Guide cv 1 Copyright ? McGill Career Planning Service HOW TO WRITE A CV We see a lot of CVs at CaPS Every year we read and review literally thousands of them for job internship grad school and funding applications They are from students of all levels repr
Copyright ? McGill Career Planning Service HOW TO WRITE A CV We see a lot of CVs at CaPS Every year we read and review literally thousands of them for job internship grad school and funding applications They are from students of all levels representing each of the faculties and schools at McGill While there is de ?nitely room for individual variation some things clearly work better than others Use the information tips and samples in this guide to start writing and organizing your CV then come to a CaPS CV drop- in or make an appointment for an individual consultation to ensure that your applications are as professional and customized as they can be GETTING STARTED What ? s the point of a CV A CV provides a potential employer with a quick summary overview of your experience background and skills to help them decide if you are a good candidate to invite for an interview CVs are also often required as part of graduate professional school applications General guidelines Writing a CV is an art not a science The goal is not to force your content into a particular template but rather to ?nd a format and style that highlights your experience and strengths The order and emphasis of your sections should also re ect the level of priority of your reader Put yourself in the shoes of your reader Can they easily ?nd the information they are looking for Is it clear why you would be a good ?t for the job Use concrete examples when describing your experience What did you do accomplish Your CV needs to be consistent and clear in terms of its style and format professional in its content and overall presentation and as much as possible speci ?cally targeted to the position company ?eld you are applying to Do your research For your applications to be e ?ective you need to demonstrate knowledge of the employer and what they are looking for Be intentional and informed not generic Length In Canada outside of academia your CV can be up to two pages There are a few exceptions including the management business sector which tends to prefer one page Ask at CaPS if you are unsure about norms for your particular ?eld geographic area The ??Master CV ? - Your ?rst draft To make customizing your CV for each application easier we recommend compiling a ??master CV ? that includes everything This document will likely be several pages long but since it ? s just for you that ? s OK The idea is to have a comprehensive record of your activities experiences and accomplishments that you can draw on for future applications Use the Common CV Components list on the next page to get started How to Write a CV Copyright ? McGill Career Planning Service COMMON CV COMPONENTS These are the basic components of a CV for a current undergraduate student or recent graduate While your Contact Information always comes ?rst