Faculty of Honours

Language Skills (393003)

Instructor: Ms. Yameen Itaiwi / Jabr

How to Write a
Professional
CV / Résumé?

Page | 1
Contents
I. What is a CV/ Résumé?............................................................................... 137
II. Sample CVs ...................................................................................................... 138
III. Types of CVs ................................................................................................. 141
IV. Sections of a CV ........................................................................................... 146
1. Contact Information: ................................................................................ 146
2. CV Objective and Summary: .................................................................. 147
3. Experience (rather than Employment): ........................................... 152
4. Education: ..................................................................................................... 153
5. Skills: ............................................................................................................... 154
6. Interests & Hobbies or Personal Interests: ..................................... 156
7. Referees: ........................................................................................................ 157
V. Features of a Good CV and Mistakes to Avoid................................... 160
VI. Online Templates ....................................................................................... 161
VII. Sending Your Application ....................................................................... 161
VIII. References .................................................................................................... 162
 Job Hunting: Curriculum Vitae / Résumé

I. What is a CV/ Résumé?

 A curriculum vitae (CV) is a concise written document that summarizes your education, work
experience, skills, achievements, and interests, which you send to employers when you are
looking for a job. It is used to get you an interview. A CV is called a “résumé” in American
English.

 Curriculum Vitae is Latin for "course of life” while résumé is French for "summary."

 A CV should be tailored for the specific job/company you are applying to and should
represent you as the best qualified candidate.

 Before you start writing your CV, look at the skills and competencies that the hiring
department requires. You can identify these from the job advertisement or your own
research. Once you are clear what the employer wants, start to tailor your CV to the post.

 A CV should be well organized, carefully designed, consistently formatted, easy to read, and
free of errors.

 Experiment to determine a layout and design that is attractive and uncluttered. Consistency
is especially important on a résumé. Be sure to use, for example, the same date formats
(5/2009 or May 2009), punctuation, and spacing throughout. Proofreading is essential. Be
truthful and verify the accuracy of the information and have someone else review it. For
hard-copy résumés, use a quality printer and high-grade paper.

Sources:
Alred, Gerald J., et al. Handbook of Technical Writing. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011, p.471.
Resume vs. Curriculum Vitae: What's the Difference?
https://icc.ucdavis.edu/materials/resume/resumecv
II. Sample CVs
Source: https://resumegenius.com/resume-samples/college-student-resume-example

Source:
Alred, Gerald
J., et al.
Handbook of
Technical
Writing.
Bedford/St.
Martin’s,
2011, p.473.
Source: Anderson, Paul V. Technical Communication: A Reader-Centered Approach. 9th ed.,
Cengage Learning, 2018, p.27
III. Types of CVs

The standard chronological format has more space for your work experience, the functional
format has more space for skills, and the combination format balances both sections.

1. A reverse chronological CV:

This is the standard format and the most commonly used format. The chronological résumé lists
work history (experience) job by job but in reverse order, starting with the most recent position.
Other sections, such as education and additional activities are smaller and usually listed toward the
bottom of the page.
This format makes emphasizes career progression and achievements because it lists each job you
have had in the order you have had it. This format also makes it easy for recruiters to spot relevant
information fast and gives a complete picture of a candidate in a clear and structured way.
The chronological style works well for candidates who have experience in their field of employment
and for those who show steady career growth, but it is less appropriate for people who have changed
jobs frequently or who have gaps in their employment records. Even if you are a recent graduate
applying for your first job, you can use this format. Simply focus on experience you have gained
from volunteering, internships, or student government positions.

2. Functional format (for highlighting skills):

A functional resume, or a skill-based CV, is useful if you are applying to a role without direct
experience. A concise summary of your work history normally precedes or follows your relevant
skills section to provide context and evidence.
Functional résumé focuses on a candidate’s skills rather than on past employment. Like a
chronological résumé, a functional résumé begins with the candidate’s name, contact information,
job objective, and education. Instead of listing jobs, though, the information is arranged to
highlight the transferability of your skills, with details presented under different skills
categories.
Why you should use a functional resume: to focus on your transferable skills, instead of
outlining your work history chronologically, functional resumes feature a large skills section.
Each skill acts as a heading and provides space for you to include bullet-point examples of you
using that skill in a professional setting. No timeframe is necessary, making this appealing for
applicants with experience gaps.
A functional résumé format highlights accomplishments and can de-emphasize a negative
employment history. It is normally used by people who:
 are changing career direction and their skills will impress employers more than their prior
experience
 have gaps in their employment history
 move a lot between jobs
 have little or unrelated employment experience or education

3. Combination/ Hybrid format (for equally emphasizing skills and

experience):
A combination resume, also known as hybrid resumes, blends the structure of the chronological and
functional resume formats. Combination resumes;
 lead with a big skills section (like a functional resume)
 end with a detailed work experience section (like a chronological resume)
If this seems like a lot of information to include, that is the point. Combination resumes are best if
you have developed many skills over your career, and have plenty of experience using those skills. A
combination resume could be a two-page resume because the applicant will likely have many years
of experience, skills, and accomplishments to highlight.

