Curriculum Vitae

(CV)

• This course should help you to create your CV the best you can make it.

• This time and this place.

• Good luck!

Foreword for this course

I. Definition

CV stands for curriculum vitae - a Latin expression meaning 'life story'.

(In American English it is called a resume.)

It summarizes your education, achievements and job history for prospective employers and so

it should be carefully prepared.

A CV is usually sent with a covering letter.

•

CV or Curriculum Vitae covers:

Your Life History Your Job History

Your Achievements Your Skills

A CV or curriculum vitae is a marketing tool. With your CV you will be able to

promote yourself.

Tips:

• When writing a CV look at it from your employer’s point of view. Would you stand out against the competition (the other candidates) and would the manager want to talk to you for a possible job? You have to ask yourself these questions when writing your CV.

• CV will be your first contact with potential employers and will open the door. If you are invited for an interview you would then be in a position to explain and expand on what is in your CV.

• A CV is an essential tool in your job search.

Vocabulary

• Here is a list of suitable vocabulary that should help you to smoothly slide through the course.

• After you have studied it, test yourself to check your knowledge.

Key vocabulary

Advertisement a public promotion of some product or service Background the whole of one´s education, training and experience

Career the course of one´s (professional) life

Challenge a difficult or demandng task that preceeds special effort

Date of birth the day on which one was born, usually as day/month/year

Education training and instruction at school, university etc

Experience jobs held,including dates, posts, work history-professional experience

Interest activity ouside work in which one is interseted or concerned

Job objective the kind of work or challenge that one is looking for

Job vacancy a job position waiting for a new employee

Qualifications the education and experience that make one suitable for a particular job

Skill an ability, epertness or aptitude ina particular activity

Short list list of suitable candidates for a job

Training the process of learning a paticular skill

Use suitable words to complete this description

How a company fills a job vacancy

The company usually advertises the j………. v………. in a newspaper. The a.................... usually gives the j………………. t…………….. and a description of the j……………….. r………………. It sometimes gives the s………………. and describes the w……………….. c……………….. And career prospects as well. The applicant usually sends in a letter of a………………… and a c……………….. v……………….. or CV, which gives p……………….. d……………….. and lists qualifications and e…………………. The company then makes a s………………… l……………… of the most suitable candidates and invites them for an i………………. The company then chooses the best c……………….. and makes an appointment.

• Answers for Lukáš:Job vacancyAdvertismentJob titleJob requirementsSalaryWorking conditionsApplicationCurriculum vitaePersonal detailsExperienceShort listInterviewcandidates

CV Structure

II. CV Structure

Tips:

• Your CV must be as good as you can make it.

• Your CV must be easy to read, short and attractive

• Keep it simple.

Chronological CV

• The most common CV is chronological CV which is named thus as it details your career history most commonlyin reverse chronological order with the most recent employment detailed first and working backwards.

• A complete record of career history is detailed along with a complete education record.

• It is the most frequently used CV and is usually 2 sides of A4 in length/ Resume 1side A4 size

II.1 CV Heading

In CV heading you can write your general information:• Name • Surname • Local address • E-mail address • Phone number• Nationality• Date of birth (if relevant)• Gender (if relevant) • ICQ, Your own web page (if it’s good)

• For further information see Europass next slide.

The Europass

• is a system that was introduced as a means of standardising the format for recording skills/qualifications and experience so that they are understood in Europe and candidate countries.

• It was officially launched 31st January 2005 in Luxembourg.

Europass CV

Page 1 - Curriculum vitae of

Surname(s) First name(s)

For more information go to http://europass.cedefop.eu.int

© European Communities, 2003

Europass curriculum vitae

Insert photograph. Remove heading if not relevant (see instructions)

Personal information

Surname(s) / First name(s) Surname(s) First name(s) Address(es) House number, street name, postcode, city, country

Telephone(s) (remove if not relevant, see instructions) Mobile: (remove if not relevant, see instructions)

Fax(es) (remove if not relevant, see instructions) E-mail(s) (remove if not relevant, see instructions)

Nationality(-ies) (remove if not relevant, see instructions)

Date of birth (remove if not relevant, see instructions)

Gender (remove if not relevant, see instructions)

Desired employment / Occupational field

(remove if not relevant, see instructions)

Work experience

Dates Add separate entries for each relevant post occupied, starting from the most recent. (remove if not relevant, see instructions)

Occupation or position held

Main activities and responsibilities

Name and address of employer

Type of business or sector

Education and training

Dates Add separate entries for each relevant course you have completed, starting from the most recent. (remove if not relevant, see instructions)

Title of qualification awarded

Principal subjects/Occupational skills covered

Name and type of organisation providing education and training

Level in national or international classification

(remove if not relevant, see instructions)

II.2 CV Skills Summary

• The Skills Summary section of your CV includes your main skills.

