Your CV, also known as your curriculum vitae or your resume, can make all the difference when it comes to whether or not you get the job that you are applying for. Therefore, you definitely want to take the time to work hard at producing a CV that reflects your education, experience, and skills in a way that really sets you apart from the other people who are in the job hunting market alongside you. With such competition out there these days, it is more important than ever before to have a curriculum vitae that employers will take note of, because they receive so many every day and with every application that it is easy for even good applicants to get lost amidst the crowd.
So what elements should be found in a really great CV anyway? Read on to learn more so that you can sit down and create the best CV that will jump start your career, help you find a better position than the one you’re in, assist you in gaining much-needed employment if you are unemployed, or will help you switch to a new, more exciting career that fulfills you.
1. Your Contact Information Front and Center
The first set of details about yourself that should be found on your curriculum vitae is your contact information, including your full name, address, phone numbers, and email. If you have a personal website that has something to do with your work, you may also want to include this here.
2. Your Educational Accomplishments
Your CV should list all of your levels of education, any educational accomplishments you have received, such as graduating at the top of your class or graduating with honors, as well as any special certifications or training courses you have completed over the years. If you achieved a very high grade point average, you may also want to include these details in this area of your curriculum vitae as well, but leave them out if you typically received poor grades instead.
3. Your Work History
Your work experience is one of the most important areas of your CV because this is where you can prove what a great worker you are, show how you have moved up in your career and advanced in various environments, and discuss any special accomplishments or awards you have received as a result of your hard work and dedication to an organisation and its cause.
When writing about your work history, be sure to use action verbs that really show you took initiative and achieved goals. You may want to discuss measurable objectives that were achieved under your supervision or as part of your daily working routine. Be sure to really focus in on those accomplishments and skills that make you a great candidate for the specific position you are now applying for.
4. Skills
Do you know a foreign language? Are you proficient in an art or in a computer program? Here is the part of the CV where you can discuss the skills that differentiate you from the competition.
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