A combination resume format is used when you want to:

 want to showcase a relevant and well-developed skill set for a high-level leadership or
technical role
 want to transfer to a different industry and have many transferable skills
 are a master at what you do

Sources:
Guffey, Mary, and Dana Loewy. Essentials of Business Communication. 10th ed., Cengage
Learning, 2016, p.437.
“The Best Resume Format in 2023,” ResumeGenius.com. https://resumegenius.com/blog/
resume-help/resume-format.
Source: Guffey, Mary, and Dana Loewy. Essentials of Business Communication. 10th ed., Cengage
Learning, 2016, p.444.
Source: Guffey, Mary, and Dana Loewy. Essentials of Business Communication. 10th ed., Cengage
Learning, 2016, p.446.
Source: “The
Best Resume
Format in
2023,”
ResumeGeniu
s.com.
https://resume
genius.com/bl
og/
resume-
help/resume-
format.
IV. Sections of a CV
Standard sections of a CV are:
1. Contact information
2. Resume summary/objective
3. Experience (and Accomplishments)
4. Education
5. Skills
6. Additional sections, e.g. interests and hobbies
7. Referees

Remember, however, that you can alter the sequence you put them in, and you can alter the titles to
suit the application you are making. For example, you could use the heading “Teaching Experience”
instead of “Experience” if you are applying for a teaching job.

1. Contact Information:
Your contact information and name should be the very first thing hiring managers see when they
glance at your resume. To help your information stand out, put it in your resume header at the top
of the page, and type your first and last name in a large font to make it memorable.

At a minimum, your resume should include your:

 First and last name
 Current job title (if you have one)
 Professional email
 Phone number, starting with an area code
Additionally, consider adding your LinkedIn to your resume header if you have a strong profile.
What you do NOT need to include?
 The words ‘Curriculum Vitae’ or ‘CV’
 Date of birth and/or age
 Marital status, disability, children, partner, gender, racial background, religion
 Nationality – unless you want to show that you do have the Right to Work in the country in
question
 Also, given that we now send and receive resumes digitally, it is no longer necessary to include
your address, but if you like you can include your city and state.
 As for photos, it is best to avoid putting them in your resume.
Before sending out your application, double-check that all your contact information is correct. No
matter how strong of a candidate you are, it will not matter if employers cannot reach you. Here is an
example of how to list your contact information on your resume:
2. CV Objective and Summary:
This is a short section at the top of your resume that highlights your key strengths and most
valuable skills and qualifications. It is your first, best shot at grabbing a hiring manager’s
attention, and you only have seconds to do it. If it does not hook the reader during that first
viewing, your resume is likely to end up in the “no” pile.

What is the difference between an objective and a summary?

A resume objective is short, one or two sentences long focusing on your intent and motivation. It
is specific about the position and type of employment desired and identifies the kind of career you
are seeking. It also showcases your skills, relevant experiences and qualifications, but puts the
emphasis on how you will help the company meet its goals.

Objectives are best for you are a recent graduate or entry-level candidate writing a resume for your
first job, or if you are writing a resume for a career change because it allows you to highlight your
career goals as well as your key skills and experience without relying heavily on formal work
experience.

Here is an example of a resume objective for an entry-level candidate:

A resume summary is a 2-5 sentence introduction at the top of your resume that showcases your
key achievements, experience, qualifications, and skills that are relevant to the target position. It
highlights your specific strengths, skills and core competencies. This can help the screener and/or
hiring manager understand how you will add value to the organization. You can think of your
resume summary as a sales pitch that explains why you are the best person for the job.
A professional summary is longer and provides more detail than an objective statement. Professional
summaries are most helpful for experienced professionals who aim to demonstrate the applicability
of skills from a range or depth of past experiences for a specific type of position.

