A Curriculum Vitae (CV) (known as résumé in America) is a document that contains a summary or listing of relevant job experience and education, usually for the purpose of obtaining an interview when seeking employment.

Here are few tips to write a presentable CV.

Presentation:

• CV should be a well-written concise document that is no longer than two-pages.
• It should be well presented and laid out, with lots of white space. Avoid complex formatting, shading, boxes and stylised fonts.
• Avoid using long paragraphs and sentences.
• Keep your CV honest and factual.
• Sell yourself and be positive.
• Information must be in reverse chronological order (most recent first).
• No misspellings or grammatical errors.

Personal Profile: Include a personal profile of three to four lines that sums up your key experience, skills, achievements and motivations. Ensure that a little of your personality is also conveyed.

Work Experience: Employers are interested in how you can solve their problems! Work experience should therefore focus on your achievements and accomplishments, and should highlight the benefits that your work has had for an organisation. These should be backed up by facts and figures if possible.

Must avoid the following:

• Reason for leaving: This will be covered in the interview.
• Salary details: This can knock you out of contention before you have started.
• Photographs: Do not include photos in CV unless specifically asked by the employer.
• Weaknesses: Never tell what you do not have or what you have not had the opportunity to do yet.
• Jargon: Ensure your CV is reader friendly to as many people as possible.
• References: You can state that they are available on request, but it is inappropriate and unprofessional to include them in your CV.
• Marital Status, Religion, Nationality, Children etc.: This has no bearing on your ability to do the job.