Writing a CV

By Priscilla Bermea Reyes 2009

A CV is a brief summary of your life and working experience. In some countries it’s called a "life sheet" and it is a direct reflection on who you are, what you've done and where you've been. This is why it is extremely important that you keep your CV up to date all the time, especially if you are job hunting.

A way to ensure that you don't leave anything out of your CV when writing it for a particular position is to compare your current CV to job requirements and adjust accordingly. This is not a suggestion to embellish or lie, it’s a suggestion to highlight and add or remove information that might help you land the job.

In your CV you should list your personal information, contact and general. Always be very careful on your spelling and grammar; never send out a CV without proofreading it! Remember that it is your potential boss' first impression of you. You will want to look and sound as professional as possible. Your future job literally depends on this document.

Write down all your skills, such as software proficiency or general management, business, etc. skills. Don't extend giving descriptions and explanations. Express yourself clearly in short and straightforward phrases. Write down your CV Objective, as if talking about your mission statement if you were a company. This should clarify your future boss' questions as to what kind of position you're seeking and what drives you. Again, it's not a manifesto, just a general idea.

The next step depends on your personal history. If you have more work experience than education, list experience first. If you have more education, certifications and such that are compatible with the position you're pursuing, list those first.

When writing down job positions, always list

*Job Title

*Name of Company

*Job Description

*Accomplishments

*Period that you worked there

If you were fired from last job, don't write it down on your CV. Never write something negative about yourself on your CV. It's better to use terms as 'downsizing', or 'differences', but only address them during interview: if and when asked. It’s best not to bring it up in writing. Every document is a record, and you never know who will read it.

Finally, be as honest as you can. After all, you wouldn’t want to find out after signing the contract that the job poster lied about benefits, responsibilities or wages offered by the company, would you?

About the author:

Priscilla Bermea Reyes is a freelance writer and English/Spanish translator who as well as writing on contract for JBWS Writing Services has also written for  a variety of online publications. She has worked with several companies in Mexico and the US as a translation consultant for documents, manuals, presentations, brochures and other works. Her work has been used and published throughout Latin America. You can view her profile and blog here http://priscillatranslator.weebly.com/