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WRITING A CV

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IITU DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGES

BUSINESS ENGLISH Year 2 Spring Term 2012

WRITING A CV

Compiled by B.Jolamanova

DEFINITION

A Curriculum Vitae is a summary of one’s educational, academic, professional and social backgrounds submitted for employment or application purposes. Employers spend as little as seconds skimming CVs before making their employment decisions. Sometimes an applicant may be required to submit a CV with a cover letter, which is a letter that you send to accompany your CV when you apply for job (see the cover letter format in the Attachment below).

DIFFERENTIATION

Similarities:

1) Like a resume, a curriculum vitae should include your name, contact information, education, skills and experience

2) Like a CV, a resume is written for employment or application purposes

3) As with a resume, you may need different versions of a CV for different types of positions.

Differences:

1) A curriculum vitae is a longer (up to two or more pages), more detailed synopsis of your background and skills. 2) In addition to the basics, a CV includes research and teaching experience, publications, grants and fellowships, professional associations and licenses, awards and other information relevant to the position you are applying for.

TYPES

Chronological - outlining your career history in date order, normally beginning with the most recent items (in a reverse chronological order). This is It is detailed, comprehensive and biographical and usually works well for "traditional" students with a good all-round mixture of education and work experience. Mature students, however, may not benefit from this approach, which does emphasize your age, any career breaks and work experience which has little surface relevance to the posts you are applying for now.

Skills-based: highly-focused CVs which relate your skills and abilities to a specific job or career area by highlighting these skills and your major achievements. The factual, chronological details of your education and work history are subordinate. These work well for mature graduates and for anybody whose degree subject and work experience is not directly relevant to their application. Skills-based CVs should be closely targeted to a specific job.

STRUCTURE

A CV typically contains (some f them if applicable):

1) A small photo 2) Personal details (age, gender, nationality, place and date of birth and marital status, contact information) 3) Education (high school, undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate studies, studies abroad) 4) Research experience

- thesis or dissertation (when applicable, with a brief description of the topic)

- publications and academic or professional presentations (indicate dates)

5) Achievements (awards, honors, grants, fellowship appointments) 6) Work experience, graduate fieldwork Describe your accomplishments on the job rather than job responsibilities.

in reverse chronological order starting with your most recent job (Year-present) and working backwards. Indicate only the year you started and the year you finished each job (no months). If you have had a lot of jobs, group some of the earlier jobs together, e.g. '1999 - 2000 various engineering positions'.

Use action words such as developed, planned and organized Anything showing evidence of employability and leadership skills such as teamworking, organizing, planning, persuading, negotiating etc.

Even work in a shop, bar or restaurant will involve working in a team, providing a quality service to customers, and dealing tactfully with complaints. Don't mention the routine, non-people tasks (cleaning the tables) unless you are applying for a casual summer job in a restaurant or similar.

Try to relate the skills to the job. A finance job will involve numeracy, analytical and problem solving skills so focus on these whereas for a marketing role you would place more emphasis on persuading and negotiating skills.

7) Skills. Enumerate professional licenses and certifications, computer skills (your software and hardware knowledge, e.g. "good working knowledge of MS Access and Excel, plus basic web page design skills", a clean driving licence, language skills (mention the level, aspect: basic, conversational, Upper Intermediate)

8) Professional memberships, affiliations, association memberships, volunteer work 9) Extracurricular activities (community involvement)

10) Interests. Avoid boring cliches like "socializing with friends", passive, solitary hobbies, show a broader range of interests especially those relevant to the job, traveling as it relates to the potential employment, mention hobbies which can help you to stand out from the crowd, which show you as an outgoing proactive individual.

11) References. Note that references are available upon request, but if necessary, indicate two referees: one academic (perhaps your tutor or a project supervisor) and one from an employer (perhaps your last part-time or summer job).

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

- clear simple fonts like TIMES NEW ROMAN (12), ARIAL, VERDANA (10) with high screen readability with larger sizes for subheadings and headings.

- one or two pages (academic and technical CVs may be longer: up to 4 or 5 sides).

- each page should be on a separate sheet of paper.

- place the most essential information in the upper middle of the first page;

- put your name in the footer area so that it appears on each sheet.

- careful and clear lay-out - neither too cramped nor with large empty spaces either.

- bold and italic typefaces for headings and important information

- never fold it

TIPS

  • Keep it short and to the point. It has to be informative but concise (no more than two sides of A4 paper). A CV is an appetizer and should not give the reader indigestion.

  • Target it on the specific job or career area for which you are applying for

  • Include the dates of your involvement for each activity you list. For ones that you are still engaged in, write "start date - Present."

  • Categorize the information. Use bullets to separate categories

  • Design it carefully and clearly

  • Avoid grammar and spelling errors. Show your attention to detail.

  • Don’t just use the usual hackneyed expressions: “I am an excellent communicator……

  • Choose a sensible email address, not something like sexylikewoaaaah@hotmilk.com

  • Be positive and confident

  • Be truthful but make sure you sell yourself!

 BUT: There are no strict rules: even if your CV is written backwards on pink polkadot paper and it gets you regular interviews, it's a good CV!

REFERENCES

How to write a successful CV. http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv.htm

How to write a resume as a graduate student. http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Resume-as-a-Graduate-Student

Writing a student / graduate CV. http://www.alec.co.uk/cvtips/writstcv.htm

Guidelines to writing a resume or CV in English. http://www.resume-in-english.ru/how_to_write_a_resume.htm

Coverletter format. http://jobsearch.about.com/od/coverlettersamples/a/coverformat.htm

ATTACHMENT 1 CV SAMPLE

ATTACHMENT 2. COVER LETTER FORMAT

Your Contact Information Name Address City, State, Zip Code Phone Number Email Address

Date

Employer Contact Information (if you have it) Name Title Company Address City, State, Zip Code

Salutation Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name, (leave out if you don't have a contact)

Body of Cover Letter The body of your cover letter lets the employer know what position you are applying for, why the employer should select you for an interview, and how you will follow-up.

First Paragraph The first paragraph of your letter should include information on why you are writing. Mention the position you are applying for and where you found the job listing. Include the name of a mutual contact, if you have one.

Middle Paragraph(s) The next section of your cover letter should describe what you have to offer the employer. Mention specifically how your qualifications match the job you are applying for. Remember, you are interpreting your resume, not repeating it.

Final Paragraph Conclude your cover letter by thanking the employer for considering you for the position. Include information on how you will follow-up.

Complimentary Close

Respectfully yours,

Signature

Handwritten Signature (for a mailed letter)

Typed Signature