Organizing your CV

Given that your CV is your personal brochure, it must reflect the original skills of the mind behind it. Yoseph dwells on this topic as he concludes his three part segment about the humble but vital C.V.

The layout and formatting of a CV is very important. Your CV is your brochure, always remember that. You are advertising yourself on your CV. Adverts you can read quickly and easily are those that convince you to buy the product. The same way, for an employer to call you for interview, make it simple, short, easy to read. A well-structured and reader-friendly CV shows that you are professional and organized.
There are different kinds of CVs, and each is organized differently. Here are the possible headings a basic CV could have: a profile/summary, education/qualifications, job experience, responsibilities held, achievements, personal details, career objectives, hobbies, skills, and referees. It doesn't necessarily to be in that arrangement, and most times it depends on who is writing the CV, and who it is for. If it is for university application, then education comes first. If it is a professional applying for a job, then the job experience comes first, and education goes last. Therefore there could be different arrangements as well as different headings.
On top of every CV go the names of the CV holder, contacts, addresses, and email address. Also the phrase 'Curriculum Vitae' big and bold is essential.
A profile or summary of a CV is a short paragraph mostly about you and a bit of your plans. If you are writing the CV for a job application, then the summary highlights your skills and experience that makes you good for that job, and gives a reason why you are applying for it. Through this summary, you will have to convince the employer to keep on reading. If it is a student CV for university application, then you write about the course you are interested in and why. You highlight the skills and qualities you have that make you a good candidate. There are a lot of people in big firms who filter CVs just by reading the summary. If the summary impresses them then they keep on reading, if it doesn't then they don't want to waste their precious time. It is quite sad, since there are a lot of people with the potential to get the job, but due to a bad summary they fail to have their applications read.
There is no an ideal summary/profile. The aim of this summary is to make the reader want to keep on reading. That is as simple as it gets. A good summary makes you stand out; it impresses the readers and makes them want to know more about you, so they keep on reading.
Under the Job Experience heading, you list down the jobs you have had and positions you have held which are relevant to your application or a potential employer. You can arrange it chronologically or according to relevance. List the years of employment, the firm you worked in, and your job titles. Outstanding achievements can be squeezed in. Please do not try to cram a lot of information in this section, so that it doesn't become too boring. Keep it short and simple, and the use of bullets helps arrange it. Emphasize on jobs that match with the application you are making, and try to remove details that do not add any value to it. These details might mean a lot to you, but if they are not necessary to the potential employer then there is no reason for keeping them.
The education and qualification section lists down the schools you have gone to, courses you have done, your qualifications, etc. This section is a proof of what you have mentioned in the summary. It is your back up. Students put this section after their summary, since it is the most important thing they are doing now. It is those qualifications that make them different from the rest, the grades, the courses, credentials, etc. On the other side, people applying for jobs tend to put this section last. Their qualifications are important, but sometimes all applicants would be as qualified as they are, therefore their education background doesn't make them unique anymore. It is their experience, work history, and the positions they have held that make them different.
Some people leave the Responsibilities heading out, because they feel that they have covered it throughout their employment history. It is a very wise idea since they don't want to be repeating themselves. But if you think it is extremely necessary for this section then list down the responsibilities you have held, duration, and where. Students should include this section, and it is very much valued by universities as well as employers. It simply shows how people have trusted you so far.
The same applies to achievements; some people find it unnecessary to include this heading since it is mentioned in the employment section. If you are a student, I urge you to include this, as it shows potential, and success in the activities you have engaged yourself into. Either way, your achievements are what can make good impressions on your CV, therefore make sure they are included somewhere. If you want them to stand out, then keep it on itself.
At times, putting personal details are seen to be unnecessary, to avoid discriminations. But your date of birth, place of birth, citizenships, and visa type could be useful sometimes. It would be safe to always put date of birth and citizenship, but the rest could be provided on request.
Career objectives are essential on CVs. First it shows people that you can plan ahead, and that you have personal goals. Your career objective column should show the general position that you want, and your short and long term plans. You should tailor your objective to each position you apply for, since employers use this to match you with the vacancy available. Students should also state their objectives to help universities know what courses the students want to pursue, and also to help the student chose the best work experience.
Personal skills, if you have many outstanding ones, give color to your CV. Especially if you are applying for a job and you have certain skills that are not mentioned in your job experience, some of your skills could give you the edge in the competition for a position. It could be language skills, computer skills, marketing skills, etc. If you have special talents and you are convinced it would make your CV stronger, do mention it. The same applies to students.
Hobbies give flavor to your personality. The fact that you do have other past time activities could convince employers that you could add a flavor to their work environment. It is essential to students as well as it shows what their interests are, what they could bring to universities, and how they use their free time. You could have similar hobbies with your future employer, and it could give you a good start during your interview. Clubs and societies are worth mentioning.
Usually it is wise to provide references on request, but make sure you have people to referee you. Many people and offices do not accept relatives as referees, so go for previous employers, teachers, co-workers, people who know you well.
Keep your CV on one page or maximum two pages, according to your age, unless you are asked to write a detailed in-depth CV, or unless you are a director. Keep details and descriptions out of your CV. That is what the interview is there for, for you to explain what you have written on your CV. The lesser the words, the better. Read it over and over again, searching to remove unnecessary words. A short, concise CV is what employers and universities are looking for.