Top 10 CV Writing Tips You Must Know

CV Writing Tip #1:
Gather your background materials. To complete your CV, you’ll need to knowyour dates of employment at each of your previous jobsand when you went to school. You’ll also need to beable to describe your skills and accomplishments on thejob, so put some thought into those areas.

CV Writing Tip #2:
Decide on a format. Before youcan start writing a CV, you’ll need to decide ifthe functional or chronological format will work bestfor you. Remember, you want to put yourself and yourabilities in the best light.

CV Writing Tip #3:
Put together a general outline.A CV outline will help you get organized and willprevent you from overlooking any essential pieces ofinformation that should be included.
CV Writing Tip #4:

If your CV is targeted at aspecific employer or career path, learn all you canabout what they need. Spending time on this researchwill help you with your CV, with the cover letterthat goes with your CV, and with the upcominginterview. Make sure you know what qualities will mostbenefit the employer and think about how your abilitiesmatch those qualities. (Read another CV writing tipon how to target.)


CV Writing Tip #5:
Plan, plan, plan. Before youactually start writing, spend time just thinking abouthow you’ll present yourself in the CV. What is yourobjective in seeking a job? This objective should serveas a sort of bull’s-eye to structure your CVaround. What have been your most significantaccomplishments? You’ll want to highlight them. Whatunique qualities do you bring to an employer? Think interms of benefits. Also think about the CV designyou’ll use, the fonts within, and the CV wording .

CV Writing Tip #6:
Start writing, following youroutline. Take your time. Use a lot of action words . Beconcise. Don’t use "responsibilities included" or"responsible for." It’s a waste of space. Use bullets,rather than long paragraphs.

CV Writing Tip #7:
Cut and paste your content intoyour CV template. If you’re at this site, you’reprobably not an experienced, professional CVwriter. So, take a CV writing tip from a pro. Use aCV template . There is no reason why your CVmust look amateurish.

CV Writing Tip #8: Review, edit, and proofread likea maniac. One of the biggest CV mistakes is typosor grammatical errors. These errors may seem trivial,but they can cost you the interview, and ultimately thejob. After all, if you can’t be bothered to make surethat your CV is 100% accurate, what guarantee isthere that your job performance will be high caliber?

CV Writing Tip #9:
Get someone else you trust tolook at it. It can be really helpful to get someone whoknows you to look at your CV. Not only are theymore likely to catch simple errors, but they may pointout strengths you’ve missed or under emphasized. Tellthem you want their honest opinion and you’re open toquestions. Use their input to clarify your CV. Evenif you write your own CV, you may want to thinkabout getting a professional to do a CV critique .

CV Writing Tip #10: Send it out into the world. Themore CVs you submit, the more likely you are to getan interview. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket byapplying for only one job. And, don’t be afraid to takesome risks and apply for a job you’re interested in,even if you don’t quite match all the qualifications.Most employers ask for many more qualifications thanthey absolutely require.