Artistic CV Template and Writing Guidelines

Contact and Personal Information

In order for hiring managers to contact you, you will want to include contact information. We show you how to do so in the artistic CV template. You can leave off your street address if you’d feel more comfortable doing so, and just list the city and state instead. If you have an email address that sounds unprofessional (for example, ilovecats@anymail), create a new email for career-related purposes. Make sure to double-check your contact information to catch any transposed letters or numbers. In a CV, you can include certain personal information that isn’t appropriate to list in a resume. For example, you can list your marital status, sex and nationality. Refer to the template to get a better idea of how to arrange information in this section.

Professional Summary

A professional summary is the “teaser” for the rest of the CV, and we provide space for it in the artistic CV template. The professional summary includes a brief overview of your qualifications for the job, including your work experience and personality traits. You will go further in depth in other sections, but this introduction is meant to catch the reader’s attention so he or she will continue reading the document. You can use either complete or fragmented sentences in this section. Use keywords that come up often for the job in question, which will further catch the reader’s eye. When describing your work background, write “years of experience” or “years’ experience,” and not “years experience.”

Here are some examples of well-written professional summaries:

Example for a Housekeeper:

I am a housekeeper with 10 years of experience in a hotel setting. I often act as a housekeeping lead and train new hires as they shadow me. I am extremely reliable and trustworthy, and work well under minimal supervision. I take pride in my work and clean efficiently and quickly. I follow OSHA standards, making sure to handle chemicals properly to ensure the safety of others and myself.

Example for a Special Education Aide:

I have five years’ experience as a special education aide for middle school students. I am extremely patient and caring, and students know they can come to me with questions and concerns. I follow the direction of the middle school teacher and also take the initiative when appropriate. I have helped countless students improve their reading and math skills to progress to the next grade level. My educational background in special education makes me extremely knowledgeable about how to best assist these students.

Writing Your Work Experience Section

In the work experience section, list current and past employment. You can also include volunteer positions in this section if you don’t have very much work experience. Volunteer positions can also be listed under “Hobbies and Interests.” When inputting your information in the artistic CV template, take note of the following guidelines to ensure you write a strong section:

• List your work experience in chronological descending order, starting with your most recent position and going back approximately 10 years.
• Leave off overlapping positions that don’t relate to the job you’re applying for, but keep them in if they would create holes in your experience.
• Provide all details for the job, including your position title, the name of the employer, the city and state, and the dates of employment.
• Use past tense for jobs you no longer hold and present tense for current positions. For present tense, use first person instead of third; for example, “write” instead of “writes.”

  The following examples can help you write your own work experience section (note: each past position listed should include 4 to 6 supporting bullet points):

  Retail Sales Associate, Butterfly Designs, Rockford, MS, 2000-2002

• Assisted customers through cashiering, working the sales floor and answering questions.

  Afterschool Instructor, Bright Horizons, La Honda, CA, 2005-2010

• Taught supplemental courses to middle and high school students
• Provided one-on-one assistance in homework club.

  Freelance Writer, Standing Magazine, Oakland, CA, 2011-2015

• Wrote feature articles, profiles and “listicles.”
• Conducted interviews.
• Worked successfully under tight deadlines.

  Clerk, Omega Groceries, Stars Pace, CT, 2015-Present

• Assist patrons at the checkout counter.
• Stock shelves and answer customer questions.
• Perform inventory.
• Clean aisles.

Education and Training

The education and training section shows potential employers that you have a strong educational background. Even if the job you’re applying for doesn’t correlate with your schooling, advanced education shows a willingness for continued learning and the ability to follow through with problem-solving. Use our artistic CV template to list your education and training to boost your chances of getting the position.

• Unless you have graduated recently, don’t include a GPA. However, you can mention distinctions such as magna cum laude.
• You can choose to either list your graduation dates or leave them out. Whichever you choose, do the same for each degree.
• If you started a coursework at one college and graduated at another, simply record the college you graduated from.

To list relevant coursework that didn’t lead to a degree, write “Coursework in XX, School Name, School Location,” or “XX Studies, School Name, School Location.”

Some examples of Education and Training section entries are as follows:

Bachelor of Arts in Music, One Note University, Plano, TX.
Graduated Summa Cum Laude

Certificate in Cross Cultural Studies, Advancement Institute, New York, NY.

Writing Your Skills Section

The skills section is an important part of any CV, and you can list this information in our artistic CV template. The skills section gives potential employers a snapshot of the qualifications you would bring to the position. You can include both hard and soft skills and personality traits. Make this section as strong as possible to help land the job.

• Start with the most relevant skills, especially ones that other candidates may not possess.
• List your skills in bullet points for easy readability. This ensures that no skill will get lost in text.
• Include keywords that are often included in the description for this type of job.

  Here are some examples of applicable skills for an education professional:

  • Experience teaching both in person and in virtual classrooms
  • Outgoing personality makes students excited about the subject matter
  • Ability to think outside the box to tailor instruction to each individual student
  • Strong foundation in rhetoric and linguistics
  • Firm and fair leader

Writing Your Scholarships and Awards Section

This section can go a long way toward edging out your competition. Generally, people with the same basic educational background and skillset apply for the same job. Scholarships and awards can put you over the top by showing your exceptionality. Use the artistic CV template to list any scholarships, awards, recognition or distinctions to make your CV really stand out. For each item you list, provide a short description so the reader has context as to what it entails. Start with your most recent distinction and work your way backward. Don’t be afraid to promote yourself, as you have earned your distinctions through hard work, and as such they should be celebrated.

These are two examples of awards and scholarships that would fit this section:

2016. Awarded “Employee of the Month” in January for exceptional customer service. Youngest employee to receive this award.

2014. Received “Future Leader of America” scholarship over 1,500 applicants, for technological innovations.

Writing Your Hobbies and Interests Section

Including hobbies and interests is optional, but they can come in handy. If you don’t have much work experience, are transitioning to a new field, or are trying to land a job in something you’ve dabbled in, mentioning hobbies and interests can help you appear more qualified for the job. Everything you list can give the hiring manager a more well-rounded view of you who are, and you might even have interests in common. The artistic CV template has space to list this information in an easy way.

• This section can include a variety of things, such as volunteer work, sports-related activities and extracurricular activities.
• Be sure to include any activities that are directly related to the job. For instance, describe your experience teaching coding to young girls if you are applying for a technological position.
• Mention any leadership roles, as they show the reader your proactive spirit.

Here is an example of a typical hobbies and interests section:

Participate in local fantasy football league. Take part in local food drive on the second Sunday of each month. Regularly attend PTA meetings and act as treasurer at PTA events. Enjoy painting and take art classes for personal edification.