Whether you decide it’s time to quit your current job and move on with your career life to greater heights or you are a fresh school graduate and you need a job, curriculum vitae will be a document you can’t do without.
I always explain to people that a curriculum vitae, also popularly called a résumé or CV, is a document that contains a brief account of your educational history, past work experiences, and acquired skills. It is not supposed to contain long stories about your life, but rather, it is supposed to simply be a written summary of your career life.
3 Types of Curriculum Vitae
You might have been applying for jobs but you discover that you have not been able to get any positive response from the interviewers. The truth is that in most cases it’s not always that your CV was not read. It could be that you sent the wrong type of curriculum vitae, so to avoid this nightmare scenario happening again, it is best you know the types of CV. These are three main types of curriculum vitae (CVs). They are:
- The chronological CV: This type of CV gives you better chances of getting hired by a potential employer, all in one view. When interviewing candidates, I always prefer this type of CV from candidates because I can immediately detect how your career has progressed in date order.
- The functional CV: Unlike the chronological CV, the functional CV mainly highlights your skills rather than how your career has progressed in date order.
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The combined CV: This is a combination of both the chronological and functional CVs.
How to properly structure a CV
I must confess to you that your CV is also part of your interview. So, you will do yourself real good, if you layout and structure your CV properly. All you need is minimum knowledge of writing software needed such as Google Docs or Microsoft Word. When I draft my CV, this is the layout I use and it has always worked for me. So guess what? Structure your CV in this manner:
1. Heading
For God’s sake please never start a CV by typing CV at the top of the document, but rather you should start with your Surname, First Name, and Middle Name and it should be boldly written.
After your name comes your address. Though still at the heading, it should not be as bold as your name. Please make sure you state your address clearly and it should be easy to comprehend. Now, below your address, write your contact details such as your phone number and email address. If you have a LinkedIn account, I will advise you to also write it. It can come either beside or below your contact details.
2. Body
I usually start this section of the CV with a professional summary. All you have to do is summarise your previous work experiences in a three to four-line manner. After you have written your Professional Summary, it is time for Personal Data. Here you are to showcase information like date of birth, gender, nationality, state of origin, local government area, and in some cases religion.
Now you can promote your skills and capabilities. The next section of the body of your CV should be “Skills”. In this section, you should write your previously acquired skills as well as the skills you are currently working on. I always advise people to use an organized list structure or column structure.
The section where you state your education history comes next. The traditional way to do this is to start from your latest or highest qualification to the lowest. That is University or any other higher degree, then write your secondary then finally Primary School Education. Please don’t just input your higher degree without stating what you studied and also remember that each year of graduation is important
Anyone who wishes to employ you as a staff will want to know your work history next. Please do not just state the companies where you have worked in the past without enumerating the positions held as well as the responsibilities you carried out while with those companies. This usually ensures that an interviewer has better insight into the kind of duties you have carried out previously. Without all these, the human resource manager might have high confidence in your sense of duty.
In addition, don’t leave out the internship programs you partook in. You can indicate internship programs with the words Intern or Trainee. This also applies to community service jobs while in the National Youth Service (NYSC), NGO services, and previous undergraduate research.
3. Referees
Referees are usually people of reputation who can vouch for your actions, capabilities, and sense of duty. Most interviewers love it when you input any of your previous employers into this list. It indicates that you are not a troublemaker in your previous places of work. Please I will want you to avoid adding families that are directly related to you. Just before I wrap all this up, let me lastly say that you should inform your referees and gain their approval before you add them to your CV. That way you won’t be disappointed by the referee disavowing you when contacted by the interviewer.
CONCLUSION:
You should be honest and don’t lie on your CV. Some companies run background checks before an interview session, the discovery from the investigation might contradict your claim. If you lie on your resume and you do finally get a job with that resume, then is it worth it? I don’t think so. Good luck.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you write an impressive curriculum vitae?
Ensure your CV is written in Black and White, black font color, and a White Background just like the sample. Use Times New Roman. Your CV should be brief and straight to the point, do not beat around the bush just to make it bulky
How should I write my address in a good curriculum vitae?
If you are seeking a job, please use an address that is in the location of the company you are sending your application to. This will encourage employers to hasten your job application compared to if you were living a long distance from the job. If you’re posting your CV online don’t include your home address, as you could be targeted by fraudsters.
What is the best way to include a Referee in a CV?
The best practice is to use your previous employers as Referees and/or your Academic mentor in the University. This is social proof that you have a good relationship with all those you have worked with.
Is my work history important in my CV?
Yes. work history is very important as it is the section where you are expected to write all your work history. This section requires you to express The Job Title, Position Held, The Work Duration (Month & Year), The Company name, and lastly your duties.
