Easily create a professional CV

Your CV is the most important tool to help you find a new job. It provides a summary of your experience, achievements and personal qualities, to demonstrate your suitability for a role.

CV stands for ‘curriculum vitae’, which is Latin for ‘course of life’. It’s a roadmap of your professional life, designed to make a strong first impression with hiring managers. This should encourage them to progress you to the next stage of the job application process.

Your CV usually includes your contact details, a brief summary of your career and ambitions, a work experience section, your education, qualifications and skills, plus other personal information. Hiring managers won’t take long to review each CV they receive. This means it’s crucial to concisely highlight the main achievements in your career to date. Candidates tend to tailor their CV to each specific job application. This helps to prove how they fulfil the requirements outlined in the job description.

Sending a CV is the first stage of a job application. Often, you’ll accompany your CV with a cover letter, which gives you further opportunity to summarise your achievements and skills. Recruiters or hiring managers will review your CV and decide if they want to invite you for an interview. As such, it’s critical your CV makes a strong first impression and catches the eye of the reader. Choose a professional layout with a clear, readable format, and make sure you adapt your CV for every job you apply for.

Here’s a brief summary of the different sections you might wish to include in your CV:

Contact info

The first section of the CV is typically your contact information. This includes your full name, your email address, your phone number and your address or location. Optional details include a photo, your gender, your marital status or links to your portfolio, website or LinkedIn profile.

Personal profile

Your personal profile is a short paragraph of two or three sentences that summarises your career, skills and ambitions. It’s the first information the hiring manager will read, so make it as compelling as possible. Mention any personal qualities that make you a stand-out employee, any key skills or achievements, and explain why you’re applying for the role.

Education

The education section outlines your qualifications and academic achievements. If you’re applying for a professional role with specific academic requirements, it’s important to list your credentials here. You may also mention your highest or most recent academic achievements, such as a degree or A-levels.

Work experience

The work experience section is perhaps the most crucial section of a standard, chronological CV. It lists your relevant work experience, and gives you the chance to show how each role has given you and experience necessary for this new job. For each previous employment, list your duties and achievements and make sure they reflect the requirements laid out in the job description.

Skills and traits

Listing your skills and traits can be a good way of standing out from other candidates. Employers might look at your skills for an indication of what you can bring to the role, in addition to your work experience. You could list your hard skills and soft skills, or skills specific to a particular job. Instead of listing generic skills, make sure you refer to industry- or role-specific skills that can provide a point of difference to other applicants.

Languages

Mentioning any foreign languages you speak is an optional element of your CV, unless it’s a key requirement for the role. Including additional languages, even when they’re not required, can help you to stand out in a crowded field of applicants.

Hobbies and interests

Another optional element of your CV is the hobbies and interests section. Mention anything that reflects your personality, or might make you a more interesting and appealing candidate. It’s especially worth mentioning any hobbies that directly relate to the role you’re applying for.

Extracurricular activities

Extracurricular activities are volunteer roles or other regular commitments that make you a better fit for a particular job. These could include mentoring junior colleagues or volunteering at a local event or organisation.

Courses

Besides your education, it might be worth mentioning any training courses you’ve taken or certifications you’ve gained. These could include project management, training on particular types of software or even first-aid training. Mentioning anything that demonstrates your willingness to broaden your horizons and develop your skills.

Internships

If you’re just starting out in your career, you might mention internships in place of work experience, or to supplement this section. Only mention internships relevant to the role you’re applying for, or where they show skills and experience that you haven’t yet gained in full-time employment.

Achievements

Adding a list of specific achievements is another way to stand out from other candidates. Achievements and career milestones can be a useful indicator of your skills and experience, and listing them could increase your chances of gaining an interview.

References

References are testimonials from previous employers that highlight your qualities and affirm your character. Some job adverts might ask you to include references on your CV, though this isn’t always the case. Make sure you ask permission before adding any referees to your CV.

A good CV is a concise summary of your professional achievements and skills. It catches the attention of hiring managers and helps your chances of gaining a job interview. The ideal CV uses simple yet professional language and demonstrates the skills and experience mentioned in the job description. It also adopts a clear structure and a readable format and design.

You can create your CV using word-processing software, but if you really want your CV to make an impression, you could use a CV builder like CVwizard.com. Our tools provide an easy step-by-step process for building your CV, with a range of templates that offer clean, professional designs to help your CV stand out from the crowd.

