How to Make a CV

When searching for a suitable job, it is crucial to understand how to make a CV. If you know how to make a CV, you would learn how to effectively offer yourself to a potential employer. Curriculum vitae or CV is also called resume. This is simply a document to market yourself. You send this document once an employer asks one on a job advertisement. Therefore, learning how to make a CV is not enough. You also need to know how to make it interesting, appealing, and worth considering.

For students who want to learn how to make a CV, there are advice offices in your school or colleges that you can approach. These are present to guide students with their future career as early as now. So, if you are a student, take advantage of these career guidance offices in your school to teach you how to make a CV. However, you have to make sure that what you will be doing shall be unique and not just another of those copied from standard samples.

If you want to learn how to make a CV, take note that it should be made out of a word-processor. Besides, it must be printed well in a good quality paper. Avoid using underlined or bolded text for the heading. And do not use several font sizes and font types. Keep in mind that this is a formal document representing you and not a cover of a magazine. Make use of wide spaces and good margins. And, recheck the contents and ensure that there are no mistakes in terms of grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Part of understanding how to make a CV is learning how to use bullet points when listing down details.

You can easily customize your CV and easily change the layout if you are using a computer. You also need to know that the employer who shall read your CV will have loads and loads of CV to review. That is why learn how to make a CV that is interesting, eye-catching, and compelling.

There are two key principles to take note of as part of learning how to make a CV. The first one is to make it simple. And the other is let others judge it. For the second principle, you can ask the help of friends, teachers, career guidance counselors, or other people who are involved in business. You may think that your CV is simple, but to a potential employer, it is not. Therefore, review it well, show it to other people, and ask for their opinion.

Part of learning how to make a CV is to first study the job you are applying for. Study your qualifications and note down what the job exactly calls for. Aside from that, learn about the employer. Most of the time, employers do not include detailed information about them. Thus, make your own research. Be interested in a potential employer.

When learning how to make a CV, knowing the different parts of it is definitely necessary. The following are the essential elements included in a CV:

1. Personal Information

Under this, you will be writing down your name, address, phone numbers, and email address. If you have a website, include this also.

2. Educational Background

Once you learn how to make a CV, you would know that details in the educational background come in reverse chronological order. Included here are the names of the schools you have attended to, their locations, and dates of graduation. Apart from that, you can include your academic achievements such as your minor and major, degree finished, and title of thesis or dissertation. If you’ve had good grades, include these as well. You may also mention the awards, achievement, and honors you obtained during those years of studies.

3. Work Experiences

Just like the educational background if you now know how to make a CV, the entries under this should also be presented in reverse chronological manner. This means that the current or most recent job should be listed first, going through the least current ones. Included in this section are the names of your past employers or the company, your job titles, and inclusive dates of employment. You also have to write about your roles and duties in every job you’ve had. If you’ve had part-time jobs, include these, too. If you have long list of past experiences, remove those that are not relevant to the job you are applying for.

4. Interests and Pursuits

Part of learning how to make a CV is identifying the details you have to put under your interest and pursuits. Of course, you do not have to place all your interests and hobbies. Include those activities that prove your involvement in a team, responsibility, and leadership. Also, write down activities and interests that have relation to what you are applying for. Provide just sufficient details about these. If you have been involved in certain volunteer activities, provide the necessary information.

5. Abilities

Once you have learned how to make a CV, you should know that on this section, you will be discussing the necessary skills and competencies you have. The skills and knowledge you have acquired and developed not just in school but also in your past employment have to be highlighted. These are essential for the recruiter to gauge your strengths and things to offer for the company.

6. References

This part of your CV includes names of people who can attest about you as a person and as a professional. These people should have enough knowledge about you to testify about your character and personality. Details under this include the names of references, the position they hold, name of workplace, and contact details.

Now that you are aware of the elements included in a CV, there are other things to consider when learning how to make a CV. The first one is the length. Depending on your work experiences, your CV shouldn’t exceed 3 pages. Remember, you have to make your CV brief, concise and up-to-date but do not put in details that are not relevant to what you are applying for. Omit details that have nothing to do with the position you are aspiring.

The style is another aspect to look at when learning how to make a CV. There are two general types of presenting details in a CV. The first one is the chronological type in which most recent details are listed first. The second type is the skill-based wherein essential skill are enumerated and discussed first before the personal details.