Last Updated February 15, 2024
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Samantha Oro Samantha Oro, BA, MA
Samantha Oro is a content writer for LawDepot’s content marketing team. Samantha obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Canadian University College (now Burman Universit...
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What is a Curriculum Vitae (CV)?
A Curriculum Vitae, or CV, is a formal document you write to outline your employment and education experience for employers. Writing a well-crafted CV is essential when preparing job applications as it’s employers' first impression of you as a candidate.
Employers review your CV for your work experience, applicable education, and skills to determine if you qualify for a position. Often, your CV is what secures you interviews.
A CV is also known as a:
- Resume
- Employment history
- Professional profile
What is the difference between a CV and a resume?
A CV and resume are similar in highlighting your work experience, education, and skills for employers. However, resumes are typically shorter documents used outside of the United Kingdom.
CVs are the most common in the UK as they provide more detail about your career and education. The types of CVs can include an employment CV for job applications or a longer academic CV for grad school or research positions.
What is a CV Builder?
A CV Builder, also known as a CV creator, is a template that allows you to create a custom CV in minutes. LawDepot’s CV Builder lets you choose a template and guides you through the writing process to ensure you include all the information potential employers need.
Simply answer the questions about yourself to customise your CV for your applications. Once you finish creating your document, it’s easy to save and download a PDF copy and make updates whenever you need.
How to write a CV
A well-written CV is concise and demonstrates the skills you can contribute to a job opportunity. Creating a unique CV for each application is highly recommended when job hunting to show employers why you’re the best candidate.
LawDepot’s easy-to-use CV Builder can help you write a custom CV if you’re looking for your first job, a promotion, a career change, freelance work, and more. Our template helps you complete the following steps:
1. Describe your work experience
Including your work experience is essential to show what duties and skills your previous roles have given you. Focus on experiences with similar responsibilities to the job posting in which you’re applying.
If you don’t have much job experience, you may want to list all your previous jobs. No matter what, always start with your most recent employment first. You must include the following information:
- Employer’s name
- The position you held
- A description of your duties
- Start and end dates
When describing your previous responsibilities, consider using action words to describe what you did to stand out to employers. For example:
- Upgraded the booking system for staff for practical improvements.
- Demonstrated product knowledge to current and future buyers.
- Trained new hires in software and project development.
- Led group development meetings for marketing and social media.
2. List your education
An overview of your education helps employers see your accomplishments and ability to learn new skills. If you don’t have a lot of work experience, your education is where you will demonstrate your abilities for a job. When you list your education, include:
- Type of education
- School name
- Degree and field of study
- Graduation or end date, unless you’re currently enrolled
If relevant to the position, you can add your GCSEs and A-levels to any other diplomas or certificates. However, only add your grades for your education if the job application requires it or if they strengthen your CV.
3. List your skills and awards
Employers will tell you what they are looking for in their job postings, so focus on the skills related to the position to show you’re the best candidate. You will need to include a combination of soft and hard skills in your CV.
- Soft skills are character traits and interpersonal abilities that people learn over time. Soft skills include leadership, creativity, teamwork, decision-making, and more.
- Hard skills are the specific knowledge and qualifications you develop from work experience. Examples of hard skills are using programs like Adobe, knowing how to fix a car, bookkeeping, or specific teaching methods.
Also, consider listing any professional or academic awards you’ve earned. These can include things like scholarships and certificates. Then, follow up with any associations or professional organisations you’re a member of that apply to your field and expand your qualifications.
4. List your volunteer experience
Listing any volunteer experience helps employers see your other transferable skills and willingness to work with others. If your volunteer experience is related to the job you are applying for, add this to your CV to help you stand out from other applicants.
LawDepot’s CV Builder allows you to add all your contact information and your location if you feel it will be helpful knowledge for recruiters. You will include your:
- Name
- Email
- Contact number
Most employers will contact people by phone or email. So, using a professional-looking email address is important, as employers may not respond to applications with unprofessional emails.
6. Add personalisations
As you build your CV, include any additional information that will help showcase your qualifications as a strong candidate. LawDepot’s CV Builder allows you to add:
- Work samples such as links to websites and portfolios that exhibit your experience and history for industry-specific jobs.
- Personal interests like photography and building computers to demonstrate transferable skills.
- A career objective that expresses your goal in applying for a specific position.
How long should a CV be?
The general length of a CV is one to two pages. However, a CV is unique to you and will be a different length to that of a colleague or friend, as your experience and skills determine the exact size.
Remember, keeping your CV concise will give employers a clear picture of your experience, even at a glance.
What should not go on a CV?
Your CV should only have the relevant information needed for the job application. You should not include:
- Unprofessional information or language
- Unnecessary personal details (e.g., age, sex, marital status, religion, etc.)
- A photo of yourself
- The words “Curriculum Vitae” or “CV” as the title
LawDepot’s CV Builder will not prompt you to add anything irrelevant to your CV.
Should I list references on my CV?
Generally, you don’t include references on your CV. Instead, you can create a Reference List and submit it separately upon an employer's request.
Also, you can request a Letter of Recommendation from your current or previous employer, mentors, or tutors to highlight your qualifications.
Do I need a Cover Letter for my CV?
Yes, a Cover Letter is a fantastic way to customise your application. A Cover Letter highlights your qualifications and demonstrates your communication skills to complement your CV. Employers appreciate a well-written cover letter with applications to get to know you more as a potential candidate.
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