CV Writing essentials , Business Communication

1. CURRICULUMVITAE WRITING
Made By
Rahila Khan
Lecturer English
GGPC Quetta

2. CURRICULUM
VITAE
2
CurriculumVitae (CV) means "courseof life" in Latin
A CV is a written description of your work experience,
educational background and skills
A CV is a typically a "living document" which will reflect the
developments in a professional'scareer

3. PURPOSES
OF A CV
3
Marketing tool: First impression is theone which lasts
Request foran interview: Wearealways looking for jobs
Your “big picture”: A detailed snapshot of your
professional and academic life

4. FORMATS
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1. Chronological
2. Functional
3. Chrono-functional

5. CHRONOLOGICAL
Reversechronological order
Widely used for corporate
sector
Mainly used by individuals
with
7
Chronological CV, URL:"http://img.docstoccdn.com/thumb/orig/22708087.png", Feb 12, 2012

6. FUNCTIONAL CV
Focuseson the skill set of an
individual
Mainly used by
individuals
⚫with significantgaps in
employment
⚫a mixed employment
background
⚫very short work history
8
Functional CV, URL:"http://img.docstoccdn.com/thumb/orig/44419483.png", Feb 12, 2012

7. CHRONO-FUNCTIONAL CV
Specific workexperience
Specific skillsand talents
Used mainly by
individuals
⚫Freshlygraduated from
school
⚫With uninterrupted
work history
⚫Applying forspecific jobs
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Combined Resume, URL:"http://www.resume-resource.com/Examples/functional-resume-sample.gif", Feb 12, 2012

8. FUNCTIONAL
TYPES
8
Academic
⚫Used foracademic applications (graduate student applications,
scholarship applications)
⚫Usually moredetailed
⚫Focuses mainlyon academic achievements,
⚫Relevant projects and courses mentioned
Corporate
⚫Used forgetting jobs
⚫Specific to the needs of theemployer
⚫Focuses mainly on work experienceand relevant academic
affiliations

9. CV
FORMAT
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1. Header
2. Objective
3. Education
4. Honors/Activities
5. Work Experience
6. Research Experience/Projects

10. HEADER
SECTION
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Name
⚫Must be the first lineof resume
⚫Bold
⚫Larger than the largest font used in body
Address
⚫Currentaddress preferable
Email Address
⚫Use professional email addresses preferablywith
name
Phone number
⚫Preferably use both homeand cell phone numbers

11. Name
Address
Phone Number
Email Address
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Image Source: Personal

12. OBJECTIVE
SECTION
Optional but highly recommended
Statement must be clear, conciseand to the point
⚫Bad: “I want to get a job”
⚫Weak: “To attain an internship in livestock industry.”
⚫Good: “To attain an internship in the livestock industry
with detailed insight into genomics and bioinformatics.”
Avoid being overspecific
Target thecompany’s perspective
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13. EDUCATION
SECTION
Educational qualifications from highest to lowest
Do not use high school detailsonceyou have
graduated
Must includeyears in school

14. WORK EXPERIENCE
SECTION
Experience should be listed in reversechronological order
POSITION TITLE, ORGANIZATION NAME, CITY,
STATE/PROVINCE, DATES EMPLOYED (Include monthsunless
this shows big gaps of unemployment )
Describes specific roles in bullets
Image Source: Personal

15. RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
SECTION
Focuson relevantresearch experience
Must include graduate level research
In reversechronological order
Image Source: Personal

16. HONORS/ACTIVITIES
SECTION
This section should scream “I am a leader”
Mustcontain all academicand professional awards
May includeextra-curricular awards
Includea brief description if not self-evident from title
Don’t include hobbies oractivities not related to the jobor
your story
Good to include leadership positions

17. REFERE
NCES
Oneof the mostcrucial things
Follow the requirement
If not mentioned, then “On Request/demand”
Ask referees beforehand
Use the bestones

18. ADDITIONAL
SECTIONS
Professional Certificates/Licenses
Specialized Experience
Publications/Theses
Additional Training/Assistantships
Membership/Affiliations
Volunteer Experience/Community Service
Languageor Computer Skills
Continuing Education

19. TYPES OF
CV Scannable
 Electronic Email
 Resume
 Paper HTML

20. ELECTRONI
C CVS
Scannable
⚫Best to use black color fonts
⚫Use proper font type (do not tryanything fancy)
⚫Manycompanies scan paperresumes into theirdatabase
Email Attachment
⚫Currently the mostwidely used delivery method
⚫PDF mostwidely used format
⚫Easilyconvert your Microsoft Word CV to PDF using
variousonline resources (www.pdfonline.com)

21. HTML
RESUME
Easeof access
Showsyourcreativity
Easilyavailableand free of cost from many service providers
likegoogle
Link todifferent sectionsof your CV
Verydetailed
You can add formsof social media like twitter, facebook
pagesand personal/professional blogs

22. TIPS
USE ACTION WORDS
24
List of Action Words, URL:"http://www.my-easy-resume.com/image-files/action-words.gif", Feb 12, 2012

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⚫ Professionalism
⚫ Onepageonly (forcorporate CVs)
⚫ Stick tothe truth
⚫ Focusonachievementsand results
⚫ Maintainaconsistentwriting style
⚫ Avoid theuseof “I” or“my”
⚫ Modifyyour CVaccording torequirement
⚫ Useeasy-to-read language
⚫ Getgrammarand punctuationcorrect
⚫ Follow the instructions
⚫ Proofread
⚫ Spell Check
⚫ Updateyour CVregularly
Do's

24. 24
⚫USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS
⚫ Harderto read
⚫Avoid whitespace
⚫ Actuallyavoid using border lines
⚫Includea pictureof yourself
⚫ It’s not thecoverof a fashion magazine
⚫ Useextremely professional imagewhen asked by employer
⚫Use several fonts to CATCH their attention
⚫ Createsa “ransom effect”
⚫ UseTimes New RomanorArial
⚫Focus on you and your needs
⚫ Employersare not interested on whoyou are but whatyou can
do
Tips
Don'ts

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⚫Use templates toconstructyourresume
⚫Don’t use fancy ones
⚫You have got otherways to show yourcreativity
⚫Use superlatives toemphasisyourwork
⚫Informativeand stick to the basic facts
⚫Use long flowing sentences
⚫Short, concise and to the point
⚫Printyourresumeon “dayglow” paper
⚫It is not going toan art workshop
⚫Illogical Order Use
⚫Use relevant informationat the beginning
Don'ts