Effectiv­e CV Writing Techniqu­es: Masterin­g the Job Market

Before I began to work at this paper I informed myself about curriculum vitae in general and what is important to write such a form. I read books about this subject and tried to inform myself with internet sources.

The curriculum vitae, also known as CV, is a detailed biographical description of one's educational and work background where a leader of a company can find out something about your personality and your working experiences. The literal translation of the term "curriculum vitae" is: The course of one's life or career. The origin of this term is Latin and such a form becomes enormous significance in the today's job market.

tting started

The process of writing a curriculum vitae can be an exhilarating experience because it generates a heightened degree of pride in your accomplishments as well as an increased awareness of your skills. Begin the process with enthusiasm and a desire to share information about yourself. If you approach this process with anxiety or uncertainty about its efficacy, writing a curriculum vitae will not be a pleasurable experience. It have to be said  that a curriculum vitae is not a resume because a CV is longer than a average resume and more detailed.

If you want to prepare a effective curriculum vitae you should answer a few questions before the beginning:

• Describe your feelings as you begin this process.

• List your strengths and the context in which you displayed each strength.

• It is essential that you confront any uneasiness, discomfort or negative feelings you have about your educational background and work experience. Write these feelings down and then set them aside. Do not dwell on them.

After you have thought about these three aids, the next stage in creating an effective curriculum vitae involves delineating your competencies and skills. Competencies are what a person can do well. They include all the things that a person has learned in her or his live during the education or working process in different categories:

• Accounting

• Communication

• Economics

• Humanities

• Language

• Mathematics

• Science

• Social Skills

Now that you have established your competences and skills, transfer them to working draft of your CV. This preliminary draft will reflect, in the broadest sense, the essence, structure, and components of your experiences as a graduate with credentials from institutions of higher education. Your CV will also include experiences that you have pursued after such study.

Preparing a CV

Now that you have established your competencies and skills, transfer them to a working draft of your curriculum vitae.

Major components of a CV

1.         Personal Data

It is important that you give your full name and moreover you should announce your address, telephone number and e-mail address. List also certain dates where you can be reached at other locations. Personal information such as date of birth and marital status can be also listed in your CV.

2.         Professional/Career

The next component of your CV is the professional or also known as career. It should contain your objectives and reasons why you are writing a curriculum vitae.

3.         Education

This characteristic is a very important one because it includes your academic background.

In this section you should indicate the following:

•    graduation dates

•    degrees and the dates they were received

•    diplomas

•    certificates

•    names of universities, colleges, professional schools or        other institutions you have attended

•    your majors and minors

In this characteristic it is important that you highlight significant achievements.

4. Coursework

This component should include the course titles of the courses you visited. List the grades you have received in some courses but do not introduce course numbers because they are irrelevant. Here it is important that you list all courses that support your career.

5.Honors and Awards

This characteristic describe all special recognitions you have received but do not list high school awards or achievements.

6. Thesis or Dissertation

Summarize your thesis or dissertation in a brief abstract. Name the full title and date of completion.

7. Research Interests

Be as specific and precise as possible regarding the description of your research interests.

8. Research or Laboratory Experience

Be sure to give the title of each project as well as information concerning it is actual or potential publication. You can also list the names and titles of professors.

9. Instrumentation Experience

If you have used standard instruments in laboratory like computer hardware, photographic or audio-visual equipment list it in your CV below that category and describe their use.

10. Specialized Skills

In this component you can describe in detail any interpersonal, leadership, organizational or analytical skills you have as well as their applications and the contexts in which you have used them.

11. Publications and Presentations

Here can be descriptions of presentation listed which should include title of the presentation, name of the organization, location and date. Yet generally classroom presentations would not listed here.

12. Work Experience

In this section all working experiences can be listed from internship and summer jobs until campus employment. Here can be given brief but detailed descriptions of your responsibilities.

For example:

Coach, Junior Soccer Teams, New York High School, New York, Summer 2000

13. Background

This characteristic includes for instance citizenship.

For example:

Dual Frenchman/Irishman citizenship with permanent residence in Great Britain. Past residence in Germany and Ireland. Fluent in French, conversant in German.

