Where to start when writing a CV.

Writing a CV is not easy. A good CV can help you to promote yourself in the best possible way. A good CV helps you get an interview. Many of us want to have a CV, but have no idea where to start.
First, there are different kinds of CVs, and here are some of them. A general CV is detailed and contains all your experience, work history, achievements, education, and hobbies. A chronological CV puts your career history and experiences chronologically, and this is often used when your recent jobs are the most important. A student CV is one made particularly for students, where there is a lot of emphasis on academics. A professional CV is what you would use to promoting your profession, often used when applying for a professional job. Skills CVs are there to promote mainly your skills. There are many more different types of CVs, so it depends which one you want. If it is your first time, I would advise you to start with a general CV.
Before you start making your CV, there is an exercise you can do which can simplify your work. It is not proven to be the best, but it can help. Get a big piece of paper, and if you can’t find one then stick a few A4 sheets together, and draw a line which is one meter long, or longer. This is a timeline of your life. On top goes the day you were born, and at the complete bottom write today’s date. Divide the line with your age, that is f you are 25 years old then divide the line in 25 equal parts. Make these marks very clear by using a dark marker. Your task is to fill up this timeline with important events that have happened in your life. Dates when you started school, dates when you graduated, when you got promoted, when you won an award, when you got married, when you met someone important, when got a new house, when you did exams, when you went for interviews, when you saved a life, when you achieved your best, when you got fired, when you traveled, when you were really sick, when you were given responsibilities, etc. Think of all the major events of your life, things that you are proud of and things that you think shaped your life. Put them all on that line. Make each event as short as possible, no more than 5 words. You are not writing a book, remember that. This would take you quite a bit of time, and having more than 100 events is acceptable, depending on your age. If you cannot remember exact dates, you can just put the year of the event. The idea of this exercise is to put your life experience on a timeline. Make sure to keep it on a line, and you can give yourself a day to think and put it on the line when you remember; ask your family and friends if you are having a hard time remembering events.
When you feel like you are done, congratulate yourself for this hard work, and stick it on a wall. Look at it; see which years you have been much occupied and the years you did little. Do remember that this piece of work you have done can be of good use later on in your life, and not just for writing a CV. Keep on looking at it, write down your observation on a different piece of paper.
After you have looked enough, get either colored pencils of different kinds of pens ready for your next task: to group the events on your timeline. Pick one color, and tick or underline every event on this line that has anything to do with education, at any level. Start from nursery, to primary school, to secondary, to vocational training, to university level, and anything else that you did which contributed to your education life (be it courses, workshops, seminars, or even exams).
Pick another color and mark all the events that have anything to do with you working and developing your career. Some events would overlap with other groups, such as education, but mark such events with both colors since they belong to both groups. Repeat the same exercise for all the responsibilities you have help in your life at all level, and a separate color for all your life achievements. Group the events that concern your private life (weddings, relationships, new house, travel, etc). There would be a few left, and try to check if they belong to some of the groups mentioned above, and if they don’t then create a group for them.
Now, looking back at your timeline, spot all the activities you have done with some sort of consistency, anything you have done for more than a month, any talent you have, memberships, countries you have lived in, etc. Make parallel lines to the timeline indicating the duration of these activities. Space them out and write what it is you have done on top of the lines. You should have a minimum of 10-15 things you have done with consistency (including school, jobs, etc.).
Your next step is to chose about 5 most important events from each group, and list them down, in the simplest way, under the corresponding headings (e.g. education, responsibilities, etc.). Cut down the wording, remove unnecessary information, and check for language correctness. With clarity and simplicity, a good and easy-to-read CV can be created. Isn’t that easy?