What a CV / resume looks like There are many different styles of writing a CV (Curriculum Vitae). This page gives you some guidelines on how to present and write relevant information about yourself.
Layout
Your CV should fit onto one page of normal sized office
paper. Across the top you can put your name, address and contact details. Some
people put a career objective under their contact details. This allows potential
employers to see at a glance whether they can offer a suitable job. Under the
career objective, you can have either your work experience section or your
education and qualifications section. After this, some people also put a section
called 'Additional information' and finally, their references.
Career objective
This should be as concise and informative as
possible. For example: Career objective: to develop marketing skills in
the food industry. Career obective: to create effective advertising in
the clothing industry. Career objective: to design computer games using
cutting-edge technology.
Work
experience
Your most recent job should come first. You should also
include any experience that is relevant to the job you are applying for, as well
as anything that taught you a useful skill. You should also give the names of
your previous employers and the companies you worked for, along with the dates
you were there. Try to fill in all the gaps - if you were unemployed at a
certain time, you can write something like Personal projects.
Education and qualifications
Again, put the most recent
education first. You don't need to put high school (secondary school) exams and
grades unless they are particularly relevant, or required by the job. You should
give the dates of your studies, as well as the institutions and the
qualifications you gained. For example, 1987 - 1991 University of London
BA Hons French and German Some academic abbreviations: BA (Bachelor of Arts) BSc
(Bachelor of Science) Hons (Honours) MA (Master of Arts) MPhil (Master of
Philosophy) PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) In the education and qualifications
section, you should also give the details of any relevant training courses you
have completed. Include the name of the diploma or certificate that you gained
after completing the course. For example, 1991 - 1992 London Institute of
Marketing Diploma in Marketing Management &more=
Additional information
This section could include any
additional skills that you have, or particular interests relevant to the job.
For example, "I am familiar with most Microsoft programs. I also speak French
and Spanish fluently."
References
Many potential employers like to see references from
previous employers. However, candidates for a job might prefer not to include
references at this stage, but to write something like References available on
request.
What
information to leave out
You don't need to include your marital status,
religion, number of children or your maiden name (if you are a married woman who
has taken her husband's name). Only include relevant information on your
background so that you can keep your CV as short as possible.
Language and structure
Tenses For previous experience or
educational study, you will need to use the Past Simple tense. For example:
1987 - 1992: Secretary to the Managing Director, Unicorp Ltd I was
responsible for... To describe your present job or experience that exists up to
now, you should use the Present Perfect or the Present Simple tense. For
example: From 1998 to present day: Office supervisor, Unicorp Ltd My
responsibilities are to... I oversee a team of accountants... Or:
Since 1996, I have been responsible for the smooth running of the
administration department. Using I You can vary your sentences so that
you don't always use "I". For example, instead of writing "I am responsible
for", you can say "My key responsibilities are to..."
Tips
* Keep your CV relevant - ideally each CV you send out
s hould be tailored to the job you are applying for. * Keep it short - one page
should be enough. (Two pages at the very maximum.) * Make sure all your contact
details are correct. Include your email address. * Check for spelling mistakes
and correct use of tenses and grammar. * Think about the layout. You want your
CV to be easy to read and attractive, so don't cram too much information onto
the page. Use margins and spaces, as well as bold or italics to highlight
information. * Always send a covering letter with your CV. For information on
how to write a covering letter, see Covering letters. JOB VOCAB:
text=
Technical tasks
You will assemble and operate the
machinery and be responsible for maintaining all the equipment. Where
necessary you will advise on new upgrades of the computer facilities. In
addition you will repair minor faults.
Financial tasks
You are responsible for developing the
budgets and forecasts for each department. With the auditing
department, you will be responsible for checking the statements and for
projecting figures. You are good at analysing figures as well as
calculating the profit margins.
Administrative tasks
You input all the data into the
system. This data should be filed under certain categories so that
records of transactions can easily be retrieved. In addition, you
will assist the Human Resources Director by collecting information
on all employees. This information will then be processed into personnel
reports.
Sales and marketing tasks
You will develop marketing
plans for a range of products and oversee the publicity for these
products. Supervising a national sales team, you will negotiate
terms and conditions for key accounts and clients. You will have excellent
persuasion skills.
Communication skills
You are able to summarise clearly
the recommendations made to clients. Where necessary, you can clarify
areas which are ambiguous and you will have excellent communication
skills. You will also be responsible for specifying the company's
aims and objectives and you will explain these objectives to employees in
writing.
Management tasks
As a member of the management team, your tasks
are varied. You will be able to evaluate options and identify
opportunities. You are a problem-solver and you can advise
employees and clients on possible solutions to problems and allocate
resources where necessary.
You will assign tasks to people within the company and you will then review the progress of the tasks that you have delegated. Monitoring these tasks will be vital and you will be expected to keep the management team informed of progress. You are a top organiser, able to interpret strategy and plan for success, as well as being able to assess and investigate new market trends. You will also be able to initiate and implement new policy and co-ordinate the team effort. You are a confident communicator and are happy to make recommendations and set goals outside your own area of responsibility.
Human Resources tasks
You are expected to recruit new
employees and coach them in their roles. You will be able to
encourage and motivate staff so that employees can develop
their skills. You are also responsible for a training and a
coaching / mentoring programme which will strengthen the
skills of staff.