14. Community Service

In this component can be listed volunteer work, contributions to a community and membership on university-wide committees.

15. Co curricular Activities

This section includes campus programs and activities in which you have been an active participant, such as student government, athletics, academic and language clubs.

16. Interests

Here can you list avocations such as stamp collecting, soccer and music.

17. Travel

In the category Travel can be introduced international travels which are significant for your professional career but it do not include tourist holidays.

18. References and Letters of Recommendation

This component is the last one but for that reason not more irrelevant. Yet list only the names and titles of people you have asked to write a recommendation for you.

After this process it is important that the curriculum vitae is not only informative but also grammatically correct and it is helpful if the CV looks aesthetically. The use of a computer is suggested to create a CV whereas CVs printed on laser printers look the best.

Different types of CVs

There are five different types in CV writing and each type is adequate for different situations.

The chronological CV

This kind of CV shows your job progression and evolvement. It is easy to read and if these categories apply with you it is the correct form for your curriculum vitae.

The chronological CV is advised where:

• You have a solid career history with continuation within the same area and where there are no major

• Your responsibilities have increased in each career change.

• You had high profile job rules.

• Your most recent jobs are the most important in your career history.

• The job advert specifies this kind of CV.

Targeted CV

This kind of CV concentrate on a particular objective.

A targeted CV is written in a way that highlights skills, qualifications and experience that match the requirements of the advertised position. Writing a targeted curriculum vitae is effective when:

• You know the requirements of a particular position

• You know which company you will be sending your CV to

• You are sending your CV in reply to a specific job advert

• You need to compose different CVs each corresponding to a different career objective

Combination CV

The combination CV is a combination of the chronological type and the functional type. This type starts with a description of your achievements and skills.

This CV format is welcomed by recruiters.

You should consider using it when:

• You have a good, sound employment history.

• A chronological CV is required for the position you are applying for.

• You have a strong career history but want to immediately show you have the right skills for the job.

The inventory CV

The inventory curriculum vitae is used when you send your CV to various recruiters or when you not have a exact employment destination.

This kind of CV is a more general overview of your skills, achievements and qualifications. A general objective or career strategy behind an inventory CV helps in being slightly more specific towards your career goals.

General career goals can be:

• "a secretary working with a local company"

• "a computer programmer"

• "a sales person"

Having a general career objective in mind can help you focus on those particular skills, abilities and experience required for the job. Your CV should show that you are competent by demonstrating your relevant previous experience and qualifications. If you are unemployed or desperate to switch jobs, the inventory CV is a good time saver. You can write a custom cover letter for each job you apply for and you can send the same CV to all recruiters. If you are interested in several careers write several inventory CVs each for a particular career goal."

The functional CV

The functional CV emphasises your accomplishments, skills and qualifications at the beginning of your CV. The timeline is not an issue. Your career history is positioned at the end of your CV where you could also list small details about your previous jobs. The functional CV focuses on your skills and accomplishments rather than your life history. What you have done rather than when and where.

Employers are not happy with such CVs as they are often an indication that a candidate is trying to hide a gap or defect in his career history.

The functional CV is used in the following situations

• You are looking for your first job

• You do not want to advertise your age

• Your major achievements happened a few years ago

• You have been unemployed for a period of time

• You are changing careers "

It is important to find the correct type of a curriculum vitae before you begin to write but the content of your CV and how your CV is presented is more important. A CV should be well organized and should include relevant information. It should also support your professional and academic objective but the most important is that a curriculum vitae should show you as the ideal candidate and indispensable for a company.

Conclusion

In this paper I have tried give a short insight about Curriculum vitae in general and how to prepare such a form. I tried to give a survey about what is important to write a curriculum vitae, how you should start and that there are many components which are very important for a curriculum vitae. The reason why I decided to write about this subject and why I spend so much time on this paper is that I wanted to give interested people a key to better understanding how to prepare a curriculum vitae and what you should not forget to bring in.

In conclusion, it may be said that a CV have a enormous significance in the today's job market and its important that you deal with this topic. I am fully aware that I have not been able to discuss all aspects that are relevant for this topic. Above all the topic how to prepare a curriculum vitae would require further attention and might be interesting do deal with in future study.