• You should only include keywords in his section, do not go into lengthy descriptions of your skills.

• The skill summary is also called personal profile.

• Mention your ability in other languages, computing experience, or possession of a driving licence

II.3 CV Objective

• The CV Objective, sometimes also referred to as CV Personal Profile states:

"What is my next step in my career?„ This should be a short, concise statement that informs the

employer what kind of position you are looking for. The type of position, the role (managerial, supervisor, contractor) should be included as well.

• You can highlight achievements in specific area, the CV would be tuned to that particular in terms of job descriptions and achievements.

Personal Profile Builder

• It is highly recommended that a CV includes a Personal Profile.

• This describes you as a professional and a person.

• Your Personal Profile should only be three sentences:The first - should describe who you areThe second - should present a summary of

your skills and experience The final - should explain your personal

career target.……practice next slide

Who you are

• Highly skilled• Highly motivated• Knowledgeable• Reliable• Creative• Hardworking• Versatile• Flexible ____________with____years of experience in___________

• Competent• Enthusiastic• Effective• Qualified• Adaptable• energetic

What you can do

• Specific• Wide/rangingexpertise in _____________________

• Responsible for________________________________

• Proven ability in ________________________________

• Excellent___________________________ skills

What you want (career target)

• Looking for a position in__________________________

• Seeking an opportunity in_________________________

• Seeking to continue career as_____________________

• Objective is to develop a career in/as_______________

Action words and phrases Here is a list of action/positive/achieving words

that could help to project a positive image of yourself

achieved created improved proficient

administered designed initiated profitable

analyzed developed lead qualified

built directing managed resourceful

capable efficient monitored specialized

competent established organized successful

communicated expanded participated supervised

consistent experienced positive trained

controlled guided processed versatile

coordinated implemented produced willing

Profile/Summary

• Now it’s time for you to write your Personal Profile.

• ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

II.4 Education on your CV

Education on your CV

• List all your qualifications in this section.• Include all of your education including certifications from

non-academic institutions, especially those that are related to this job vacancy.

• If you have more work experience than qualifications, put your work experience before your qualifications.

• Give places of education where you have studied - most recent education first.

• Include subject options taken in each year of your course. Include any special project, thesis, or dissertation work.

Tips

• Normally put Professional Experience before Education. If you have very little employment history, then Education can come first

• Start with the most recent job/course (reverse chronological order)

• For names of universities, courses, etc. use a mix of the original and English words. Provide a translation if necessary in brackets

• When referring to marks and grades, translate into %. The reader might not understand the marking system in your country

Examples 

Y OUR NAME

222 FIRST ST REET, CALG ARY , T3A- 3Y 5 PHONE (403) 000- 0000 • E- MA IL ME@HO ME.CO M

OBJECTIVE [ Type Objective Here ]

EDUCATION

200x - 200x [ School/ Organization Name ] [ City, Province ] [ Diploma/ Certificate/ Degree/ Major ] [ Details of education completed. ]

200x - 200x [ School/ Organization Name ] [ City, Province ] [ Diploma/ Certificate/ Degree/ Major ] [ Details of education completed. ]

WORK EXPERIENCE

200x - 200x [ Company/ Organization Name ] [ City, Province ] [ Job Title ] [ Details of position. ]

200x - 200x [ Company/ Organization Name ] [ City, Province ] [ Job Title ] [ Details of position. ]

200x - 200x [ Company/ Organization Name ] [ City, Province ] [ Job Title ] [ Details of position. ]

SKILLS [ Click here and enter information. ]

REFERENCES References and letters of recommendation available on request.

