When it comes to getting a job, your CV is important. Every CV is different because you want to explain why your skillset makes you fit for this position for which you are currently applying. But these all still follow the same structure.
What is a CV?
A CV (Latin phrase for curriculum vita, meaning “turn of life”) is a detailed document highlighting your professional and academic history. CVs usually include information such as achievements, work experience, awards, scholarships, or grants you have received. People also include if applicable their coursework, research projects, and publication of your work.
Information that should be included in your CV
If you wish, you can also add a link to your LinkedIn profile in this section – but only if it’s the latest! Here’s an example of how your example, professional title, and contact details might look like.
Though the structure of the CV is flexible enough to suit your unique set of skills and experiences, there are certain areas that employers are expected to look at regardless of your CV.
Although your CV should be specific to your background and the tailor for the job you are applying for, there are several steps you can take to ensure you write an effective CV. Most CVs contain the following information:
- Name
- Contact information
- Academic history
- Professional experience
- Qualifications and skills
- Publications
- Professional associations
- Grants and
- License
- Certificates
- Volunteer work
- Awards and honors
- Personal infornation (optional)
- Hobbies and interests (optional)
The sections given below must be included in your CV:
Name, contact details, and professional title
At the top portion of your CV, you will write your name, contact details, and professional title. When writing your contacts, your email address and phone number are required. This works as follows:
Forename Surname | Professional Title
Location: Town, County
Phone: +9212345678
Email: name@exapl
Personal profile
A personal profile is the most important part of your CV, it is about the personal statement, professional profile, and career objective. It’s a short paragraph that sits below your name and contact details to give potential employers an overview of who you are and what you are.
You should keep in mind three things when you are writing a personal profile who are you? What are your career goals? And what can you offer the organization? The personal profile should be short and sweet. You can aim for anywhere between 50 and 200 words and no longer than a short paragraph. Make sure you do not title it.
Example:
I have recently obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Punjab University. I want to work in an organization as an accountant. During my degree, I gained a good command of financial accounting and mathematics.
Over the past year, I have set up a drug distribution balance sheet. Here’s how to put one together for use with your small business. I can manage all kinds of ledgers in a short time.
I’m looking for a challenging, fast-paced environment within Accounts to use my creative knowledge and further develop my skills.
Employment History and Experience
This section allows you to outline your previous jobs, internships, and work experience. Make a list of your experiences in reverse chronological order because your current role is most relevant to the employer. Tell about your key responsibilities, skills, and achievements, and write all this stuff with powerful verbs to showcase your talent.
mmm yyyy – mmm yyyy Company Name, Location Role Title
Outline
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Key Responsibilities
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Key achievements/projects
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Educations and Qualifications
In this section, include the names and dates of the institutions after which you were there, followed by your qualifications and ranks. Your education should be listed in reverse chronological order.
For example:
Institution name – Dates attended (from-to)
Qualification/subject – Grade
Qualification, grade – Institution – Year
Additional factors
Key skills: If you are writing a functional CV, or you have some skills that you would like to show to an employer immediately. Insert a section of key skills below your personal profile. You should describe at most four to five abilities in detail
Hobbies: If you feel incomplete with your CV, you can boost your document by inserting your hobbies and interests section at the end. It will show your fitness for the organization. Avoid a list of hobbies that do not add value to your CV, write attractive interest that makes you stand out for the job.
References: It is no longer standard to include your references at the end of your CV. You can add a line that reads ‘References available on request, But if you do not have the capacity, it is acceptable to eliminate it.
Spacing and Formatting CV
If you are not satisfied with formatting your CV, it is worth downloading a few CV templates to familiarize yourself with. However, formatting and expanding your CV is just as important as the content. You should follow the given sections to format your CV:
Headings
To save the employer time, you should make big bold headings to ensure an easy read.
Length
One-page size does not fit all, for professionals, one or three pages may be more than enough.
Font type
We suggest Arial or Calibri font for the text, as these are clear fonts. You can choose different font types for headings but it should be professional and easy to read.
Font size and page margins
The body of your CV should be between 10 and 12 point fonts, and your headline should be between 14 and 18 points. Keep your page edges around 2.5CM, but never lower them to 1.27CM. White space ensures clarity and professionalism.
Proofreading
Proofread to capture all mistakes, do not try to over-design your document.
What not to include in a CV?
A headshot
In many countries, it is common practice to include a photo of yourself in your CV. But the UK and Canada are not one of them.
Age, date of birth, and Marital status
Your age, marital status, and dependence do not affect your ability to work. These details are protected features under the Equality Act 2010, and it is against the law to ask employees about them. So do not include them in your CV.
Difference between a CV and a Resume
(The French word Resume translates to “abstract” or “summary”.) A CV, on the other hand, is usually a longer, more detailed document that focuses more on the curriculum and research.
The CV and Resume (Experience List) are similar to both documents that summarize your professional history, education, skills, and achievements. They are also both documents that you can provide to an employer for consideration of an open position. The differences between a resume and a CV include the length of the document, the contents, and the purpose.
You should also consider which region of the world you are applying to and which one to use when deciding on your career path. It is important to note that in the United States and most of Europe, resumes and CVs cannot be exchanged. A resume is a small format document that provides a comprehensive overview of your past roles, skills, and details about your education.
Sample CV Format
| Name and | 1 | ______________________ | |||||||
| contact | __________________ | ||||||||
| information | __________________ | ||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||
| Summary | 2 | ________________________________________________________________________ | |||||||
| ________________________________________________________ | |||||||||
| Professional History | |||||||||
| ____________________________________ | |||||||||
| _____________________________________________ | |||||||||
| ________________________________________________________________________ | |||||||||
| ________________________________________________________________________ | |||||||||
| 3 | ____________________________________ | ||||||||
| _____________________________________________ | |||||||||
| ________________________________________________________________________ | |||||||||
| ________________________________________________________________________ | |||||||||
| ______________________________________________________ | |||||||||
| Educational History | |||||||||
| _________________________ | |||||||||
| 4 | ______________________________ | ||||||||
| ___________________________________ | |||||||||
| ______________________________ | |||||||||
| skills | |||||||||
| 5 | ________________________________________________________________________ | ||||||||
| __________________________________________________________________ | |||||||||
| Awards and Achievements | |||||||||
| 6 | ________________________________________________________________________ | ||||||||
| __________________________________________________________________ | |||||||||
| Publish Works | |||||||||
| 7 | ________________________________________________________________________ | ||||||||
| __________________________________________________________________ | |||||||||