Step By Step complete Guide on How to Write An Effective CV

By Abdullateef Lawal

Curriculum vitae (CV) and Resume have often been interpreted to be the same, but they apart.

SIMILARITY BETWEEN CV & RESUME

Both the CV and the resume are used to secure employment, scholarships, grants among others, they show your qualifications, Competencies, and work experience.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CV & RESUME

NOTE: Your CV is also an highlights of all your relevant accomplishments. Hence do not make it too bulky and cumbersome as recruiters or hiring managers have thousands of applications and applicants to attend to)

For the purpose of this article We shall discuss how to develop a perfect and effective curriculum vitae (CV) breaking down the training into sections and steps for easy understanding and assimilation.

Curriculum vitae is a brief description of you, it gives details of your education, qualifications, experience and at times ambition. The CV is used for seeking for employment, scholarship, internship, fellowship, grants, appointments and others.

CONTENTS OF A QUALITY CV

RELEVANCE AND USES OF A CV

FORMAT OF A CV

There is no specific format for a CV, many formats are acceptable inasmuch as it encapsulate the relevant information needed and beautiful arranged, you may include some colors (one of two)

EXAMPLE OF A GOOD CV

Contact Information

Your contact information should entails your name, home address, email and phone number, kindly remove non relevant personal details like: Sex, Date of Birth, religion, marital status, Nationality, and State of origin Except if requested by the organization you’re sending your CV to, else all these information are irrelevant and will only consume space meant for other useful information.

Example of your contact information

ABDULLATEEF LAWAL KW1, Ibrahim Taiwo Road, Tudun Wada, Kaduna, Kaduna state. lawalabdullateef424@gmail.com, +2347069655569

PROFILE SUMMARY

Your professional Summary should be brief summary of your professional orientation, your focus and hope for the future.

Example of Profile Summary

Research-oriented capacity builder, with six years experience in the non-profit sector and robust interest in volunteerism, leadership, social enterprise and Civic engagement. An experienced statistical analysis of data, interpretation of results, preparation of reports, planning and executing new projects. Through persistency and consistency, Committed to creating jobs, eradicating poverty and promoting education, gender equality and peaceful coexistence.

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

Your skills and Competencies should be in bullet points, and should include relevant skills such as: • Problem solver • Microsoft office • Interpersonal skills • Organization skills. • Excel sheet. • Report writing. • Graphics design. • Team player
• Critical thinker. • Power Point • Perseverance

Examples of Skills and Competencies

KEY ACHIEVEMENT

Your key achievement should highlight an achievement you’re peculiarly proud about, these doesn’t necessarily need to be something big, it might what you achieved as a student, a volunteer, or even on personal level.

Example of Key Achievement

Led a team of 5 youths that successfully trained 1,000 youths on digital marketing.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

It is important to note that your primary and secondary School certificate are irrelevant in your CV except if they are your highest qualification. Your Education qualifications should be highlight your highest educational qualifications. This should include the institution you attended and the date you attain the certificate.

Example of Educational Qualification

PROFESSIONAL WORK EXPERIENCE

Your professional work experience can be your volunteering experience, internship experience, IT experience and National Youth Service Corps work experience among others.

It is important to note most organization are looking out for applicants experience, and it doesn’t matter if you’ve worked with Google, United Nations or world bank, what matters in your professional experience is what have you done or achieved during these experiences. List your key role and achievements. Don’t just write name of the organization/company, the positions you held and date, no, include the details of your role.

Example of Professional (work) experience

Please ensure your experience are tailored to the role you’re applying for.

EXTRA CURRICULUM

Writing your extra curriculum may not be necessary if you don’t have any, meanwhile your extra curriculum can be other things you do that are relevant to the job you’re applying for, it may include your volunteering experience with both local and international organization, it may be include your personal volunteering work among others.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Your professional activities are professional workshop, training, conference and convention you attended, it may include fellowship programs you participated in.

Example of Professional Activities

TRAINING AND CERTIFICATE

The training and Certificate are the professional trainings and course you have attended, they are but not limited to online training, short courses among others.

AWARDS AND HONORS

Here you’re expected to list the awards and recognition you have received, no award or recognition is too small.

PUBLICATION AND RESEARCH

Here you’re expected to list your publications and researches

This article shall be updated

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