There are three ways to present a CV:
- Chronological (the labor information is organized by dates)
- Functional (the information is organized by subjects)
- Mixed (starts as a functional curriculum to become in a chronological)
Content
The basic points that your curriculum vitae must have are:
- CV’s Title
- Name
- Age
- Contact (address, phone number, cellphone number)
- Academic formation (your last studies, with the name of the institution and title or degree received)
- Professional formation (not only previous jobs, but also include courses, workshops, social service, seminars, congresses, publications, continuous education research among other extracurricular activities)
- Languages
- Digital software
- Other information of interest (point all aspect that have not been included such as driver’s license, availability, etc.).
- Competencies (knowledges, skills and attitudes)
- Recognitions (obtained diplomas, high level performance in the company)
- Affiliations (they prove that you are part of a group or association from the mean in which you develop, and proves you are committed with your professional career)
Recommendations:
- Be objective when writing. Write without qualifying adjectives and do not approve or deny situations. This is how the interviewers do not see any trends when they read the curriculum.
- Be confident. Focus the attention on achievements and successes that have happened Do not be redundant in the including information.
- Check your spelling. If it has spelling mistakes it is very likely that you will be disqualified. Avoid writing with gerund verbs, they pollute the text.
- Give it a creative spin. Most people write their CV in text processors (Word, Office, Open Office…) that is why you should seek visual originality when putting it together. You can give it some order and color from the text processor, separate in paragraphs; don’t capitalize titles, write in bold, use vignettes to enlist, this will make the reading easier; use a not so common font that does not go over the limits of seriousness and professionalism.
- Be brief. Even if the job career extends, the best thing to do is to keep it simple and practical. This gives order and cleans the text, reflects security and eases the reading for the interviewer.
- Describe the activities in every employment. From each professional experience, it is recommended to include the responsibilities had, especially those that can be of interest for an organization.
- Include languages and digital supports. Don’t forget to place the percentage of your knowledge in languages and digital software that you can handle, even if they are not part of the requirements for the vacant, they can be a positive boost.
- Include the date in the CV. Grants a reference in time, being the professional situation in time and being able to logically vary. This rule makes great sense if it is a “cold letter”, that does not respond to a concrete offer.
Avoid:
- Describe your school trajectory. Meticulously write each one of this stages is not necessary, it is enough by putting your last obtained degree because it is evident that to get there you had to course the previous stages.
- Place your financial claims. If the description of the vacant does not require this, do not write it, it may limit your salary or completely exclude it. If it definitely required, place an estimated range between a quantity and another.
- Showing your political, syndical or religious ideology. Not knowing the ideas or the trends from the interviewer, you take a risk to disagree. The best is to omit this information.
- Lying about your professional trajectory. People who read your curriculum are well prepared to corroborate your information handle in it, if you lie you are very likely to be caught and be disqualified.
- Write chronologically. If the professional and job career is not too long, writing by dates is not the most convenient, since it will leave blank spaces and this can be negative.
- Place a photograph. Unless the vacant requires it, try not to add any photo, since this can make the interviewer make a judge of the person and influence in the final decision
In case the solicitation requires a photograph, make sure is the right size.
