Reflecting on Yosef's 'The View" topic featured today, it seemed appropriate to liken the ordinary curriculum - vitae to the accreditations submitted to the Head of State by newly appointed foreign ambassadors. The View over the next three editions explores the essence of 'the story of your life' by first identifying what a CV really is. The succeeding parts are entitled 'Organizing your CV' and 'Where to start when writing a CV'.

What is a CV

We hear that a CV is something that we need when going to apply for a job. It is believed that a CV is merely a requirement, and we all have to get once if we want a job. Have you ever wondered what a CV really is?
CV is an abbreviation for Curriculum Vitae, which is the Latin for 'story of your life'. A CV is a summary of your life history; it is your job history, your achievements, your skills, and your interests. A CV is what you use to tell about yourself in a few words. By reading your CV, one should be able to know what you have done during your life, what you know, what you value, your personality, what is unique about you, your habits, where you come from, and how you can be reached. Your CV shows your position in society.
A CV is considered to be just a requirement, while I believe it is an effective tool to introduce yourself and make an impression. A good introduction makes an employer want to talk to you, which makes you a step closer go getting the job!
Think of it as your brochure, and you are marketing your time and skills. You use a CV to sell yourself and promote your skills and talents. Your CV is the introduction to you; it is an important marketing tool which should open doors for you. A successful CV gets you an interview, were you can explain what is on your CV. First, the interviewer must be impressed for him/her to call you for interview, and it is your job to create an impressive CV.
What is an impressive CV? Lying when writing your CV or exaggerating does not make your CV impressive. To the contrary, it helps you dig your own grave. If you get the job and your boss finds out you have lied, you lose your job and get a bad reference. It is not a good idea to do that. An impressive CV is one that sells your skills and qualities in the best possible way. An impressive CV is one that is precise, concise, and simple. An impressive CV should make the reader want to know more about you, and make the employer feel you are the best person for the job. For you to accomplish this, you have to put yourself in the shoes of the employer/interviewer. If you were the employer, what kind of a person would you be looking for? It depends on what kind of work it is of course. But whenever you apply for a job or university placement, ask yourself, what are they looking for? If it were me, what qualities would I need to see in the applicant to give him/her the position? What kind of skills is required?
You know what this means? It means that there is no perfect CV. It all depends what you are using it for. Therefore having one general CV is not enough. CVs have to be re-written and modified to suit the application. If you are applying for a job as a secretary, would you fill half a page telling stories about your sports experience? No. you would need to emphasize on your experience and skills in undertaking secretarial services. The sport is still part of your CV, don't get me wrong here, because it shows determination, team-work, depending on the kind of sport it is, and many other qualities. But it is not priority. The same way, if you are applying for a journalism post, you wouldn't emphasize on a database work you have done, unless that is the closest you can get to journalism. You would talk a lot about your writing experience, your skills in doing research, and maybe even present a few essays or articles you have written.
A lot of the things you have done in your life are important, and they should go to your CV. However, the reader does not have all the time in the world to read your life history. If you write a lot of unnecessary information to the cause, then you discourage the reader. Therefore you have to make your CV short and simple. Some information might have to be taken out at certain instances. You can keep a general CV for yourself, one that is in-depth and detailed, but you tailor that general CV to suit the purpose. Sometimes, giving your home address and family information might not be necessary. Sometimes your hobbies might not be required. It depends. Then how do you know what to put and what to leave out? Again, put yourself in the shoes of the interviewers or employers. What would they want to know? Imagine yourself interviewing others. Write down a description of the person you are looking for. What kind of questions would you ask? By doing this, it becomes much easier to organize your CV.
Remember, a CV is your brochure. You want to sell yourself as much as possible. Make good use of the experience your have, previous posts held, your skills and talents. Through your CV, prove the employer/interviewer that you are the best candidate, and that you can make good use of your skills in the post you are applying for. Using just one or two pages, you can get jobs, university admissions, opportunities in life, you can make impressions. Two pages can open a lot of doors for you, and taking a few days to make a CV is time spent well.
So is it only job seekers who need to have a CV? Absolutely not! Everyone who has done some secondary education needs to have a CV; Even if you are not planning to apply for a job. It shows you what you have done, and where you are today. A CV is a necessity for everyone!