Here is an example of a resume that highlights the candidate’s achievements:

How to write a good resume objective?
To write a good resume objective, first research the company and think about how your
personal background (experience, skills, education, and interests) makes you the best fit for the
role. Why should the specific company hire you for that job opening? What makes you better than
other applicants? Once you determine which of your information is most likely to stand out to the
employer, summarize it in three sentences, like this:

 Sentence #1: Self-introduction where you mention your years of relevant experience (if
any) and degree or level of education
 Sentence #2: Your most job-relevant hard and soft skills
 Sentence #3: The role you are targeting and how you plan to help the company achieve
its goals
Resume objectives include details like relevant coursework, volunteer work, and GPAs to make up
for a lack of professional experience. If you are writing a resume to begin your career, you can
also include that information and other extracurricular activities in your resume objective to
compete with more experienced applicants.

How to write a good resume summary?

Most resume summaries are roughly three sentences long, and include the following information:
 Sentence #1: Your biggest selling points as a candidate, including how many years of
relevant work experience you have
 Sentence #2: One or more specific accomplishments or skills from your career to show
employers what they can expect from you if hired for their open position
 Sentence #3: Additional skills or certifications you think help separate you from other
candidates, such as a related license or online certificate
Can you say “I” in a resume objective/summary?
No, you generally should try to avoid saying “I” in a resume objective/summary. Your resume
should always be written in implied first person perspective (meaning you exclude first-person
pronouns like “I” or “me”).

Objective/Summary Tips:
 Keep it job focused. Your resume is a sales document. It is about what you can do for the
employer, not what the employer can do for you.
 Concise writing is critical. Because employers read resumes quickly, writing concisely helps
them learn more about you. Phrases rather than complete sentences are the norm within
resumes. Additionally, personal pronouns are not used within resume writing (no “I…” or
“my…” statements).
 Avoid general statements such as “seeking a position with the opportunity for growth and
advancement” or “seeking a position to advance my career.” Most applicants want to work
for growing companies or desire advancement, so identifying these goals in your objective
does not help you stand out.
 Examples of Resume Objectives / Summaries:
 If you do not have work experience:

The first
sentence: one
of these two
options:
Recent college graduate with a BA in English Literature and six months of
international internship experience. Dedicated worker skilled at data entry and
taking dictation. Seeking to leverage acquired academic knowledge and work
experience to effectively fill AZZ Inc’s open Office Clerk position.

 College student resume objective example:

Motivated college junior with 2+ years’ experience volunteering as an ESL
tutor. Became the most-requested tutor at the ESL center thanks to my ability
to quickly identify students’ needs and develop efficient solutions. Excited to
bring these skills to College Prep Corp’s part-time Tutor position.

 If you have some work experience:

Certified and highly qualified English and literature teacher with 4+ years in
teaching middle and high school students. Well-versed with the English language,
modern teaching approaches, and assessment methods. Looking forward to
creating a favorable learning environment for English students at Oaks Ridge high
School.

Multilingual translator with 3 years experience as an Englis-Arabic translator for

projects ranging from documents, transcription, and website content. Looking to
improve translation skills by joining the diverse team at Acme Corporation.

 A resume summary:
3. Experience (rather than Employment):
This is where your professional accomplishments should really shine. Your experience section
should show employers that you have specific valuable skills relevant to the position.

If you are writing a chronological resume, you should list your most recent position first (and
give more details for them), followed by your previous positions in reverse-chronological order.

For each position you have held, include the following information:
 Company name and location
 Your title
 Dates of employment, start and end dates
 Three to five bullet points detailing your main responsibilities and achievements that are
relevant to the job you are applying for

Some tips:
 When describing your responsibilities and achievements (in bullets), use positive "action
verbs" without using the word "I" (for example: achieved, co-ordinated, completed, dealt
with, developed, established, handled, implemented, improved, supervised, trained, and
translated). Use present-tense verbs for current job and past-tense verbs for
achievements and previous jobs.

 Even if you do not have much paid work experience, you can include voluntary work,
student society roles, internships or extracurricular activities as long as they are relevant
to the job you are applying for. In this case, change the section header from “Work
Experience” to “Relevant Experience.”

 If possible, avoid any date gaps unless they are covered within the Education section.

 Do not mention how much you were paid.

4. Education:
List formal educational qualifications only in this table (e.g. university and secondary school, but
not a language school or part-time courses), stating the most recent (and highest level) qualifications
first.
To make your education stand out, here what you should include in your education section:

 The name of your university or college (If the university is one of the top universities in
your country, state this fact. The interviewer may not know it.)
 Location of your university or college (city, state)
 Graduation date (month and year)
 Type of degree (BA: Bachelor of Art, BS: Bachelor of Science, MA: Master of Art, PHD,
Diploma) and field of study (including any minors)
 GPA (only if it is above 3.5, and use this format: GPA: 3.7/4.0)
 Awards or honors
Tip:
If you are writing a recent graduate resume, you can expand your education section to compensate for a
lack of work experience. In this case, list relevant coursework on your resume, as well as any awards,
honors, and academic achievements. However, if you already have a lot of professional
experience, it is best to keep your education section short and omit any academic awards, as well
as your GPA.
5. Skills:
Your resume skills section should include a mix of hard and soft skills that are relevant to the
job you want.

