How to write a CV

What is a CV?

Curriculum vitae according to Wikipedia is a Latin for “course of life”, often shortened as CV or vitae. It is a written overview of someone’s life’s work. Vitae can be plural or possessive.

In a nutshell, CV is a document that contains all your life possessions and accomplishments.

Having said this, there is a good way and a bad way to write a CV. Bellow is a good example of a CV showing how items should be arranged and laid out.

When applying for a job in an establishment or company, a CV is always required to show your accomplishments and how qualified you are for the position you are applying for. A CV speaks for you, it shows employers what they need to know about your qualifications.

Also Read: How to Design a letterhead – 3 Points you should know

When writing a CV, the bellow listed items should be present in your CV.

Personal details
Personal profile statement
Achievements
Education
Employment and work history
Qualifications
Skills
Hobbies and interests
References/Referee

How to write a CV -Items in a CV

Personal details

This section is located at the top of the CV. This is the first thing any employer or reader will see when reading your CV. In recent time, most CVs have the passport of the owner at the top left-hand side of the CV as can be seen in the image on this post.

Example

Pizzy Ebong

57 foothill college san Jose California, USA

Mob. 09277448093

Email. [email protected]

Personal profile statement

This is a short writeup telling your reader or employer about your personal skills, qualifications, experiences and career ambitions.

Bad example of a Personal Profile Statement

I am Pizzy Ebong and a hard-working person who really likes working. I am very good at meeting deadlines. I have been in this business for two years now, and I would like to be part of a business that needs my excellent skills and past work experience.

Good example of a Personal Profile Statement

A motivated, passionate, very adaptable and a graduate in computer engineering seeking an IT position which will make good use of the professional and technical skills developed through past work experiences in this field. I have a methodical, customer-focused approach to work and a strong drive to see things through to completion. In my current job, I have managed the launch and migration of two major IT systems which was completed on time and within budget.

Achievements

This section as the name implies requires a list of all your accomplishments, skills, achievements that can be used as a testimony of your skills, abilities and determination to succeed.

Bad example

Finished my college studies
Currently working as an IT support assistant

Good example

Implementing major systems with zero downtime and zero data loss
Named Employee of the month for three consecutive months
Currently a member of a software engineering department at MIT

Education

This section contains your educational background, every information about your education and achievements gotten in school. Every certificate and legal documents concerning your skill should be listed in this section.

Bad example

1996 – 2002 Nigerian christian institute

2002 – 2005 oxford school

2005 – 2007 high gardens

2007 – 2010 kings landing college of technology

English: A*

Mathematics: C

Biology: B

Geography: A

Business: C

October 2004 – June 2007 UCB, Birmingham BSc Psychology

Good example

Education and Training

2009 – 2013 BSc Computer Science (Hons) Aston University

1st Class Degree with Professional Placement

Relevant Modules:

Professional and Social Aspects of Computing (73%)
Data Modelling and Database Systems (59%)
Understanding Information Systems (93%)
Information Security (67%)
Human-Computer Interaction (80%)
2007 – 2009 BTEC National Diploma in IT Hall Green College

Grade Achieved: Triple Distinction*

2000 – 2007 Bournville Secondary School

8 GCSEs at grades A*–C.

Employment and work history

This section gives you the opportunity to state how qualified you are by showing all your previous achievements in the field and places you have worked before. It gives the reader a sense that you are qualified and also have good experience in your field.

Example

Employment history

Jun 2011– Present CEO Ibom IT HUB

Mentoring and training new IT staff;

Research, software development, installation and configuring new computer systems;

Ensuring that all relevant licensing laws are adhered to;

Keeping up to date with the latest technologies.

Oct 2001 – Jun 2005 IT Support Officer SMART inovation HUB

Provided extensive IT support to internal and external stakeholders;

Installed and configured computer hardware operating systems and applications;

Monitored and maintained computer systems and networks;

Resolved, diagnosed and solved network problems and relevant software faults.

Jan 1999 – Sept 2003 IT Admin union HUB Lagos

Produced Requirements Documentation (diagrams and workflow);

Maintained the computer network and information systems.

1996 – 1999 Various jobs Retail (sectors)

Qualifications

This part of your CV is optional and should contain a list of all your professional training, skills, courses and qualifications.

Example

B.Engr Computer Engineering University of Uyo
B.SC Computer Science University of Benin
Masters Degree Computer Engineering University of Abuja.

Skills

In this section you are to write down your skills which will enable you to do the job which you are applying for. This section helps inform the employer that you have what it takes to carry out this job.

Example

Excellent knowledge of different types of programming languages like Java, Python, C, JavaScript, PHP and SQL.
Very good troubleshooting skills with software, hardware & network products
Perfect in detecting networking fault, carrying out diagnostics and troubleshooting, Cisco routers, Cisco switches, routeing and switching configuration and technologies

Hobbies and Interests

this section should be used to show your employer that you are well rounded and also good in extracurricular activities not only work-based activities.

Example

I enjoy reading extra books like novels and magazines to expand my knowledge

I also love soccer and also good at playing soccer.

References

This is the last and final part of your CV. This section contains contact details of two people who know you very well, whom you have worked with and can vouch for you any time.

Example

Mrs Jouyous glory

IT Executive

SMART HUB

Address: 322 ibt junction abuja CT21 3QF

Tel: 8990 3783790

Email. [email protected]

Conclusion

Having given out steps on how to write a CV with an example, I can joyfully say congratulations because now I know that you can effectively write a CV that will land you that job.

Do you have a question regarding the above post on how to write a CV? Kindly use the comment box and we will get back to you.