Maria Doe 123 Main Street

Fairfax, Virginia 22222 (703) 555-5555

Education:

o Praha 5 Gymnasium, 1990-1992 o J .E.B. Stuart Transitional High School 2003- present

Experience:

o Cashier, McDonalds, 1993-1995. Took customer orders, handled customer complaints, mopped floors.

o Nanny, McDaniels family, 1995-1998 Took care of three children, ages 1 to 7, prepared lunch and dinner, drove children to school, organized children’s activities.

o Nanny, Smith family, 2001-2004 Takes care of twins babies, prepares meals and feeds children, cleans and organizes house, takes children to activities like music class.

References:

o J ose Mendez, McDonald’s Manager. 703-111-1111. o J ane McDaniels, employer. 571-555-5555. o Nancy Smith, employer. 301-555-5555.

Note: This is a suggested template – not a required template. You may want to restructure the format, add or delete categories and otherwise make changes that will result in a more accurate description of your background and goals. Make sure you provide necessary information for someone to contact you (e-mail, address, telephone number … etc). Please keep the resume to two pages or less.

YOUR NAME HEREAREA OF INTEREST: Structural, Geotech… CAMPUS ADDRESS: 17 Gold Nugget Dr. Worcester, MA 01601 508 450-5555 name@wpi.edu

PERMANENT ADDRESS:

74 Heineken Cr. Chicago, IL 01609

508 867-5309 e-mail address

OBJECTIVE: To obtain an entry-level position in Civil Engineering with a focus on environmental/structural … etc engineering. Primary areas of interest include ….. EDUCATION: Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, (date) Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts PROJECT EXPERIENCE:

• Interactive Qualifying Project: “title of iqp” (one or two sentence description or a.pdf file reference that is available on-line)

• Major Qualifying Project: “title of mqp" (same) BACKGROUND COURSES INCLUDE: (ADD/REMOVE) Analytical Mechanics I Surveying Environmental Engineering Analytical Mechanics II AutoCAD Water Treatment Highway Engineering & Planning Materials of Construction Wastewater Treatment Construction Project Management Thermodynamics Hydraulics Architectural Engineering Systems Intro to Analysis and Design Fluid Mechanics Urban & Environmental Planning

EMPLOYMENT: list employment and dates (start with most recent) Ex: ABC Corporation, Worcester MA May 2002-May 2003 Performed, managed, etc….. COMPUTER SKILLS: AUTOCAD, MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Primavera, …

2.5 Professional or Work Experience

Professional or Work Experience

• This section includes any work experience that you have in the field you are applying for. Even if the post was unpaid, voluntary, summer job, internship, co-op experience or extracurricular activity. When listing these work experiences include what kind of job was it (internship/full time/ part time etc).

• Each job detail should include this basic information :

• Title of position • Length you held the post • Responsibilities • Name of organization.

• Include also languages (spoken/written/understood). Computer Skills (include title of software package and proficiency level), Research Skills and other skills that are not in the rest of your CV.

Tips for graduates

• University graduates can still think of ‚experiences‘ with ‚achievements‘ for example:– Voluntary work, organizing events, teaching

and helping people, creating things

Jack Doe 90 WoodAvenue, Apartment #23

TeacherHill, MA 01832 978-212-64447

e-mail: jackdoe@yahoo.com

Career Objective A full-time position in Sales where I can demonstrate my technical and business skills and contribute to the company

Summary of Qualifications MBA Application Support Chemical Engineering Professional Engineer (P.E.) P&L Responsibility OEM Sales Product Marketing Contract Negotiations Account Management Project Management Quality Control Business Development Compound Semiconductor Wastewater Treatment Pre and Post Sales Support

Achievements BOC Group Stock-Option Award for Outstanding Performance

One of a dozen employees selected out of 45,000 employees worldwide to receive this award

2002

Best Sales Specialist Award – BOC Edwards 1999 Professional Engineer (P.E.) 1997 Fellowship and Research Assistantship Awards

University of New Hampshire 1990-1992

Two Technical Publications 1996 and 1999

Professional Experience Managed all technical and commercial aspects of a five-year, $8 million, IBM 300mm contract. Developed sales’ tools and grew eastern region’s sales from $1M in 1999 to $6M in 2003. Championed a new product-line (Zenith) for MOCVD application and sold the first six systems,

$250K/system, in USA. Performed day-to-day product sales, marketing, and service activities. Provided technical and application support to Compound Semiconductor, MEMS, Automobile,

Nano-technology and several high-tech industries. Identified and developed a new market for vacuum and abatement products – Compound

Semiconductor. Supervised and managed quality assurance of $27M equipment decontamination at a Superfund site.

