When applying to jobs, you may have run across Curriculum Vitaes – most commonly known as CVs. Some companies ask for CVs instead of resumes or either of them. A CV is similar to a resume in the sense that it provides information about your work experiences, academic accomplishments, certifications, skills, and etc. However, what makes CV different from resumes are the format and length. While resumes are typically only a page long, CVs are two pages long since it requires candidates to provide more information. Below are list of main points that CVs cover:
Personal Information
The personal information section should include your name and contact information (address, best number to reach you at, and email). Most importantly, include a photo of you. If you have a professional photo, place it on the top right hand corner of your CV.
Academic Background
For academic background, list all the academic accomplishments you’ve made including, majors, minors, thesis or dissertation titles, honors, and academic awards. You should also include any professional licenses and certifications you have.
Work Experiences
List all your work experiences starting with the most recent one to the oldest one. Keep your descriptions brief and in bullets like you would in a resume. Although CVs are longer than resumes, there are more sections in CVs that you need to cover.
Skills
Make sure you mention any specialized and technical skills you may have. If you know Photoshop, video editing, and etc., here is the place to list them.
Other Experience
If you have other work experiences that are related to your professional skills, mention them. This can include your own personal projects or experiences working at an event. As long as the experiences can show your skills and strengths, this is the ideal section to mention them.
Honors and Awards
If you received any professional awards or honors, list them here. Some awards may not be well known, so make sure to give a brief description.
Professional Development
If you’ve attended any workshops or conferences that aided you in your professional development, list them and give a brief description of what each event entailed.
Publications
Whether you’re applying for a press or not, any publication you’ve done should be listed here. This can include journal articles, magazine articles, personal portfolio, research articles, books, and many more.
Grants
Any grants you’ve received in the past – whether it was academic or professional – goes in this section.
Service
For those of you involved in a community or professional service organization, make sure you list the name of the organizations along with your roles.
Research Interests
Write down any research experiences in this section. Give a brief description of what that research project entailed and any accomplishments.
Foreign Languages
Include any foreign languages you speak and describe whether you have native fluency, professional fluency, or intermediate fluency.
References
List any references you may have. Usually, recruiters ask for the phone number and email address of the last three to four employers.
It is important to note that you do not need to fill out all the sections in the CV. For instance, not everyone would have publications or research projects to show. If this is the case, do not include the section in your CV.
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