CV Area

Please use this area to your advantage by improving your CV to a very high standard. Your CV is the first and most important step in gaining employment, and this one is tailor made for computing students.

Building your Curriculum Vitae

A CV or Curriculum Vitae is a one or two page summary of your education, skills, accomplishments and experience. It is a chance to get your foot in the door so to speak. A CV does its job successfully if it does not exclude you from consideration.

You need to know the best techniques to review, summarize, and present your experiences and achievements on one page. Unless you have considerable experiences, you do not need two pages.

Outline your achievements briefly and concisely.

Your resume is your ticket to an interview where you can sell yourself

[Back to top]

Important CV content

1. Name, address, telephone, e-mail address:

  • All of your contact information should go at the top of your CV

2. Objective or Summary:

  • An objective tells potential employers the sort of work you're hoping to do.

  • Be specific about the job you want. (e.g. - To obtain an entry level position within a financial institution requiring strong analytical and organizational skills).

  • Tailor your objective to each employer you target/every job you seek. i.e. make them believe their job is for you.

3. Education:

  • New graduates without a lot of work experience should list their educational information first.

  • Include your degree, awards, and institution you attended.

  • Add any other additional courses taken or qualification received that are relevant to the post and area of work you are going for.

4. Work Experience:

  • Briefly give the employer an overview of work that has taught you skills.

  • Use ACTION words to describe your duties.

  • Include your work experience in reverse chronological order - put your last job first.

  • Include: title of position; name of organization; location; dates of employment; description of work responsibilities with emphasis on specific skills and achievements.

5. Other Information:

  • You may want to add key or special skills or leadership experience, volunteer information, and/or participation in sports. You would be surprised how much that could sway the employer's decision.

5. References:

  • Ask people to be a reference before you give their names to a potential employer. Former bosses or supervisors and former teachers are always good choices for a reference.

[Back to top]

Rules on Writing your CV

Perfectly:
Include up to date information that is absolutely free of spelling and typing errors!

Length:
One to two pages seems brief but it is plenty.

Layout:
Consider the order in which you will list your information. If, for example, your main strength is work experience, not education, you will want to list work experience first. Choose the layout that best fits you. Remember, it MUST be easy to read.

Type Style:
Use a clear, readable type style.

Duplication:
You will want to have copies of your CV. Each copy must look like an original.

Format:
There are several styles possible in preparing a CV.

  • Chronological Format
    lists your work experience, job responsibilities, and accomplishments in each job by dates, beginning with the most recent. This style is most useful for people who have a steady employment record and who are seeking work of the same type they have done in the past.

  • Functional Format
    organizes work experience by skills areas. This type is best for those with gaps in their employment history, or are changing careers and wish to highlight skills.

  • Combination Format
    is the best of both. It emphasizes your skill and accomplishments and also includes a brief work history with the names of employers, dates, and job titles.

[Back to top]

Selling Oneself with Action Words

As in any part of advertising, it is important to make want you are offering seem useful and dynamic. In regards to a CV, you can do this by using action words. Simple, "I did this, I did that" will not cut it at an interview, so it will be the same with a CV.

Here are a list of positive action words that you could try to put into your CV:

AchievedDemonstratedImplementedPrevented
Acquired DesignedImprovedProduced
AdaptedDevelopedInformedProgrammed
Addressed DiscoveredInterpretedPromoted
AdministeredDraftedInterviewedProvided
Analysed EditedLaunchedPublished
AnticipatedEliminatedMaintainedRecruited
AssembledEnforcedManagedReported
BudgetedEstablishedMinimizedResearched
CalculatedEvaluatedMotivatedScheduled
ChangedExpandedNegotiatedSelected
CollaboratedExplainedObtainedSolved
ComposedFormedOperatedStrengthened
ConductedfoundedOrganizedSupervised
ConstructedGeneratedOriginatedTaught
Coordinated GuidedPerformedTrained
CreatedHiredPlannedUsed

[Back to top]