Curriculum vitae is Latin for ‘course of life and is a complete record of a person’s career, training, education, and qualifications.
A curriculum vitae, commonly shortened to a CV, enables you to state your skills to potential employers. Employers use it to help determine a shortlist of candidates for a vacant position. Therefore, a CV should contain all the relevant information that an employer wants. Typically, CVs are 1-2 pages long.
What should I include in a CV?
A CV typically contains the following:
- Contact details – name, address, email, telephone number
- List of skills or a personal statement – lets the employer know a little more about you and what you could bring to the job
- Employment history – include some achievements that may be relevant to the job you are applying for
- Education History
- Additional training/qualifications – any training courses you have attended or completed
- References – you don’t have to include the details of your references in your CV; you can say that these are ‘available upon request.’
It would help if you also accounted for any gaps in your employment or education history; for example, you may have been traveling or not working for some time. You could also include the following:
- Hobbies/interests – to help show employers some of the things you are passionate about
Here are some things to remember
Do:
- Use a professional font
- Use section headings to make your CV clear and easy to read
- List most recent job roles/achievements first and work backward chronologically (include dates to make this clear)
- Keep it concise
- Use bullet points as they are easy to read
What is a cover letter?
When applying for a job, some employers ask you to send a cover letter with your CV. This formal document explains what job role you are using for, why you are applying, and why you think you would be a good fit.
