7 Tips for Writing a Successful CV

By Felix Chiu
BGE Career Strategy & Professional Development

7 Tips for Writing a Successful CV

Curriculum vitaes (CVs) should be an overview of your academic/professional career. Include all relevant information to the job and position you are applying for. Possible sections to include: education, research, professional experience, awards, publications, presentations, grants, teaching experience, scientific techniques, professional memberships, community outreach, and university involvement.
CVs generally do not have any length restrictions and very few format restrictions.
While you are not restricted to using a particular format for your CV, a simple and easy to follow format is highly suggested. Make it clear where one accomplishment ends and the next one begins. Order accomplishments in a way that makes sense: break them down into relevant subcategories (education, teaching experience, etc.), and within those subcategories order them in reverse chronological order.
Remain consistent with how you display your information throughout the document. Changing the placement of the date or location halfway through your CV can get confusing to the reader.
Present all publications with an official citation (like one you would reference in a research paper), and remain consistent in reference style/format.
Be descriptive of your experiences, but be concise. The CV should summarize your accomplishments, not describe them in detail.
Eliminate all spelling and grammatical errors!

If you are having trouble getting started:

Take a look at your most recent resume. Your CV is almost a modified version of your resume; many of the same experiences will still be very relevant. Identify the most relevant experiences, and convert them into a CV format.
See this resource: Tips for a Successful CV

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