The Latin words curriculum vitae mean “running of life,” which might sound unusual, but when you think about it, the piece of paper more usually known today as a “CV” (or a “resumé” in American English) is indeed a record of how your life has run so far.

That said, however, when writing a CV, what you leave out of your life story is as important as what you put in.  Your CV should not be your whole life story, just the bits of it that are relevant to the position you are applying for.

Many companies now no longer require CVs when advertising for specific positions.  This is partly because HR managers are fed up with reading through hundreds of badly written lists of schools and jobs, but also because if a company design their own application form, they can narrow down the field and target applicants into writing what the company really wants to know.

An application form is often similar to a CV – you will be expected to write some brief personal information, a short list of your educational background and professional training, then complete a “personal statement,” usually a chance for you to show exactly how your experience qualifies you to do the job you are applying for.  Notes for such personal statements always guide the applicant back to the job description and person specification of the vacant position.

Filling out application forms, especially the “personal statement,” often seems difficult, but it’s easy to see how it’s better from an employer’s point of view.  From the point of view of the applicant too, it makes you focus clearly on what you have done, and exactly why you’d be good at the job you’re applying for – as well as giving you a chance to show off those all-important written communication skills!

If you do have to submit a CV, or if you are submitting a CV to a company or organisation which doesn’t currently have any specific vacancies, but you want them to know about you – the experience of the personal statement can be useful.  It certainly makes you more concise in what you write – and being concise is a vital thing in a CV.

A CV is something essential for everyone to have – keep a version of it on your computer, and make sure you change it each time you apply for a new job – the same “one size fits all” CV won’t do!

Here are a few tips:

• Length: A four page long CV is almost certainly too long.  Two pages is usually enough to say what any employer needs to know.
• Truth:  Show what you did to the best you can, but don’t tell lies.  On the same point, don’t leave gaps in your employment history.
• Style: Formal/neutral.  Use a simple font (times new roman or arial) and black ink.
• Pictures: Unless specifically asked for one, don’t include a photo of yourself.