How to Write a CV: Make the Perfect Curriculum Vitae in 2023

Call it as you may, but stepping into the job market or fetching an academic position is unfathomable without a CV. By the by, what exactly is a CV? How do you make it? Is it the same for every individual? What should be the format? All these questions are pop-up in our minds when we start preparing the CV. We want it to be perfect so we can get the dream job, for which we are applying. Many people get confused while writing a CV and resume, therefore, in order to resolve such confusion we have written this article as it will become a one-stop guide that will address all your questions and apprehensions about CV building.

A Brief Intro About CV

An abbreviation for Curriculum Vitae, it is a small handy document that summarizes your past educational and professional details. In addition to that, it specifies your skills, awards, honors, and experience. Since it’s the introductory document you must share with the hiring company, it must be good enough to create that ‘first impression.’

Resume vs CV

Potential employees’ most common dilemma is whether they should submit a Resume or a CV. To overcome the problem, one must know the dissimilarity between the two in the first place. 

Let’s quickly see a few points of difference:

• A resume is a shorter version of a CV, no longer than two pages (plus a page for publications in exceptional cases of academia).
• A resume is used when you are targeting a position in the public sector, industry, or an NPO, while a CV is more widely used for academic applications like fellowships and grants.
• Resumes are often competency-based as they emphasize skills and work experience, while a CV is credential-based that provides comprehensive academic, research, and other professional details.
• A resume can be tailored to bring out fresh skills, achievements, and experience to the light, while a CV remains more or less the same as educational details don’t change that frequently.

Choosing the Best CV Format

Largely three CV formats are used worldwide. Each has sections that may be juggled based on the job role you are applying for. Here’s how you can choose the best fit to support your application:

1. Chronological

One of the most widely used CV formats, this one focuses more on your academic and professional experience. If your work trajectory shows consistency and excellence within the same industry, then you must go for a chronological format.

An acceptable order would be contact information, academic history, professional experience, qualifications, skills, achievements, awards, certifications, and publications.

2. Functional

If you are a recent graduate and a prospective entrant in the job market, this will be your go-to format. The functional format allocates more information about your skills and achievements and comparatively lesser details about your professional experience. Moreover, this format is a good fit for even those who have had multiple career shifts.

An acceptable order would be as same as the “Chronological format” as it will provide a better outlook.

3. Combination

What if you were previously working in public policy, but now you want to move into academia? Use the combination format. It is essentially a concoction of chronological and functional formats. Moreover, it lets you have sufficient space for professional experience, education history, and skills.

There’s no exhaustive order list for this case. You can arrange the sections based on the relevancy of the position you are applying for.

How to Write a CV in 2023

Arranging the sections in proper order with careful formatting are the ingredients of a perfect Curriculum Vitae. Research says that a recruiter generally takes no more than 6 seconds to skim through a CV. So, let’s learn to write a CV that would catch the recruiter’s eye in no time.

1. Header with Contact Information

This section must include your details- full name, brief address, contact number, and email id. No fancy additions are required, just plain information.

Maria Jones

Birmingham, England
+44 345678
contactmj@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/maria-jones

2. Objective or CV Summary

This is precisely a 100-word or less description of how you can be the best fit for the role. It must highlight your skills, knowledge, and accomplishments in standard English. Avoid using slang in your description.

Sample description for an experienced copyeditor applying for an editorial post:

Determined and dynamic copyeditor with over six years of experience offering ample unique content for brochures, reports, reports, and magazines. Seeking to join Liberty Global as an Editor-in-Chief to curate creative media content that resonates with the global audience. 

Sample description for a fresh graduate applying for an entry-level role in Project Management:

A dedicated and reliable graduate seeking an entry-level position in Project Management. Can identify and pitch in innovative ideas for relevant problems. Well-versed in data analysis, looking to build a bright career.

3. Add Your Work Experience 

It’s time to add what you did in your previous job or, for that matter, internships, and traineeships. Don’t just go on adding the responsibilities in paragraphs. Instead, use bulleted points with a sentence that is no longer than 8-9 words. Most importantly, use action verbs such as ‘Researched,’ ‘Implemented,’ ‘Assisted,’ etc., depending on the nature of the work.

Assuming you are a media person, precisely a filmmaker:

Associate Filmmaker
Carnegie Media— May 2019- August 2022

• Directed and Produced Ad Films for ‘The Potter Series
• Produced ‘The Merry-Go-Round,’ a nomination in the Cannes Film Festival 
• Budgeted and planned film shoots in Chicago
• Conducted 10+ auditions for the supporting roles 
• Scouted and secured filming locations 

4. Include your Education History 

List your educational journey in a recent-occurrence order. If you have just graduated, add your degree title, name of the University/college, year of passing, and grades/GPA in a table format. You can also add the same details in double-line; however, the table format gives a more tidy and organized appearance.

Sample table of a recent postgraduate in Economics:

For job-seeking individuals, it is not recommended to squeeze in any more information, such as credits and coursework details, as it may clutter your document. However, if you are planning to step into an academic sphere, you may go ahead with some more relevant details.

5. Mention Your Skills, Certifications, and Interests 

We all have some special skills, and we must mention them in our CVs. If you are a fresh graduate, mention your soft skills, software utilities, projects you undertook, etc. On the other hand, for seasoned professionals, you can share industry awards, certifications, conferences attended, etc. Since the skill section is unique for every individual, you may proceed with it on your own.

6. Share Publications and Awards

This is the last section of your CV, and it must highlight the level of your excellence. Whether you are an industry serviceman or a professor, the end of your CV is solely about how much you have mastered your discipline. Mention the title of your publication followed by the name of the publishing domain and date under the ‘Publications’ section.

For example:

“An Inquiry into the Trade and Business: A Bizman’s Perspective.” Economics and Political Weekly. July 2022

On a Concluding Note

While curating a CV may sound easy, you will have to make countless drafts before finalizing the perfect one. However, we hope the tips above will be beneficial for you to create a stellar CV from scratch. All the best!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How do I assess if my CV is good? 

If you follow the tips order-wise, you may be able to curate a CV effortlessly. Moreover, there are plenty of CV Review Tools available online that may give you comprehensive feedback on the quality of your CV.

2. Can I use fancy templates to make my CV stand out?

We suggest that a simpler CV looks more appealing than the colored one. Nonetheless, if the nature of your job (graphic designer, artist, etc.) requires you to be fancy and colorful, you may curate one of you.

3. What font and font size is recommended for your Resume and CV?

While creating a CV or Resume, ‘Times New Roman’ with a font size ‘of 12’ must be your holy grail. ‘Arial’ may also do the job, but the former is a commonly accepted norm.

4. How can I format my CV for the ATS?

ATS or ‘Application Tracker System’ is a CV-scanning algorithm that helps filter the companies with the most suitable candidates. Since ATS emphasizes keywords from your CV, make sure you incorporate the keywords from the concerned job description. Sprinkle the keywords throughout the document, predominantly in sections like Work Experience and Skills.