CV Writing Formats

No hard and fast rules

Contrary to what many people believe, there are no hard and fast rules for writing a CV, although there are a few generally accepted principles. However, that being the case when writing a CV it is essential to bear in mind what you are trying to achieve. The aim of the CV is to ‘sell’ your services to a prospective employer.

The first hurdle

The first, and therefore in many ways the most important thing to remember is that you must make sure that the prospective employer actually reads the CV. The page needs to look inviting and uncluttered. Remember when writing a CV that it will probably be one among many. If there is too much detail, with long paragraphs of prose, it may not even be read at all.

Some generally accepted principles

Your CV needs to be on two (or maximum three pages). If you find that it is impossible to fit your informaiton into this space, then you are doing it wrong and it might be advisable for you to seek professional help with writing your CV.
 
Dates generally need to be in reverse chronoligical order (latest first).

Prioritise your information. As your career progresses the Education and Qualifications section will generally be of less importance than the practical experience represented by the Career History. 
Bulleted lists are generally better than paragraphs of prose. However in order to be effective a bullet point needs to be carefully formatted, it should not should not simply be used as a paragraph divider.

Names of References should not be included. Nowadays it is considered bad form to include other people’s names and addresses on your CV. The best thing is to put ‘available upon request’ which has the additional advantage of enabling you to monitor progress. If reference details are requested, then you know you are making some progress!

see also Writing a CV 
Things to do when writing a CV
Things not to do when Writing a CV
Ten Top Tips for Writing a CV

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