- 1). Provide basic information. Although there is room for variation in a CV in order to suit different professions, certain aspects stay the same no matter what your field. Lead out with your name, contact information, and educational background. List your education in reverse chronological order, so that the most recently completed education appears at the top of the list.
- 2). Choose headings that fit your professional experience. "Writing the Curriculum Vitae" handout from Purdue University explains that "there is not one standard format ... a good CV is one that emphasizes the points that are considered to be the most important in your discipline." A professional looking for a teaching job could use headings such as Teaching Experience, Publications, Honors and Awards, and Speaking Experience. A professional in a research field might use headings such as Research Experience, Technical Skills, Professional Papers, and Awards. If you are new to your field and don't have a long collection of entries for your CV, choose headings which are more general, such as Work Experience and Writing.
- 3). Show off, just do it accurately. A CV is the right place to brag about the awards, honors, and other accolades you might have received, as long as they relate to your professional work. A CV is not the place to brag about an award you got for yodeling or the size of the trophy fish hanging on the wall. Stick to your professional life. Include skills that could be used in a professional setting, even if they are not directly related. For example, if you speak three languages but you're going into a research field, don't discount your language skills. Put them on your CV under an Additional Skills or Additional Information heading.
- 4). Use active voice and appropriate verb tense to describe your work experience. For all jobs or work responsibilities that have ended, use past tense verbs to describe what you did. For example, "taught classes; developed and published curriculum; coordinated field trips; promoted after-school activities; initiated grant program for underprivileged students," would describe a job that has ended. Use present tense verbs to describe a job or work you still do: "teaching classes; developing and publishing curriculum; coordinating field trips; promoting after-school activities; initiating and managing grant program for underprivileged students."
- 5). Keep your format consistent. Use one font throughout your CV. Skip any graphics, cutesy fonts, highlighting, colored text, or other page decorations. You want the end result to be crisp, streamlined, and professional. What makes a CV fantastic is not the style but the content; you want the style to promote the content—your professional achievements—rather than distract from it. Use reverse chronological order for each list of entries, as divided by heading.
- 6). Include a list of references with contact information at the bottom of your CV. Your references should be professional contacts, not personal ones. They should be well acquainted with your work. The more well known a person is in your field, the more weight they will hold as a reference on your CV. Also, as a courtesy and so that your references can be well prepared, keep them up to date: Send each reference a current copy of your CV, let them know what you're doing professionally, and let them know when you send out your CV so they know to expect a call.
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