CV Preparation Made Easy
A Curriculum Vitae (CV) portrays an individual's academic and professional achievements. Generally, a CV is of 1-2 pages. However, there is no limit to the number of pages a CV can have. CV preparation is a task, that allows an individual to actually "blow their trumpet" by listing their academic qualifications, memberships in organizations, work experiences, research works, publications, presentations, and references.
An educated person would always like to enrich his or her CV with achievements, as they climb the professional ladder. A longer CV is regarded better and more impressive. But, that doesn't mean it gives the person freedom to insert any irrelevant information in the process of CV preparation.
Quick Tips for CV Preparation
- CV should be precise and clear.
- It should be attractive and presented in an organized format.
- There should not be a single mistake in spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
- One should be particular in updating one's CV regularly. In no case should a candidate produce an old CV during job interview.
- One should start CV preparation right from school life, even though there is not much to write about at that time.
- CV preparation during student life serves as a motivator to fill in the blanks in the accomplishment area and thus, work hard towards it.
- Besides CV, one can keep a file of one's accomplishments. This makes it easy to update the curriculum vitae.
- It is advisable to revise one's CV twice a year; monthly revision is better.
- Before sending your CV for job application, it's good to have an experienced person review it to detect any errors.
Contents of CV
A typical CV consists of the following:
- Personal Details
- Name
- Address
- Phone number(s)
- E-mail
- Academic Qualifications
- Postgraduate degree
- Graduate degree(s), major/minor subjects, thesis/dissertation topics, honors

- Undergraduate degree(s), majors/minor subjects, honors
- Professional Certifications
- Academic Experiences
- Courses taught
- Teaching innovations
- Teaching evaluations
- Technical as well as Specialized Skills
- Other Experience
- Professional/Academic Awards
- Professional enhancements
- Conferences/seminars/workshops attended and other activities
- Research/Scholarly achievements
- Books
- Journal articles
- Magazine articles
- Papers presented
- Ezine articles
- Current work
- Grants and scholarships
- Services
- Academic services
- Professional services
- Community services
- Affiliations/Memberships
- Foreign Languages
- Volunteer Work
- References
There is no uniform format for CV preparation. However, it's wise to present your name in bold letters at the top of CV. This should follow with your correspondence address and telephone numbers as well as e-mail. Another important thing is, to write only those achievements that one has done. It's vital to be honest in the process of CV preparation. Your reputation as well as credibility reflects in it and once it's damaged, it's almost impossible to repair.
A CV speaks about one's skills, capabilities, and accomplishments. It has to be perfect. There is no doubt about it.