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How to write a Curriculum Vitae
The Curriculum Vitae (CV) or Resume in American English
is a serious
document and not an experiment in surrealist art.
It is meant to introduce you and your
background to somebody who does not know you and barely has time to get
to know you. It should
follow a certain predetermined guideline, to be easy to read and
organized logically and
present you in the best possible light, in a
concise and well-structured manner.
A well-written CV shows first what is most important, but contains all
relevant information. The
CV should be printed on plain-white A4 paper.
You
should never, send a CV without a cover letter in matching
A4 envelopes. If the announcement does not say anything about a cover
letter, you still should send one. It introduces your CV to the reader,
attracts attention to certain parts of it that you want to bring to
light, or mentions aspects that for some reason could not be listed in
your CV. I
suggest you use one of the MS Word pre-made formats, unless you feel
confident that you can produce an even better-structured and
easier-to-read format.
-
Headers
most-often used in a CV:
-
Name
- you should write your name with a bigger font than the rest of
the text, so that the reader knows easily whose CV is s/he
reading.
-
Personal
details
- you should include your birth date and birth place, contact
address (including post code), email, telephone number, nationality and civil status. In
case you have both a permanent and study address, include both,
with the dates when you can be contacted at each of them.
-
Objective
- this is a concise statement of what
you actually want to do. It's not bad if it matches the thing you
are applying for. Don't restrict it too much.... If you apply for
a job, you can be even more specific - “to obtain a position in...
, where I can use my skills in…". You can use a few lines to
describe that specifically, but keep in mind that you should show
what you can do for the company more than what the company can do
for you. Writing a good objective can be tough, but it's very
important. Take some time to think about what exactly you are
going to write there.
-
Education
- If you are a young student, or a person who has just graduated,
you should start your CV with your education. Probably, at this
age it is your most important asset. I suggest the reverse
chronological order, since it is more important what master’s
degree you have. No matter for which order you decide -
chronological or reverse - you should keep it the same throughout
the rest of your CV.
-
Awards
received - you should introduce this header right after the
education, in order to outline all the scholarly or distinctions you have received. Here is the place to mention
scholarships, stages abroad you had to compete for, prizes in
contests, any kind of distinction. Here, same as everywhere in
your CV, write a detailed account of what happened: do not just
mention the year and "Prize in Physics", but rather give the exact
date (month), place, name and organizer of the competition, etc.
-
Experience
- here you should include internships as well. Don't feel ashamed
with what you did, don't try to diminish your accomplishments!
Accountability is an important criterion for what you write in
this section. The account should show what you improved, where, by
how much, what your responsibilities were. The idea is that when
you apply for a job you have to show growth-potential. The overall
result should portray you as a leader, a person with initiative
and creativity.
-
Extracurricular
activities - if you're writing a professional and not an
academic CV, this is the place to mention conferences or any other
activities outside the school that for some reason did not fit in
the CV so far. A good section here can help a lot towards that
goal of portraying you as a leader, a person with initiative and
enthusiasm, not
just a nerd with good grades.
-
Languages
- list here all the languages you speak, with a one-word
description of your knowledge of that language. I'm suggesting the
following scale: conversational, intermediate, advanced and
fluent. List any certificates and/or results like TOEFL, DELF,
scores, with date.
-
Computer
skills - write everything you know, including Internet
browsers and text editing skills. List certificates and specialty
studies as well.
-
Hobbies
- list them if space is left on the page. They look fine in a CV,
showing you are not a no-life workaholic. You can mention reading
or mountain tracking as well.
-
Phrases
and expressions
-
The use of certain
words and phrases can radically improve your chances of
impressing an employer. With this in mind, included below is
a series of key words and phrases that, when used correctly,
will help your CV stand out from the crowd.
For your description:
-
Self-disciplined,
persuasive, self-confident, hard-worker, initiative,
discrete, efficient, receptive, team worker, methodical
and well organized, careful and precise, an eye for
detail, logical, creative, integrity, analytical
thinking, good planner, inspires confidence,
enthusiastic etc.
Professional Area:
-
Leadership
qualities, cost reducer, results orientated, programmed,
simplify, increase, prioritized, adaptable, cost
oriented, coordinator, respectful, prepared to take
decisions, problem solver, capable of generating
short-term results
The trick is to use phrases that
make the truth attractive rather than phrases that change the truth.
Remember: concise and
precise is always the best option.
-
You
should:
-
Always
use clear unambiguous words (Highly technical words may
look impressive, but are apt to confuse the reader)
-
Avoid
complicated phrases (Simple phrases are always the best)
-
Never
take things for granted (Explain everything in a clear and
concise manner)
-
Avoid
abbreviations unless is it absolutely necessary (If you have
to use them always explain what they stand for)
-
Never
sign
your CV (It is assumed that you wrote it)
You can introduce
other headers that suit your needs.
Including a passport size photo is not obligatory, but is
advisable.
Some CV's, for example, have a summary heading, which brings in
front what the author considers to be the most important stuff in
his/her CV, others have a references section, where you can list
with contact details, persons ready to recommend you. If it misses,
the recruiters will assume they are available on request.
Don' t expand to
much your CV (ideal 2, max. 5 pages is advisable).
If you are looking for a job, try
one of these websites:
www.ejobs.ro or
www.job.ro
Good
luck!
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