Candidate’s Name (Don’t change font size) Street address, City, State, Zip (Don’t change font size) username@u.washington.edu | http://website address (206) 123-5678 | (206)321-4345 (fax) optional

EDUCATION (this is regular caps; don’t deviate from this preset font size and style)

June 2003 UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON Seattle, WA Candidate for Master of Business Administration, concentration listing

Activities such as clubs. Format Officer title, Club name; Club name Certificate programs listed Additional activities, awards, honors

May 1996 UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTION City, State abbrev 2 letters Bachelor degree description, concentrations

Achievements, honors Thesis, study-abroad program, etc. Keep this section concise.

EXPERIENCE

2000-Present COMPANY NAME, INC. (THIS IS SMALL CAPS STYLE) City1, Country1/City2, State abbrev 2 Title, Division or Subsidiary if applicable

An optional line describing company’s business, to help recruiter contextualize bullet points. Each bullet should describe responsibilities and achievement. Can use multiple phrases. Each bullet

should be 1-3 lines long. Group responsibilities and activities logically to the reader List bullets in the order starting with one that broadly describes your job from the 10,000 feet level. Proceed with additional bullets that drill down to key responsibilities, describing the activities with action

verbs, using little passive tense (is, are, there is, were accomplished). Try to include numbers to quantify your achievement

Line spacing between each employer listing is 5 point.

1999-2000 COMPANY NAME 2 CORPORATION (for this position if different from other position) City, State abbrev Title 1, Division 1 or subsidiary1 if applicable City, State abbrev

Apply same principles for developing bullets as mentioned earlier. A note about formatting bullets. If you lose the formatting of a line, don’t replicate it manually. The trick

is to go to a line where the formatting is ok, select some text, hit the yellow paint brush button on the task bar.

Then go to the messed up line and place the cursor somewhere in that line. The new format should copy over.

1996-1999 Title 2, Division 2 or subsid 2 if applicabl (For this position if different from other position) City, State abbrev Text of the body is all set at 11 point font. If you really need more space, lower to 10.5. Minimum is 10pt.

Leave the category (Educ, Exp, Skills and activ) and contact info at the preset size. Character spacing is condensed at 0.2point. To manipulate character spacing, select the desired text, and

go to Format > Font > Character Spacing. Drop down and pick ‘condense” and reduce it by 0.2. You can play around and see what you get.

1996-1999 SOMETHING INSTITUTE City, State abbrev Title, Division or subsidiary

As the position becomes less recent, you might have fewer bullets for the position. You might condense what were 3 bullets into one. The assumption is that over time you have advanced in your career, and the interesting content is at the more recent positions.

SKILLS AND ACTIVITIES

Group like items together. Maybe one line for special computer skills, licenses, languages Lump personal hobbies or activities into 1 line. Don’t make it too long. Remember, this is a resume.

Top and bottom margins at 0.7”. Left and right at 0.75”.

You can decrease size to 10.5 or 10. 11 is ideal. But be consistent through the resume.

You can decrease size to 10.5 or 10. Ideal is 11. But be consistent through the resume.

You can decrease size to 10.5 or 10. 11 is ideal. But be consistent through the resume.

2.6 The Activities and Interests Section

• Any activities that you do in your free time, can be related to your job. • If you worked in the school paper

it shows initiative and you are willing to make sacrifices in order to further your career.

• Participating in student activities, professional associations or enthusiast clubs shows leader ship qualities.

• Leave out any activities related to politics religion or controversial topics. alienating the reader.

• Include activities where you have leadership or responsibility, or which involve you in relating to others in a team. A one-person interest, such as stamp-collecting, may be of less interest to them, unless it connects with the work you wish to do.

2.7 CV References Available Upon Request

• A resume reference is some one who can verify your credentials and all or part of the information you have written in your resume. References are usually contacted in the last stages of the job selection procedure. Probably after the candidate has attended the first interview.

