What Is A Curriculum Vitae And How To Write One?

In case you’ve just graduated from a college or university, you must be looking for a job opportunity, all motivated and pumped up to give your best. However, there is one thing you might be clueless about, and that is creating an ideal curriculum vitae. If so, there is nothing to worry about because we have made this comprehensive article, which will help you prepare the perfect CV all by yourself. No! You didn’t read it wrong. After researching correctly and getting help from multiple parties, we’ve put together this excellent guide for all those who have no idea about what goes into creating the perfect CV. Let’s start!

What A CV Actually Is?

A curriculum vitae or CV is a brief summary of a person's qualification and career if described in easy words. It is a paper used that strengthens you to showcase your qualifications, skill set, and expertise when you’re applying for employment, allowing you to showcase your skills to your targeted companies strongly. Alongside your CV, the company management also asks for a cover letter usually. CVs are correlated with résumés in countries like the USA and Canada, which tend to be briefer and do not follow any specific formatting rules.

What Is The Ideal Length For A CV?

A normal, well-written CV should not be lengthier than two sides of an A4 paper. There is, however, no hard and fast rule and the length may vary depending on the qualifications or experience. To explain in easy words, a school pass out or a fresh bachelor with little experience may be able to put all his qualifications and skills on one side of A4. In comparison, a three-page CV might be required for high-level professionals or people with more experience. As an example, if you’re a professional in academics or pharmaceuticals, your CV may be lengthier depending on your qualifications. So while it’s vital to keep your CV brief, it should also explain your capabilities thoroughly.

What Should A Good CV Contain?

There are some important details that you must mention in a CV. Here is a list:

Personal Details:

Every Curriculum Vitae writer should start a CV by mentioning his full name, residential address, contact details, including phone number and email ID. Usually, the date of birth is not required, unless you’re applying for a job that’s specific for a certain age group. 

Goals and Achievements:

An ideal Curriculum Vitae tells the employer about your key characteristics to provide you with an edge over your contenders. For this reason, you should start your CV by emphasizing your actual achievements and experiences, while telling thoroughly about your career goals. Your CV should highlight your skills and expertise relevant to the company’s demands since the cover letter has to be job-specific. This section in your CV should be concise, brief, and captivating. A hundred words might be perfect.

Academic Qualifications:

In the area of academic qualifications, you should mention all qualifications, including primary education, expert qualifications, diplomas, training programs, etc. First, you should mention your recent degrees, including dates and the grades/divisions. Specific modules should be mentioned only where necessary.

Professional Expertise:

In this area, you’ll have to mention your professional experience, which is one of the most important things to include. It’s crucial to ensure that everything you write in this section is relevant to the job you’re applying for. For instance, if you’re applying for a job in the management sector, you should only mention your previous experiences that are related to management. Mention the company’s name, your position’s title, the period of your service, and your duties. If the experience is abundant, it should be mentioned before education.

Accomplishments and Capabilities:

In the section of skills and accomplishments, you should tell the employer about your capabilities and talents such as the IT tools you can use efficiently, your fundamental skills that can be beneficial for that particular job, etc. It's clever that you don’t overestimate your abilities while keeping them interesting since you’ll be required to prove them in the future if you get hired. If you have loads of job-specific skills, a skill-based CV is recommended for you.

Interests and Hobbies:

Although your interests and hobbies aren’t going to captivate the employer's attention, they surely can help them form a complete image of you. It can also provide you with a subject to discuss at the interview. E.g., if you’re applying for a proofreader’s job, you should mention reading as your interest. This will support your CV, as reading is something that shows that you will be actually interested in the job role.

To Wrap Up:

That’s all you need to know for creating an ideal CV. We hope you found this guide helpful, and it helped you understand what to do and not do when writing a CV. Still, if you find it confusing, you can seek our professional CV services in the USA. If you still have any doubts, you can contact us through our website or mention them in the comment box. We will answer your queries as quickly as possible.