curriculum vitae writing and templates
how to write a CV - curriculum vitae templates, cv samples and examples
, n5 R( K5 j( _ ]2 u' Tcurriculum vitae writing tips
0 d, ~+ m8 z7 x% Y# \! x: i7 p" cKeep your curriculum vitae simple. Your curriculum must be concise. Your curriculum vitae must be easy to read. Your curriculum vitae must sell you. And your curriculum vitae must be tailored to what the reader is looking for. * c$ n J8 b3 s* c
# Y, j. `5 J- t
These CV and letter principles apply to all career moves - full-time jobs, part-time, internal, external, promotions, new jobs, career changes, internships and work experience placements - wherever an employer or decision-maker is short-listing or interviewing or selecting applicants - the short-listed candidates will invariably be the people who have the best CV's and best covering letters.
$ p5 K9 w! ^# ?- A5 R1 N- ]
8 m; J2 c Q; @5 g0 aHow you perform at the interview or group selection is of course crucial, but only the people with the best CV's and letters get to that stage. $ w# l/ d, Q! H4 S; _1 I* L' m
( s( ~5 A9 C4 {! w) Q6 h. t7 V% kCV writing is like advertising. Your CV must sell you to a prospective employer, and compete against other applicants who are also trying to sell themselves. So the challenge in CV writing is to be more appealing and attractive than the rest. This means that your curriculum vitae must be presented professionally, clearly, and in a way that indicates you are an ideal candidate for the job, ie., you possess the right skills, experience, behaviour, attitude, morality that the employer is seeking. The way you present your CV effectively demonstrates your ability to communicate, and particularly to explain a professional business proposition.
: C5 m! w' Q* @; W) T% N: g. W f; V8 U- s) @. Y2 G
Put yourself in the shoes of the employer: write down a description of the person they are looking for. You can now use this as a blue-print for your CV. The better the match the more likely you are to be called for an interview.. a4 a: \% L8 P) k5 C
0 F, T2 p. ^1 s" t
If you find it difficult to match your own CV description to the requirements of the role, then perhaps the role isn't for you. There's little or no point distorting or falsifying yourself in order to get a job. If you falsify yourself in your CV you'll be unlikely to provide the necessary proof of your claims at interview, and even if you manage to do this and to get the job, then you'll not be able to do the job enjoyably without stress.
) G5 f0 M' n, y& W- S2 A
8 Y1 v+ u+ ]! t; c0 l8 fObviously lying in a CV is a risky strategy, especially about qualifications, and you should avoid any such temptation. Better to be proud and confident of who you are. Integrity and reputation are more important than qualifications. A CV with a lie is an embarrassment, or even a dismissal, waiting to happen, sometimes years later when you've a lot more to lose.
& ?+ ]' V* Z# O8 m8 B/ J
- C [9 M9 e/ y; I3 \! e; [Blow your own trumpet, emphasise your characteristics, your capabilities and achievements - this is all fine - but know where to draw the line. Positive emphasis and strong presentation is good; falsehoods are not.
1 h2 k7 v9 |; a5 n& J$ Z5 _* r, Q* V0 ^
On the point about 'blowing your own trumpet' (presenting yourself within the CV in a very positive light) - many people find this difficult, especially those with strong 'sensing' personalities, who see life in terms of bare facts (make time to see the personality section, and read Jung, Myers Briggs, etc - it will help you understand a lot about yourself). If you are one of these people (in fact many people are) try to get help from someone creative and enthusiastic to assist you in interpreting and writing very positive phrases and descriptions about you for your CV. In your CV it's important to emphasise your attributes in strong, relevant and expressive terms; modesty doesn't work particularly well on any CV.
0 H" g+ ^! R, R% q! u0 l" i+ R& R9 k) {( U5 V1 g n7 d
Additionally, there is a widely held school of thought that writing such statements - powerful descriptions about yourself, your personality and your strengths and capabilities - actually helps you to become even more like the person you describe. It's related to NLP, self-talk, self-belief, and positive visualisation: we tend to live up to our claims when we write them down and commit to them. Creating a positive CV for ourselves helps us to grow and to become how we want to be.
5 w# T. o8 W' V% _( {) _% e
, h7 U, w5 q! P4 b) wcv presentation and structure
; _: I% z3 Z, b+ F+ h$ Y# zPresentation and sequence of items with your CV are very important, as it is in advertising, and most people get it wrong, which makes it easier for you when you get it right. When you are selling anything you need to get to the key points quickly. The quicker the reader can read and absorb the key points the more likely they are to buy. A well presented and well-structured CV also indicates that you are professional, business-like and well organised. The structure suggested below sells your strengths first and provides personal and career history details last - most people do it the other way round which has less impact. Structuring a CV like this you can immediately stand out from the others and make a much better impression.; z: N3 a2 W4 B4 f) O
! D* L- i) |$ y1 ^# x; z6 w' k: Z
For all but very senior positions your should aim to fit your CV on one side of standard sheet of business paper. For large corporation director positions two or three sheets are acceptable, but a well-presented single side will always tend to impress and impact more than lots of detail spread over a number of sheets. Always try to use as few words as possible. In CV writing, like advertising, "less is more". This means you need to think carefully about the words you use - make sure each one is working for you - if any aren't, remove them or replace them. Never use two words when one will do.
