Modern CV Template and Writing Guidelines

Contact and Personal Information

Your CV should begin with the basics: your contact information. As the modern CV template shows, your name and contact number are the basic elements to be included here. You should also include a link to your online job profile, if you have one. You may also choose to include your age, relationship status and/or your nationality, but only after you have explored the websites of the companies you would like to seek employment with to see if such information is relevant to their cultures. You should also include your email address or a link to your personal website, but be warned, recruiters will be looking at these.

Professional Summary

The modern CV template will give you every opportunity to convey all relevant information about yourself, but in an order that can easily be processed by a machine or human reader. Don’t be overly quick to include everything up front; it gives the reader no reason to continue reading your CV. Rather, begin with a brief professional summary.

Your summary should read like a short biography of your business experience. Feel free to include information about past professional accomplishments and future goals, but don’t mention too many specific details; you’ll have the chance to do that later. Also be sure to include the same keywords used job postings, as these are often the same criteria hiring managers use when searching applicant databases.

Here are some examples for you to follow:

I have almost 10 years of experience in exercise science and personal training. I have also gained experience in clinical nutrition through working with colleagues and with both personal clients as well as members of the health clubs for whom I’ve worked. My internship through my college’s sports medicine program also gave me valuable insight into athletic training and rehabilitative medicine. My ultimate goal is to work within the sports community as an athletic trainer.

I am a professionally trained chef seeking executive chef opportunities. With over 15 years of restaurant and kitchen experience, I’ve worked as a prep cook and sous chef at major metropolitan eateries. Through personal training opportunities, I’ve been able to expand my skills to cover all culinary styles.

Writing Your Work Experience Section

Your professional summary offers a snapshot of your career; it’s your work experience that paints the full picture. Once prospective employers understand where you’ve been, they’ll want to know exactly what you did while you were there. When detailing your work experience, be as descriptive as you can without sounding too wordy, by focusing on prior work duties and experience that are relevant to the position you’re applying for. Consult the modern CV template to see how to structure your information.One way to avoid going too in-depth when describing your work experience is to not give too much space to your professional accomplishments. It’s easy to want to build yourself up here by listing all of your work-related achievements, but don’t worry; you’ll get the chance to later on. Instead focus on the details of the work you did for your previous employers. Don’t omit all of your past professional successes, but list general or team accomplishments here. Keep these other best practices in mind when listing your work experience:

• Be direct in your language. Instead of using linking verbs like “was” and “able to,” directly state the things that you’ve done.
• Organize your information using bulleted lists, including three to five bullets for each topic.
• Use metrics to describe your achievements. Rather than saying “improved performance,” present a tangible result like “improved performance by 30%.”Pay attention to how work experience is described in the following examples:

  Laboratory Technician, Chemical Labs, 1996 – 2001

• Processed client samples for analysis.
• Maintained sterile lab environment through quality control measures.
• Worked with accounting team to help optimize expenditures and decrease spending by 15%.Company Dancer, Stage Touring Productions, 2005 – 2008
• Danced with the swing ensemble.
• Performed with six touring productions that presented over 35 sold-out shows in 20 different venues.
• Served as lead understudy in two productions; took lead role six times.Assistant Vice President of Marketing, Good Cookies, 2005 – 2015
• Led marketing teams in development of annual strategies and goals.
• Conducted results analysis on advertising efforts to be shared with executive team.
• Oversaw marketing campaigns that produced 55% improvement in sales over three consecutive years.Route Coordinator, Long Haul Trucking: 2010 – Present
• Prepared route schedules for drivers.
• Arranged safety and compliance training.
• Created route reporting protocols that eliminated excess drive times by 15% in 2014 FY.

Education and Training

Your work experience is vital to meeting the qualifications of a position, but it’s not all that’s considered. You’ll also want to include your education background as well as any special training you’ve received. The modern CV template shows that there are certain elements you need to include in this section, such as what degrees and certifications you’ve earned and any academic recognition you’ve received, as well as the classroom and training courses you’ve completed. Don’t worry about going all the way back to your high school education unless a diploma or its equivalent are primary qualifications for a position. Follow these examples:

Bachelor of Science in Communications, Standard University

• Dean’s List honoree for three semesters.Arc Welding Certificate, Large Technical College
• Studied flux core as well as gas metal and tungsten arc welding.

Writing Your Skills Section

After providing your educational achievements, you’ll notice the modern CV template prompts you to enter your professional skills. These should be solely those talents you’ve acquired as a result of your employment. Follow these best practices when presenting this information:

• Include both general skills along with your specific talents, as many of those have applications in different sectors.
• Omit anything that should be expected (e.g. “I understand computers.”).
• List industry specific programs and protocols when applicable.

Use the following example of the listed skill set of a Health Care Administrator when creating your CV:

Firm understanding of EMTALA and HIPAA, as well as the Affordable Care Act and Joint Commission standards. Proven leader with excellent management, communication and conflict resolution skills.

Writing Your Scholarships and Awards Section

You were promised earlier that the modern CV template would allow the chance to boast about your accomplishments. That’s what this section was specifically designed for. When listing your achievements, notice how the template displays the information. If you simply list the award received, it may leave things open to interpretation as to your merit. An example may be your being named Salesperson of the Year. One reading such an accomplishment may wonder, “How many salespeople were you competing against?” or “What specific things did you do to earn this award?”

Thus it’s important when listing your achievements that you also provide context. This includes any scholastic achievements or scholarships you may have earned. Doing so allows readers to fully understand how significant your accomplishments truly are.

Below are a couple of examples of listing context with your professional and scholastic achievements:

Recipient of the 2005 Future Business Leader scholarship for $20,000. This award is given annually to the top student business proposals in the country by the Entrepreneurs Support Society.

Named Preferred Pediatric Professional in 2014 based on feedback from patients and their families.

Writing Your Hobbies and Interests Section

While seeing a “Hobbies and Interests” section in the modern CV template may be surprising to you, consider the importance that companies place on new hires being both a good professional and cultural fit for their organizations. With this in mind, here are some points to ponder when completing this portion of your CV:

• Include any blogs or sites related to your hobbies that you contribute to, as such activity suggests your ability to develop expert-level knowledge.
• If your interests include further academic pursuits, explain how they help contribute to your career.
• If you happen to be an avid fan of a particular sports team or activity, list that as well. It may help you establish instant connections in a new company.For guidance, consider these examples of describing your hobbies and interests:
  • Frequent contributor to fly-fishing publications.
  • Passionate about hiking and gardening.
  • Season ticket holder for the Hometown Heroes baseball team.