Tip

Not sure what skills to include on your resume? The best place to look is the job advertisement
itself. If the recruiter mentions any specific required or desirable skills they are looking for in their
ideal candidate, then you should include as many of these as possible in your skills section.

Another Tip:

Do not only use your skills section to list skills. You are missing out on a great opportunity to
impress hiring managers if you do not include them in your relevant experience section.

For example, take a look at the following job description, with some key skills underlined in blue:
Below you can see how the applicant targets these key skills (in the experience section), again
underlined in blue, showing how they have applied these abilities.

Underlined in orange are several additional skills that are highly relevant to working at WWF, a
charitable organization that depends on public awareness and support to succeed:

Meanwhile, use your skills section to include your other relevant skills that do not
naturally fit into your relevant experience section:
6. Interests & Hobbies or Personal Interests:
Should you put your hobbies and interests on a resume?
If you already have a few years of work experience
and can fill a one page resume with relevant
professional skills and qualifications, do not put
hobbies and interests on your resume.

However, if you lack work experience, you should

choose up to five hobbies and interests on your
resume. Interests and hobbies help show
employers that you are a well-rounded applicant,
and in many cases demonstrate important hard and
soft skills, but you should tailor your interests list
to the job advertisement.

Also, if you lack work experience, consider making your resume interests section more detailed. For
instance, you can include a brief one-line description for each interest that explains what you do or
how it relates to the role. If possible, quantify each point by adding specific details and hard
numbers such as percentages or time. Example:
Some examples of interests and hobbies to include in your resume:

 Including a solo sport like jogging conveys that you are self-motivated and disciplined. And
with group sports, such as being part of an amateur football league, you communicate to
employers that you are capable of working with a team. Being the captain of an amateur
sports team demonstrates leadership skills and interpersonal skills — which are highly
valuable in any professional setting.

 Putting volunteer work on your resume is a great way to showcase your community
engagement, generosity, and time management skills. This would be a great addition to your
resume if you are applying for a role at a not-for-profit organization or a company that values
social responsibility.

 Including foreign language skills on your resume shows dedication, initiative, and
communication skills. An interest in learning foreign languages is especially beneficial if you
are applying for jobs that involve international travel, multinational sales, or tourism.

 Listing your membership in a local sports, social, or academic club as an interest on your
resume is a great way to highlight your interpersonal skills to potential employers. Including
chess as a hobby shows hiring managers you are comfortable with strategy and can stay
focused on challenging tasks.

7. Referees:
A referee is a person who can answer questions about your work history, qualifications, skills and
work ethic. Your referees should prove your professional strengths and character to an employer.
People you have worked with or studied with in the past generally work best as referees.

Do you put referees on a resume?

No, you do not usually put referees on a resume. Most employers do not ask for eferees at the start
of the hiring process. Listing referees on your resume takes up valuable space that could be better
used to market yourself as the ideal applicant. The only time you must include referees on your
actual resume is if the job description or hiring manager specifically requests it.

Tip: Never add the phrase “Reference available upon request” on your resume. This outdated
phrase takes up valuable space and restates what every hiring manager already knows.

Who can be your referee?

 former employers, especially a mentor, supervisor, or boss (they can vouch for your
professional competence and reliability)
 a coworker
 your teacher/lecturer/tutor (they can vouch for your academic abilities)
 your PhD supervisor or examiner
Tip: Ask your referees permission to include them in your CV in advance.
What information related to referees to include in your CV?
Include the following details when adding referees to your CV:
 Their full name
 The name of the organization they currently work for
 Their current job title
 Their email address and phone number
 A brief description of your relationship with them and how long you have known or worked
with them.

How to format your list of referees?

You might want to format your referee list in reverse chronological order, starting with the one you
worked with most recently. Otherwise, you could begin with the one that would provide the most
positive feedback and continue downward from there.

