IV
– 4 Curriculum Vitae
1.
Understand What Makes a Great Resume
2.
Review All Job Description Material and More (If
Necessary)
3.
Stay Realistic
4.
Use Only Relevant Terms, Skills, and Experience
5.
The Verbiage of Your Curriculum Vitae
6.
Font and Design
7.
Consider a Cover Letter
Part 1
of 3: Brainstorming for Your CV
Know what information a CV generally
contains. Most CVs include your personal
information, your education and qualifications, your work experience, your
interests and achievements, your skills, and references. However, there is no
set format for a CV, what you include is up to you.
Consider the job you are applying
for. Research the company. A good CV is
tailored to the specific job and company you are applying for. What does the
company do? What is their mission statement? What do you think they are looking
for in an employee? What skills does the specific job you are applying for
require? These are all things to keep in mind when writing your CV.
Check the company’s website for
extra information about the CV. See
if there is any specific information they want you to list in your CV. There might
be specific directions listed on the application page. Always double check
this.
Make a list of jobs you have held. These can be both jobs you hold currently and jobs you have
held in the past. Include the dates that you began and ended your term at each
particular job.[2]
Brainstorm your hobbies and
interests. Unique interests or hobbies will
make you stand out. Be aware of the conclusions that might be drawn from your
hobbies. Try to list hobbies that portray you as a team-oriented individual
rather than as a solitary, passive person. Companies want someone who works
well with others and can take charge if need be.
o Hobbies and
interests that paint a positive image:
Being the captain of your soccer (or football) team, organizing a charity event
for an orphanage, secretary of your school’s student-run government.
o Hobbies that imply
a passive, solitary personality:
watching TV, doing puzzles, reading. If you are going to put any of these
things, give a reason why. For instance, if you are applying for a job at a
publishing house, put something like: I enjoy reading the great American
writers such as Twain and Hemingway because I think their writing gives a
unique perspective into American culture at the time they were writing.
Make a list of your relevant skills. These skills often include computing skills (are you a wiz
at Wordpress? Excel? inDesign? etc.), languages you speak, or specific things
the company is looking for, such as targeted skills.
o Example of
targeted skills: If
you are applying to be a writer for a newspaper, list that you are fluent in AP
style. If you are applying for a coding job, mention that you have worked with
Java script.
Part 2
of 3: Writing Your CV
1. 1
Create the format for your CV. Are you going to break each section up with a line? Are you
going to put each section in its own box? Are you going to list all of your
information? Play around with different formats to see which looks most
professional. Aim for no more than the front and back of a standard sheet of
paper.
2. 2
List your name, address, telephone
number, and email at the top of the page.
It is important to make your name a size larger than the rest of the text as it
is important for your reviewer to know who he or she is reading about. It is up
to you as to how you format this information.[3]
o Standard format would be to have your name in the center of
the page. Your home address should be listed in a block format on the left side
of the paper. Put your telephone number and email below your home address. If
you have another address (such as your address while you are at school) list
this address on the right hand side of the paper.
3. 3
Write a personal profile. This is an optional part of the CV that is good for giving
your reviewer a more in-depth look at you as a person. This is where you sell
your skills, experiences, and personal qualities. It should be original and
well-written. Use positive words such as “adaptable”, “confident”, and
“determined”.[4]
o Example of a
personal statement for a CV
for a publishing company: An
enthusiastic recent graduate looking for an entry-level editorial position that
will utilize organizational and communication skills developed as a summer
intern at City Lights.
4. 4
Create a section for your education
and qualifications. This
section can be at the beginning of your CV or you can choose to list it after
other sections. The order of sections is up to you. List your education in
reverse chronological order. Begin with university if you attended or are
attending it and work your way backwards. List the name of your university, the
dates you went there, your major and minor, and your grade point average or A
levels.[5]
o Example: Santa Clara University, English and History 2009-2013
Subjects include: Medieval Literature, Victorian Literature, Criticism of
Poetry, and History of Great Britain. Obtained a 75% on my 2nd year exams. (If
in the US- Maintained a 3.7 GPA.)
5. 5
Create a section for your work
experience. This is the section in which you
should list all of your relevant work experience. List the name of the company,
the location of the company, the years you worked there, and what you did.
Start with your most recent job and work backwards. If you have a long list of
work experience, only put the experiences relevant to the job you are applying
for.[6]
o Example:
Diablo Magazine, Walnut Creek, CA, March 2012-January 2013. Fact-checked
information, wrote articles for Diablo’s blog, assisted in researching of
material for articles.
6. 6
Create a section for your skills and
achievements. This section is
where you list the things you accomplished at your previous jobs, and the
skills you have developed through your experiences. This is also the section
where you list any of your published work, lectures you've given, classes
you've taught, etc.
o Example achievements:
Successfully took a national bestseller from manuscript to publication;
Received certification in copy-editing from UC Berkeley
7. 7
Create a section for your interests. You should list any relevant interests that paint you in
the most positive light. Choose several interests from the list you created
while brainstorming for your CV (in Part One).
8. 8
Create a section for other
information. If there is a noticeable gap in
your CV or there is some other information you would like to share, put it in
this section. This sort of information can include leaving work to take care of
children, join the Peace Corps, etc.[7]
o Example: I
took two years off from my intended career path in publishing to teach english
in Brazil through the TEFL program. Teaching English as a second language has
helped me to better understand the subtle nuances of the language.
9. 9
Create a section for references. These are people you have worked with in the past such as
professors, previous employers, etc. that have seen your work and can credibly
support praises that they give you. The company you are applying to may contact
these references to find out more about your previous work. You should talk
with the person you would like to list a reference before actually listing
them--it is best to double check that they still have the same number, are ok
with giving you a reference, or that they remember who you are. Write down
their full names and contact information (including their phone numbers and
emails).
Part 3
of 3: Finalizing Your CV
1. 1
Check your spelling and grammar. Poor spelling is the quickest way to get rejected. If your
CV is sloppy or riddled with errors, potential employers will be unimpressed.
Double (and triple) check that you have spelled the name of the company
correctly, as well as any companies you have worked for in the past.[8]
2. 2
Proofread for any sentences that
could be written more concisely.
CVs that are concise and well-written tend to do better than long-winded CVs that
have repetitive information. Make sure you don’t repeat yourself--it’s better
to list many of your traits than the same few traits over and over again.
3. 3
Read your CV as if you were the
company you are applying to. What
do you think about the layout and the information written there? Do you come
across as a professional?
4. 4
Get someone else to read your CV. What do they think could be added or taken out? Would they
hire you if they were a company?
5. 5
Check the company’s application
page. Look to see if there are any other
materials they would like you to send in along with your CV. Companies may ask
for a cover letter or samples of your work (such as articles you may have written).
Tips
·
The
content of a CV should reflect the position for which you are applying. For
example, if you are applying for a job as an IT technician, it is not relevant
to the employer that you worked in several bars early in your career. If you
are applying to work in a call center, your employer would love to hear about
the customer service skills you learned when working with the public.
·
Be
honest. If you have the capacity to do the job, then you shouldn't have to lie
to get it.
·
Show
passion about your work and your hobbies.
·
Write
clearly and concisely. Employers do not want to have to read through pages of
clutter to get to your most salient sales points.
·
Don't
waste all your good work by sending off a well written CV on poor quality
paper. Make sure that your CV is printed out on good quality paper, and
preferably in black ink.
·
If
you're going to use bullet points than neat single line bullets points look
more pleasing on the eye than more cluttered multi-line entries.
