GENERAL
TIPS ON FORM AND STYLE
Even though content determines the
length of your CV, you should aim for a tightly constructed, succinct and
efficient presentation of your credentials. There is no excuse for
typographical error in your CV. Proofread and ask others to proofread for
you. Careless errors send a very bad message. Begin your CV well before you
need to submit it to allow time for critiques and proofreading. Unambiguous,
concise descriptive language that facilitates speedy processing of critical
information is essential. Avoid overly dense text with little white space
separating entries. Create an organizational hierarchy and apply it
consistently throughout your CV.
Polishing
Your Work
Thus far, attention has been focused
on the content of your CV without regard to such matters as audience, writing
conventions, and document design (format, layout, and so on). To be effective,
your CV must be not only informative but also aesthetically pleasing,
grammatically correct, and stylistically sound. This section provides some
guidelines that will assist you in making decisions regarding the physical
rendering of your CV.
·
Audience
The curriculum vitae is used to communicate with
colleagues who share a common vocabulary and knowledge of a particular
discipline. It is essential that you describe your experiences in language
appropriate to your discipline. Also,
this is not the time to be modest—be your own advocate!
·
Writing Conventions, Grammar, and
Style
Use a confident, authoritative, and crisp writing
style, as well as standard writing conventions throughout your CV. Be concise,
economical, and consistent in content and format. Use telegraphic style and
avoid the use of first-person singular pronouns. Use definite articles
selectively. Grammar and spelling must be perfect, so follow standard grammar
and punctuation rules. Use active voice and tenses that are always in agreement
with the time of the action, as well as parallel structures and grammatical
phrases. Avoid using exclamation points and interjections. Where appropriate,
use standard postal abbreviations and be consistent in this usage throughout
your CV—for example, ABJ for Abuja, LAG for LAGOS, NSW for Nasarawa, and IM for
Imo. Ask several colleagues to critique a draft of your CV, and request a
similar critique from your academic advisor, professor, or mentor. Recognize
that you might not agree with some or all of the critiques that this process
will generate. It is essential that you are able to justify, to your own
satisfaction, the content and format of your CV. Since you are making a first
impression on representatives from colleges, universities, and prospective
employers, your CV must be
perfect. We, therefore, highly recommend that you carefully
revise, edit, and proofread each draft of your CV. Revising, editing, and proofreading
can be defined in the following ways:
• Revising:
Making
critical changes to content and organization.
• Editing:
Making
appropriate changes to sentence structure, basic grammar, and word choice.
• Proofreading:
Correcting
spacing errors, typographical errors, misspellings, and mechanics.
Make a hard copy of the final draft of your CV and
accompanying correspondence and keep everything on file. Update your CV every
year or as frequently as you have new information to add.
Document
Design
Use a computer to create your curriculum vitae. CVs
printed on laser printers look the best, but those printed by DeskJet printers
are acceptable. Choose both a font style (e.g., Times New Roman or Tahoma) and
a size (10- or 12-point) that are conservative, attractive, and
reader-friendly. Use single spacing within a component and double spacing
between components. Indent to improve readability and use liberal white space.
For variety and emphasis, highlight various levels of information by using
underlining, capitalization, boldface, and italics. If you use full
capitalization, do not underline and do not repeat the same highlighting
technique for more than one level of information.
Avoid lengthy descriptions of academic and work
experiences. Descriptions of six lines or more are difficult to scan and,
therefore, limit readers’ ability to orient themselves on the page, so choose
content wisely.
In
Summary
·
The title heading
“Curriculum Vitae” is commonly used but optional.
·
Each page after the first
should bear your name and the page number in a header or footer. Because
maintaining a CV is iterative, you should get in the practice of updating it at
least every six months to a year. Many scholars include a “revised” date in a
footer on the first page.
·
Use a 10- or 12-point font
size with 1”- to 1 ½”-inch margins.
·
Use action verbs, measured
descriptions, parallel grammar, no first-person pronouns, and little
punctuation.
·
Be careful not to pluralize section headings
that cover one entry only.
·
Use boldface, italics,
and spacing to highlight information, but be consistent and sparing in your
use. Overuse distracts readers and defeats your purpose.
·
Avoid graphics, shading, and underlining; if
you use lines, put at least ¼” inch of white space around them.
·
References to electronic materials/web links:
Feel free to cite electronic references to articles, portfolios, courses, etc.,
particularly to show your technical prowess if you created the site. Personal
web pages should be referenced only if all material presented is professional.
Irrelevant text (e.g. vacation photos, personal narratives, etc.) may turn off
some members of your audience.
·
All CVs should be laser-printed in black ink
on white or light-colored, 8 ½” x 11” bond paper.
Note: It has become more common
to see headshot photographs on CVs, particularly in the natural sciences. Think
about what information this text communicates and be aware that some search
committees may cover up the photo in adherence to anti-discriminatory policies.
Customarily, inserting your passport in your CV is not allowed.
I packaged this E-book on Effective CV Writing for you. You can DOWNLOAD HERE.
I packaged this E-book on Effective CV Writing for you. You can DOWNLOAD HERE.
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