The Europass is an attempt to create employment documents that can easily be tranferred for use throughout Europe. Europass has been established by the Decision No 2241/2004/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of 15 December 2004 on a single transparency framework for qualifications and competences. This is also closely linked to the Bologna Declaration which aims to create more transparency of academic qualifications.
The Europass package includes a standardised CV, language competency certificate and academic qualification certificates. Together these documents are meant to provide sufficient information to use for job applications througout the EU. Some employers may be enthusiastic about taking a Europass CV and if requested you can create your own one here. You can view examples of the Europass CV here.
However….
The style of the Europass CV probably does not portray the type and level of information used for applying for jobs in the UK. I understand the style is effective in France and Germany but you may want to check when applying to other countries.
The key area where the Europass fails to market effectively in the UK is the low attention to skills gained. UK employers are very keen on understanding what transferable or specialist skills you may have and their selection process is usually based on you satisfying their skills, or competency, framework.
If you consider the Europass CV here and ones used in UK recruitment you will see that the Europass is essentially entirely factual – it covers what you’ve done and who you are. In the UK we want also to see what you’ve gained from your experiences. For more details about how to write a UK CV click here or drop into the careers centre.
The layout of the Europass CV is also a possible hindrance. When an employer only has a short amount of time to consider your CV it is important to get as much relevent information on the front page as possible – if they don’t like the front page they may not look at the second! The Europass CV does not have that flexibility.
In short…
If you are applying for jobs in continental Europe it may well be advantageous to have a Europass CV. However if you are applying for positions in the UK you need to make sure it is tailored to the job and reflects both your abilities and the employer’s needs.
One-to-One CV advice is available Monday – Thursday (11am – 12pm; 2pm – 4pm) in the careers centre. You need to book an appointment on the day you wish to attend. We also provide regular CV workshops during lunchtime and we would encourage you to attend one before seeking one-to-one advice where possible. Details of these can be found here.
