout for people with great customer service skills. If you’ve mastered additional languages, such as German, then you may have a greater shot at securing roles in this area.
Hopefully this guide will help you to prepare a professional Spanish CV that impresses recruiters and hiring managers. If you would like to know more about CV writing, take a look at our complete CV writing guide.
