Writing a CV (Curriculum Vitae)

This page has been broken down into two sections. The first section deals with applying for an academic position at an educational institution, or University, whereas the second section deals with applying for internships or Jobs with companies.

My advice when writing a CV is to make sure you don’t write too much. It is not very likely that at the ripe young university age you have accomplished so much as to necessitate a multi-page CV. Many people also make the mistake of writing unnecessary information, such as marital status, hobbies, or parents’ profession. When applying for an internship or a semester abroad, it is very likely that these things will not be a deciding factor in choosing you for the position. As is often the case, anything extra is exactly that, extra, so make sure you stay on target, and add only that which is necessary for your application.

Academic CV

The necessary details for writing a CV to send to a University are as follows:

Contact Information

Name
Address
Telephone
Cell Phone
Email

Personal Information

Date of Birth
Place of Birth
Citizenship

Education

 (Include date, Name of institution, City/State/Country of institution, Majors, Degrees, and certifications)

High School
University

Employment History

 (Include dates of jobs worked, name of company, position held, task description, any special projects completed. List in chronological order)

Skills and Qualifications

(List Computer skills, Languages spoken, Extra activities which could be of interest to the University, such as work on publications or membership in a student group)

Professional CV

The difference between a professional CV and a CV to be sent to an educational institute is that the Employment History comes before Education.

Contact Information

Name
Address
Telephone
Cell Phone
Email

Personal Information

Date of Birth
Place of Birth
Citizenship
Visa Status (optional, and if applicable)

Employment History

(Include dates of jobs worked, name of company, position held, task description, any special projects completed. List in chronological order)

Education

(Include date, Name of institution, City/State/Country of institution, Majors, Degrees, and certifications)

Skills and Qualifications

(List Computer skills, Languages spoken, Extra activities which could be of interest to the University, such as work on publications or membership in a student group)

Links

I have included a few links to sample CVs and sites which will help you put together your CV below. There is no one way to write a CV; what I have provided above is an attempt to help you generally understand what is to be added.

Ask.com

• Provides sample CVs and many variations on how to write them, and what is to be added in the various forms

CVtips.com

• Many sample CVs and templates in word format.<//span>

MSN

• 10 Ways to get your resume ignored