Emphasis CV Template and Writing Guidelines

Contact and Personal Information

Every CV should contain basic contact information. This should include your name, home and email addresses, links to your online professional portfolio (a must these days), as well as any other pertinent contact information. Refer to the included emphasis CV template to see how this information should be presented. Whether you should include additional contact information depends largely on the company you are applying to. Consider researching the website of the company you’re seeking employment with to get an idea of its culture. This will give you an idea if you should include personal details such as your marital or relationship status, or your age.

Professional Summary

If there’s one thing that today’s resumes and CV emphasize, it’s structure. However, by focusing solely on how to organize your content, it’s easy to forget being personable. That’s where this emphasis CV template can be so valuable. It shows you how to structure your resume information effectively while still conveying warmth and personality.

You’ll get the chance to share all relevant information about yourself in your CV. Yet the best way to start is getting straight to the point: Show your prospective employers why you are the ideal candidate. This is done through a well-written professional summary. Here, you should only include the details of your work history. Depending on how much professional experience you have, you may need to omit certain details. If that is case, only include experience that is directly applicable to the position that you are seeking. Keep the information concise and to-the-point, and don’t forget to include the same keywords and phrases listed in the job posting to make your CV easier to find in online searches.

Here are two examples of effective professional summaries:

I have 8 years of experience in information technology. As an IT specialist, I responded to several emergency downtime situations, which taught me how to quickly and accurately diagnosis system and network issues and develop solutions. I also had the chance to participate in two new platform integration projects, during which I trained front-line employees and managers on how to use the new systems.

My professional writing experience goes back 17 years, starting as a beat reporter for high school sports for a local news publication. I have since moved on to columns and editorials as well as contributing pieces to national news outlets. I have also authored and co-authored three nonfiction books.

Writing Your Work Experience Section

While your professional summary gives a broad overview of your experience, it isn’t enough to impress. As the emphasis CV template shows, you’ll also want to include more details about your work history. This doesn’t need to be an in-depth analysis of each prior job that you have held, but rather a brief explanation highlighting your duties and general accomplishments with past employers. As simple as this may sound, it can be easy to get this section of your CV wrong by including irrelevant information or presenting your experience in an incorrect way. Therefore, here are some best practices to follow:

• Use bulleted lists. This immediately draws a reader’s focus and keeps important details from getting lost within a paragraph.
• Avoid adding unnecessary linking verbs or adjectives, as they can give way to run-on sentences. Stick to action verbs such as “developed” or “directed.”
• Don’t go back further than 10 years when listing your work experience. While principles like customer service and self-motivation may be universal, a prospective employer won’t care how you applied them at your fast food job in high school.

  Listed below are a few examples of how your prior work experience should be displayed in your CV:

  Account Executive, ABC Sales, 2011 – 2014

• Handled the accounts of over 30 corporate clients
• Achieved five converted client referrals
• Worked close with client representatives in preparing tax documents

  Real Estate Agent, New Homes Realty, 1995 – 2015

• Facilitated the sale over 70 residential properties
• Collaborated with other realtors both within and outside agency to improve client access to local listings
• Assisted prospective buyers in obtaining financing

  Math Teacher, Hometown High School, 2012 – Present

• Taught pre-algebra, algebra, trigonometry and pre-calculus courses
• Developed test preparation curriculum which helped contribute to 30% improvement in standard test scores
• Co-coached the academic decathlon team

  Wellness Coordinator, Big Corporation, 2007 – 2012

• Organized annual employee health benefits fair
• Contacted local businesses to arrange employee discounts for health and fitness services
• Oversaw corporate extracurricular activity initiative that netted 83% participation

Education and Training

Along with your work experience, employers also want to know that you have a strong understanding of the practices, principles and philosophies that govern and support their industries. Thus you need to include whatever relevant education and training you have accumulated. Note how the emphasis CV template has a specifically designed section for your educational background. Following this format ensures those reading your CV will have no difficulty ascertaining your knowledge and skills.

Start with either the highest level of academic degree or program that you have completed or are currently enrolled in, or the most recent certification or training course you have finished. Don’t worry about including information regarding your high school education unless the job posting specifically requires it.

When creating your educational content, don’t forget to include the following details:

• Degrees and certifications earned
• Internships
• Courses studied
• Academic awards and achievements
• Participation in student and peer leadership

  Use these examples to help guide you:

  Master of Business Administration, Prestigious University

• Coursework included Administrative Philosophies, Principles of Accounting, and Advanced Economic Theory

  C/C++ and FORTRAN Certification, Advanced Computer Code Educators

• Passed certification exam in 95 percentile

Writing Your Skills Section

As is made clear in the emphasis CV template, you should also reserve a section for highlighting your work-related skills. Those researching your CV will value the education and experience you bring, yet they also want to know what skills those areas have left you with. Keep the following best practices in mind when describing your aptitudes:

• Don’t omit anything; it’s up to the employer to determine whether your skill set fits the job.
• Skills like communication, affability and being detail-oriented apply across all industries.
• Include detailed technical skills and proficiency whenever possible.

  Here is an example of appropriate skills for applying to a listing as a Registered Nurse:

  • Effectively document using electronic medical record platforms
  • Working knowledge of cross contamination methods and infection controls measures
  • Excellent verbal communication skills

Writing Your Scholarships and Awards Section

Once you’ve laid out all of your qualifications for the position that you’re seeking, the time has come to really sell yourself in your CV. While you might have touched upon some general accomplishments earlier, here is the point where you’ll go into greater detail about your individual achievements (if you’re confused about what to put where, consult the emphasis CV template).

There is a fine line between embellishing average achievements and recognizing real accomplishments. For example, you may have received an award for perfect work attendance, but this may be viewed as unimpressive as employers expect you to be at work. Therefore, be sure to provide some context to your achievements, as in these examples:

Recipient of 2014 Outstanding Sales Representative Award for increasing personal sales volumes by 30% from the previous year.

Awarded $15,000 through the 2011 Distinguished Donor Scholarship for having organized youth recreation activity program in the local community.

Writing Your Hobbies and Interests Section

Not all CV templates and style guides prompt you to include information regarding your hobbies and interest. But more than ever, today’s employers place value on how well you might fit into their company culture. This requires going beyond knowing what skills you bring to the job, to understanding who you are as a person. Your personality traits along with the topics and activities you’re interested in could go a long way in determining how you’ll interact with coworkers as well as your potential future direction with the company.

Here a few things to consider when listing hobbies and interests:

• Highlight any activity groups that you lead or organize, as this may say a lot about your leadership skills.
• Don’t worry too much about relevance; this is more about who you are.
• Listing favorite sport teams or musical groups may be a way to establish common ground with an interviewer.

Not sure how to structure this? Here is a simple example:

President of local Amateur Basketball Officiating chapter. Avid theatergoer and mountain biker.