How to write a CV? Writing a CV can be stressful, especially if you are writing it without help of writing service. It is a common observation that people put a lot of fonts and graphics in CV, and at the same time, they forget to place their photograph and email address, which leads the hiring manager to reject the job application right away. It’s like to write a speech about yourself which will make it easy to introduce you. If you are not sure about how to start, here we have given some basic rules and tips.
What is a CV?
Before we talk about the details of CV format, we should be familiar with what is a cv? In its full form, CV stands for curriculum vitae, and this is a Latin word. In Australia, Canada, and the United States, a CV I considered a piece of document that is used for academic purposes, and in other developed and underdeveloped states, it is equivalent to American resumes, which is used to apply for as many jobs as is possible for a person. In simple words, we can say that a cv is used to apply for jobs both offline and online. Some people create their digital CVs on LinkedIn, and the others generate its hard copies which are then submitted to companies where jobs remain available throughout the year.
Any differences between Resume and CV
How to write a good CV? It may not be possible for you to write a good cv if you do not know the difference between a CV and resume. If you are applying to a company based in Europe, then you should create an impressive CV, and if you are going to apply for a job in an American company, you should create a resume.
Format
How to write a CV example? The best and most common format of a cv is as follows:
- The header of a CV with contact details
- Personal information: objectives and summary
- Work experience
- Education or qualifications
- Skills
- Additional details
If you do not take care of this format, it will not be possible for you to land a job of desire. If you are a fresh graduate who wants to get an internship, then you might not be asked to submit an experience letter, meaning the CV is enough to be submitted. However, if you have completed graduation from a prestigious institution or have previous experience, then it becomes necessary for you to submit the CV along with experience letter and photocopies of certificates.
CV Typefaces
In the curriculum vitae for job, the core mistake people make is that they use fancy fonts. However, hiring managers mostly like Arial, Times New Roman, Helvetica, Tahoma, and Bookman Old Style. It means you do not need to use a font that is hardly readable or looks too fancy and disturbing. Instead, you should keep things simple and go with a font that is both simple and descent, giving your CV an impressive and professional look. Ideally, you can use 12 pt font size and type the text of your CV in single spacing. For the name section, you can go with 14 or 16 pt font size.
CV layout
What is curriculum vitae? It is essential to set one-inch margins for all the sides of your cv. You should keep the headings uniform and need to avoid using multiple sizes of fonts. For example, the size of the headings can be larger than the size of other text, and you can bold the headings or go for italics to make them look prominent. You should always keep the layout of the CV as simple and authentic as possible to ease the work of the hiring manager. At the same time, you should stick to a single format of date: November 2015 or 11-2015.
Minimalism in graphics
One of the major mistakes graduates make is that they use a lot of graphics in their CVs. The cv should be prepared on a plain, white page, and there should be no graphic at all. You should allow the recruiter to have some breathing room.
Without photo
A CV with no photo means nothing to the hiring manager. Thus, you should include your original photograph and place it on the top of the left side. If you are a religious person who does not want to include any photo, then you can leave this area blank and make sure no useless text is written over here.
Brevity the soul of wit
You should not be one of those people who stuck in the seventies or nineties and makes the CV look boring and odd. These days, recruiters or hiring managers give preference to candidates whose CVs are well-crafted and seem genuine. Once you are done with writing your CV, you should save it in the PDF form and ensure that the original layout remains the same. You should pay attention to the description of the job while typing the text on your cv.
List experience and achievements
It is important to list achievements and experience if any. Those who do not include their experience letters in the packet can list details in a CV itself, and this will help the hiring manager determine whether they are a good fit or not.
Add a Cover letter at the end
Last but not least, you should add an excellent cover letter at the end and do not forget to include your contact details for the hiring manager.
To sum up, your CV should have a simple format, and you should not include footnotes as these can confuse the hiring manager. Finally, you can attach a cover letter to the job application and double check if everything is done correctly and perfectly.