• You have to know your references well and be sure that they can give a good feedback, to anybody asking questions about your past.

• Usually give two names - one from your place of study, and one from any work situation you have had.

• Ask people if they are willing to serve as references before you give

their names to a potential employer.

3. Tips for Freshers (tips for you)

• What to do when you are a fresher?

• A fresher is a fresh graduate by definition.• What should you do if you are a fresher who will

compete for regular jobs where other more experienced people will apply?

• Follow up……

• Do not be intimidated about the competition.

• Apply highlighting your academic records (if it is good), your personal traits (for example extremely friendly, deadline oriented, a good organizer, a born leader, computer literate etc.) which best match with those required for the job

Mention specific courses or training programs

which you might have attended and which might give you a good edge over those who have only the required qualification and work experience.

• Relate the achievements in such a way that it should show you as a theoretical expert in certain angles

• You might also mention in your CV that you are self-taught person in terms of the latest technological trends and techniques

• for example you can learn basic programming, software engineering and design and web designing (among million other such skills) by yourself with the help of the Internet and good book supplements.

• Be prepared to be asked in detail question at the interview though - so be careful that you write only what you really know well

• Highlight the fact that you are young, rearing to go and ready to work hard to prove yourself

• Many employers love the enthusiasm of the young and the go-go approach which is very good for the company

• Highlight the fact that you are a fast learner and that you are looking forward to start your career in an established and famous company such as X (the company you are applying for), and an excellent learning experience

• Offer to get additional training (naming the exact courses with their duration) if the job entails it without any interference to the job deliverables.

• Overall ensure that you project:

• a positive attitude towards the application for the job • a hard-working nature, ready and willing to upgrade and work hard for it • a desire to be part of a leader in the industry (if not chose one of the best

attributes of the company and mention that)

• a desire to start your career with one of the best in the market

• willingness to learn, and to work hard towards the company's goals

• high expectation and sincere wish to meet the interviewer for a further assessment of the fit to the job

• your skills set presented in the school and college are the promise of a good match for the job requirements

• have two good references who could back you up word for word in case it is necessary

Optional extras

– It can be good to start with a Personal Profile/Objective statement.

This is a two or three sentence overview of your skills, qualities, hopes, and plans. It should encourage the employer to read the rest.

– You could add a photo of yourself - either scanned in by computer, or stuck on. But make sure it is a good one. Get a friend (or a working photographer) to take a good portrait. The pictures that come out from automatic photo-machines do not show you at your best!

CV Examples

• Here is a list of several examples of CVs, the examples are all in Microsoft Word format :

• Example CV 1 Clean and Simple Example CV 2 Example CV with a border around the pageExample CV 3 Education, Reference and experience section onlyExample CV 4 Page BorderExample CV 5 Professional, Functional Cv SampleExample CV 6 Functional CV focus on qualifications and skillsExample CV 7 CV template with detailed sectionsExample CV 8 CV with example info. and instructionsExample CV 9 Cv template with suggestions and tips embeddedExample CV 10 CV template with shading in headingsExample CV 11 CV Example with detailed instructions and tips embeddedExample CV 12 Nice page borderExample CV 13 Professional Academic CVExample CV 14 Clean shaded titles with emphasis on skills CVExample CV 15 Small font CVExample CV 16 Professional CVExample CV 17 Right Aligned CV

Quick test

• 1. What areas should a good CV cover?• ………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………

• Answer: Life history, Job history,Achievement, Skills

• 2. What information concerning Education or Proffessional Experience section comes first?

• …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………A: The most recent

• 3. How many sentences should a Personal Profile cover?

• …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………A: three: a)who you are, b) summary of your skills, c)personal career target

• 4) What is Europass:• ………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………….A: standardized CV format

• 5) Name four details that should be given describing any job experience:

• ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

• A:a)title of position, b)length you held the post, c) responsibilities, d)name of organization

• 6) What should be left out in Interest section?• ………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………• A: anything related to politics, religion or

controversial topic

• 7) Who is a Fresher?• ………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………….A: fresh graduate

• 8) Write three descriptions that might help you to promote yourself:

• ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

• A: extremely friendly, born leader, computer literate, self-taught person, young, enthusiastic