Example:
Sources:
“40+ Hobbies and Interests to Put on Your Resume.” Resume Genius.
https://resumegenius.com/blog/resume-help/interests-on-resume
“54+ Resume Objective Examples & Writing Help.” Resume Genius.
https://resumegenius.com/blog/resume-help/resume-objective-
examples#:~:text=First%20sentence%3A%20Self%2Dintroduction%20where,the%20compa
ny%20achieve%20its%20goals
“Extracurricular Activities for Your Resume: 10 Good Examples.” Resume Genius.
https://resumegenius.com/blog/resume-help/extra-curricular-activities-in-resume
“How To Include Referees in a CV (With Tips and Examples).” Indeed.
https://sg.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/referee-in-cv
“How to List References on a Resume (Examples + Template).” Resume Genius.
https://resumegenius.com/blog/resume-help/references-on-resume#
“How to List Relevant Coursework on a Resume.” Resume Genius.
https://resumegenius.com/blog/resume-help/relevant-coursework-resume
“How to Write a Resume Objective vs. Resume Summary Statement | 40 Professional Samples
(Video).” Resume Genius.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNjYGOa1agM
“Recent College Graduate Resume: Examples & How to Write.” Resume Genius.
https://resumegenius.com/blog/resume-help/college-graduate-resume#

“Resume Basics | Tips for Resume Format, Type, and Sections.” Resume Genius.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKJnZSCH1ko&t=82s
“Standard Resume Sections You Need for a Resume.” Resume Genius.
https://resumegenius.com/blog/resume-help/resume-sections#
V. Features of a Good CV and Mistakes to Avoid

Good CV Bad CV
 Concise and One-page long  Too long (Unless you have more than 10
years of professional experience, or you
 Easy to read, contains bullets and blank are writing an academic CV, you should
spaces between sections write a one-page resume.)
 Error-free  Disorganized and difficult to read; uses
too many different fonts
 Tailored/ Customized to each job posting
and includes only relevant information  Contains typos, grammar and spelling
(Check the job description for specific errors
keywords to include in your resume.)
 Includes generic information that is not
 If it is a chronological CV, list recent jobs relevant to the job
first and then go backward.
 Focuses on job responsibilities and fails
 Includes strong action verbs to describe to highlight your accomplishments
responsibilities and achievements
 Exaggerate your abilities or lies about
 Evidence-based with specific examples of them
achievements backed up with numbers,
percentages, and values to quantify your  Uses unprofessional fonts like
impact Courier, Impact, Papyrus, and Comic
 Uses professional fonts like Arial, Georgia, Sans
and Times New Roman and fonts are
 Contains distracting graphics
consistent

Sources:
“14 Common Resume Mistakes to Avoid.” Resume Genius.
https://resumegenius.com/blog/resume-help/resume-mistakes
“Resume Dos and Don'ts.” Resume Genius.
https://resumegenius.com/blog/resume-help/resume-dos-and-donts
“Top 5 Worst Resume Mistakes (With Bad Resume Examples).” Resume Genius.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G6RJgClJkk&t=9s
VI. Online Templates
 Canva: https://www.canva.com/

 Resume Genius: https://resumegenius.com/

VII. Sending Your Application

Check your CV carefully before sending it. Use the spell-checker on the computer. Ask another person to
proofread it for you.

Convert your résumé into PDF before sending them to an employer to ensure it keeps its formatting.

If you should print your CV out, use good quality white A4 paper.
VIII. References
Alred, Gerald J., et al. Handbook of Technical Writing. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011.
Guffey, Mary, and Dana Loewy. Essentials of Business Communication. 10th ed., Cengage
Learning, 2016.
“14 Common Resume Mistakes to Avoid.” Resume Genius.
https://resumegenius.com/blog/resume-help/resume-mistakes
“40+ Hobbies and Interests to Put on Your Resume.” Resume Genius.
https://resumegenius.com/blog/resume-help/interests-on-resume
“54+ Resume Objective Examples & Writing Help.” Resume Genius.
https://resumegenius.com/blog/resume-help/resume-objective-
examples#:~:text=First%20sentence%3A%20Self%2Dintroduction%20where,the%20compa
ny%20achieve%20its%20goals
“Extracurricular Activities for Your Resume: 10 Good Examples.” Resume Genius.
https://resumegenius.com/blog/resume-help/extra-curricular-activities-in-resume
“How to List Relevant Coursework on a Resume.” Resume Genius.
https://resumegenius.com/blog/resume-help/relevant-coursework-resume
“How to Write a Resume Objective vs. Resume Summary Statement | 40 Professional Samples
(Video).” Resume Genius.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNjYGOa1agM
“Recent College Graduate Resume: Examples & How to Write.” Resume Genius.
https://resumegenius.com/blog/resume-help/college-graduate-resume#
“Resume Basics | Tips for Resume Format, Type, and Sections.” Resume Genius.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKJnZSCH1ko&t=82s
“Standard Resume Sections You Need for a Resume.” Resume Genius.
https://resumegenius.com/blog/resume-help/resume-sections#
“Top 5 Worst Resume Mistakes (With Bad Resume Examples).” Resume Genius.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G6RJgClJkk&t=9s