Don’t be a buzzkill: CVs are often underestimated by applicants and tend to be dropped indiscriminately like propaganda leaflets, full of broad, bland and non-specific claims.

If you are applying for an editorial board, they really won’t care that you worked in a supermarket when you were 16. Make your CV short and sweet – tailor it for the job you have in mind! Unless you’re up for a management position at the Jumbo, leave out the register expereince.

Pimp my job application: This depends on the vacancy, really – if you’re applying for an internship at an embassy, it might not be a good idea to make your CV too bling bling. Roughly 99.99% of CVs are boring as hell, so consider making it memorable by choosing a different font (except comic sans. Just, no.) If you’re applying for a job that encourages creative freedom, there are plenty of ways to make your CV stand out.

Feel attached: You’ve slaved away for hours, making sure your CV is excellent. You click ‘send’ – but you forgot to attach the CV!

Time stops. An unpleasant mixture of panic and disbelief wash over you. You frantically write a follow up e-mail, titled ‘now with an attachment’. Resist the urge to add an emoji, though. It happens to all of us, so just take a couple of seconds more to ensure everything is attached before sending it off.

Man Vs. Machine: In our technological world, big companies often use computers to weed out CVs. Ironic, isn’t it? You want a job, but a computer might determine if you’ll even be considered. But there is a way to fight the machines!

Be keyword savvy. A good way to start is to Google the company you want to work for. What other words come up? If you apply at Shell, incorporate phrases like ‘environmentally sustainable’ and ‘economically optimum,’ no matter how little sense those words actually make.

Wanted: The Netherlands isn’t exactly huge, so you’re likely to apply for jobs across the border. As such, job application etiquette should be considered when looking abroad. Including a photo of yourself is perfectly normal here, but in other countries? Not so much.

In the United States, employers are meant to judge job candidates on their CV, not how good-looking they are. If assumptions can be made about a person’s ethnicity based on their name, imagine what a picture can do. Be familiar with the environment you’re getting involved in – your future employer will appreciate it!