There are two main types of CV structure. Which CV structure you choose is likely to depend on your experience and the job you’re applying for. You may also consider an alternative CV structure if it provides a better showcase of your skills. The different types of CV structure are:

Chronological

The chronological CV, or traditional CV, is the most common type in the UK and most English speaking countries. It emphasises your work history and achievements, placing these in a prominent position directly below your contact details and CV summary. Chronological CVs tend to list your employment in reverse chronological order, starting with the current or most recent role. For each employment, list your duties and achievements and demonstrate how they meet the requirements of the role. Chronological CVs tend to be favoured for professional roles, or positions that require senior, experienced candidates.

Functional

The functional CV is also known as the skills-based CV. Instead of emphasising your work experience, a functional CV places your skills in a more prominent position. This can be useful if you’re just starting out in your career, if you don’t have much relevant work experience or for roles that demand a particular skill set.

Other types of CV

These are some other types of CV you might consider using, depending on the industry, the role, your experience and skills:

• Europass CV: Europass is an initiative from the European Union to help people create their CV. The profile and CV builder tools use established formats and allow the use of 29 different languages, to make it easier to submit your CV for jobs across the EU.
• ATS CV: ATS stands for ‘Applicant Tracking System’. These are automated or semi-automated software systems that sort CVs, scan the information and even rank CVs before recruiters review them. Creating an ATS-friendly CV means following standard rules for formatting, structure and design that make it more likely for your CV to be ranked highly by the software.
• Video CV: A video CV can be a great way of introducing yourself and explaining why you’re a suitable candidate for a role. You might create a video CV for roles in sales, marketing, PR or creative industries. Video CVs often accompany a written document, providing a chance for your personality, professionalism and self-confidence to shine through.
• Creative CV: Creative CVs offer an opportunity for you to showcase your professional skills. As such, they tend not to follow a traditional CV structure. They might incorporate elements of graphic design, video, animation or technology, to demonstrate why you’re suitable for a particular creative role.

Follow these tips for preparing a perfect CV for your job applications:

Use a clean, clear layout

Your CV should use a readable font and a clear, uncluttered structure and format. Use bold headers, divide your CV into different sections and consider using columns or boxes to present the document more clearly.

Include relevant information only

Make sure you only mention information relevant to the job application. Where possible, stick to including experience or skills that reflect the requirements laid out in the job description.

Use concise, professional language

Keep your language as simple as possible, while maintaining a professional writing style. Avoid using industry jargon or confusing acronyms.

Keep it short

Generally speaking, the shorter your CV, the better. Keep it below two printed sides of A4 in a clear, readable font. If you can fit your CV onto one side of A4 while maintaining a clear structure, this is even better.

Be positive

Be upbeat about your experience and your previous or current duties. Avoid making negative references to employers and be positive about the contribution you made, without lying or exaggerating.

Make sure it’s up-to-date

Update your CV before sending it to any recruiter or hiring  manager. Sending a CV that doesn’t reflect your current situation could be misleading, as well as failing to accurately reflect the depth of your experience.

Tailor your CV to each job application

As you update your CV, make sure you also tailor its content for each application. This means referencing the employer or the job title directly, and using language and examples that mirror the requirements in the job description.

Check your spelling and grammar

It’s a minimum requirement to make sure your CV is free from errors in spelling or grammar. Run the document through a spell-checker, or proofread the document thoroughly before sending it.

Avoid employment gaps

It’s best to avoid any gaps in employment, or at least explain them, either in your CV or your cover letter.

Choose your photo carefully

It’s typically optional to add a photo to your CV, and it’s unlikely to affect your chances of employment, unless requested in the job advert. Nevertheless, if you decide to add a photo, make sure it’s a professional-looking headshot. Dress in business attire and use a neutral background.

Don’t mention salary expectations

Your CV isn’t the right place to start referencing your salary expectations. You should have the chance to discuss this during your interview.

With CVwizard you can use both free and premium templates to design your CV. You can start by using our free CV maker, and if you want to take advantage of our premium templates and additional CV tools, payment is required. It’s easy to sign up and CVwizard offers one simple, convenient price to unlock all its features. Once you’re signed up you can create an unlimited number of CVs with our CV creator. Access our premium features and start creating your perfect CV today.