A CV is a condensed version of the Latin term curriculum vitae, which means “life path.” It’s a lengthy document that highlights your professional and academic achievements. Work experience, accomplishments and accolades, grants or scholarships you’ve received, courses, research projects, and publications of your work are generally included in CVs. When applying for employment in academia or jobs, you may be requested to provide a CV. A template can assist you to figure out how to write a CV if you don’t know where to start. Here’s some more information on the document to help you write a strong curriculum vitae that employers will notice.
What is the difference between a CV and a resume?
Both a CV and a resume are documents that summarise your professional experience, qualifications, skills, and accomplishments. They’re also two papers you may submit to a company for consideration for a job opening. It’s crucial to remember that resumes and CVs are not interchangeable in the United States and much of Europe. A resume is a shorter-form document that gives a quick overview of your past positions, abilities, and educational background. A curriculum vitae, on the other hand, is a lengthier, more thorough document that focuses primarily on academic courses and research.
Simple formatting rules for a CV/Curriculum Vitae
- Choose typefaces that are easy to read.
- Choose one of the basic CV fonts, such as Arial, Tahoma, or Helvetica if you like sans-serif fonts, or Times New Roman or Bookman Old Style if you prefer serif fonts.
- Use a font size of 11 to 12 pt and single spacing. Choose a font size of 14 to 16 pt for your name and section titles.
- Maintain a consistent format for your CV.
- All four sides should have one-inch margins.
- Make your CV headers consistent in size and boldness, but avoid using italics or underlining.
- On your CV, use a single dates format.
- Don’t pack flashy graphics into your CV. It may become unreadable if there are too many graphics.
- Remove any photographs from your CV. Unless the job post specifically requests that you submit a photograph. If this is the case, choose a professional-looking photo that isn’t as rigid as an ID photo.
- Make your CV as short as possible and as relevant as possible.
- Don’t be like one of those applicants trapped in the 1990s who believes their CVs must cover every detail about their lives.
What to include in a CV/Curriculum Vitae?
Contact detail: Include your entire name, home address, phone number, and email address in your contact information. Your date of birth is unimportant, and you don’t need to send an image unless you’re looking for an acting or modelling job.
Profile: Because your cover letter will be job-specific, an excellent CV profile focuses on the industry you’re applying to. Personal statements for CVs should be brief and succinct – 100 words is the ideal amount.
Schooling – Make a list of all prior education, including professional credentials, and include the dates. Put the most current at the top. Include the sort of qualification, grades, and dates. Specific modules should only be mentioned when they are necessary.
Work experience – In reverse chronological order, include your work experience, making sure that everything you describe is relevant to the position you’re looking for. Include your employment title, the company’s name, how long you’ve been there, and significant tasks. This part should appear before schooling if you have a lot of relevant job experience.
Skills and accomplishments – That’s where the list of foreign languages you know and the computer programs you know how to utilize must be mentioned. You should highlight important talents that are relevant to the position. Don’t oversell your skills; you’ll have to back up your statements during the interview. If you have a lot of job-specific talents, a skills-based CV is a good idea.
Interests – ‘Socializing,’ and’ reading’ will not pique a recruiter’s interest. Relevant hobbies, on the other hand, may help paint a more comprehensive picture of who you are and give you something to talk about during an interview.
How to write a good CV/Curriculum Vitae
- When possible, use active verbs. Include terms like ‘made,’ ‘analysed,’ and ‘devised,’ for example, to portray oneself as a self-starter.
- An excellent CV is free of errors in spelling and punctuation. Make use of a spell checker and ask the help of the second set of eyes to go through the paper.
- Avoid overused buzzwords like ‘team player,’ ‘hard worker,’ and a multitasker.’ Instead, give instances from real-life situations that illustrate all of these abilities.
- Make your CV unique. Examine the company’s website and social media accounts, check if they’ve been covered in the local paper recently, and utilise the job advertisement to ensure your CV is tailored to the position and employer.
- Create a CV that is appropriate for your situation. Choose if you want a chronological, skills-based, or academic CV.
- Make certain that your email address is professional. Create a new account for professional usage if your personal address is unsuitable.
- If you submit your CV online, don’t disclose your home address since scammers may target you.
- Unless the employer specifies differently, always include a cover letter. You will be able to customise your application using it. You can highlight a specific section of your CV, identify a handicap, or explain gaps in your employment history.