What Exactly Is a CV?

Resumes or 'Curriculum Vitae' as they are also known are typically a one to two-page document that summarises your professional history, professional experience and related education and background. A CV will usually contain the persons contact information in the header, this might include your name, address and any other contact information such as your email address.

Following the heading of your resume, the body of the CV will typically be broken down into six main sections. The sections that are covered will usually include a personal statement giving your career objective, a summary of yourself, your professional experience (dated), relevant achievements, education and references.

Your personal statement should be brief and should not exceed more than a few sentences that cover information making it possible for potential employers to gain an understanding of how you would like to move forward in your career. The summary section of your CV should summarise your primary skills and experience and how they related to the job that you are applying for. It is recommended that you do not include information not relevant to the position. This section will typically consist of two to three well written sentences that directly reflect how and why you are suitable for the job.

The professional experiences section of your CV should include all jobs that you have held and should be listed in chronological order with full dates e.g. June 2012 - August 2012. You should use the full job title when listing jobs as well as the company and location of the job. Each job should contain a summary of the skills and responsibilities as well as any other information that you deem to be relevant. It is recommended that you emphasize relevant duties.

When listing education on your resume, you should not include education that has not been completed. Education should include college, graduate, postgraduate work and any other certifications or courses that are recognized in the industry of the position that you are applying for.

Achievements should only be listed if they are relevant and related to your career. It is common practice to list contact details for references or to state that contacts are available upon request.

For more information on what a resume is and why it is important to have one, you can read the official Baxter Personnel CV Tips page.