Constructing your CV

Your CV (Latin for curriculum vitae), or alternately, resume, is the one single tool which can make or break your case in your professional career search at the earliest stage. It may sound daunting, but much of your professional career can depend on the one instrument which employers use to objectively screen you when evaluating your abilities- your CV. The CV is more than a piece of paper which only does justice when summarizing your educational record, skills, and career experiences; it frames you out as an individual entity upon paper. The CV is often the first initiative with which employers can set you apart or discard your candidacy completely. For this reason, attempting to write an effective CV is of paramount importance.

Your CV ought to be typed out on a word processor and should allow for legibility and adequate space. Like all reading material, a CV can prove to be a laborious read if there isn’t proper text formatting. A CV should be presentable and printed out on standard sized white paper. Excessive usage of bold and underlined text, as well as variation with font type and text size can be a nuisance for the reader. Including adequate white space and a simple border are examples of good standards for your CV to include. In addition, the usage of bullet points is an encouraged practice when writing a CV.  Remember that cramming in all unnecessary information is a waste of time for your reader who may dispose off of both unnecessary and necessary reading material in your CV to read a shorter, more succinct CV. Economical writing is a must. Keep it short, easy to read, and attractive. Below, we have put together a number of leading institutions in the world and their advice on how to write an effective resume. Go through all of the material and absorb as much as you can before adopting a certain resume of your own.

You may have seen and used several formats of CVs when attempting to make your own CV at some stage in your life. They can be a helpful resource which can be made good use of. However, simply carbon copying a standard format can prove redundant and boringly uniform. Employers do not want to see several copies of the same format. Your CV should incorporate your own personal touch and ought to be a slightly differentiated. This differentiation ought to depend upon which job or internship you plan to take on.

For purposes of uniformity here, we have designed a standard CV template on the page below. We recommend that you fill out this CV first so that we have a standard format for everyone. We can then make any adjustments prior to submission of the CV, but we will have a very basic and useful framework to tinker with.

Taimur Ahmed

House 13, Street 16,

F-8/4, Islamabad

051-2282693

Taimur_ahmed_2@hotmail.com

EDUCATION

GCE O Levels, Head start School, Islamabad                                 (2006) 

AWARDS

None

WORK EXPERIENCE

Career Bahria Intern                                     (July-August, 2006)

REFERENCES

Reference Name                                                        Reference Contact Details

SKILLS