Good Curriculum Vitae | Characteristics, Definition, Classification

We explain what a curriculum vitae is and how it should be done. Also, what are its general characteristics and classification?

What is Curriculum Vitae?

The curriculum vitae ( CV) or  life curriculum is an orderly and systematized description of the talents, studies, jobs held, personal achievements and other relevant information that allows the reader to give a summary impression of the life and professional trajectory of a person .

This resume or curriculum review is a presentation sheet of a person, in which he details his work, academic and personal journey in an orderly way , usually to obtain a job or to be eligible in something.

The term curriculum vitae comes from Latin and literally translates “ life career ” .

Curriculum Vitae types

Depending on the organization model of the information it contains, we can speak of four different types of CV:

• Chronological. The data is sorted from oldest to newest.
• Reverse. Recent experiences and learnings are emphasized, rather than trajectory.
• Functional. The data and experiences are ordered by thematic blocks, according to their affinity.
• By projects. Adapt the information on the sheet according to the needs and requirements of a position to which you aspire or a project you want to enter.

Characteristics of a Good Curriculum Vitae:

Simplicity

A CV must be easy to read. An employer who reviews perhaps dozens of resume reviews will not necessarily have the patience, time, or willingness to figure out the right way to read a convoluted, bombastic, or cryptic resume.

After all, the writing of the resume is already a demonstration of effectiveness in handling the language and that is often an essential requirement in most job offers.

Visual appeal

An initial requirement of a good CV is that it be attractive to the eye: organized, structured, entertaining . The chaotic, the ornate or the decorative that transmits a feeling different from what is required should be avoided: professionalism, courage, methodicality. Betting on the sober without falling into the gray is always a good idea.

Veracity

This is a vital principle: everything that appears in the CV must be true and must be verifiable . It does not make sense to affirm talents that you do not have, refer to experiences that you did not have or positions that were not held, since then you can easily prove the lie in a personal interview.

Any lie may be reason enough to be completely discarded from the selection process. After all, the employer will reason , if you are lying on your CV, why shouldn't you lie in other areas?

Homogeneity

The CV must be prepared with the same and only criteria , both aesthetic and formal and expository. It cannot reinvent itself on every page or line, nor can it oscillate between various forms of content. It must obey its own structure.

Originality

A successful resume must take into account the personality of its creator . The common templates and formats are useful to get an idea or have a guide, but deep down the way of approaching the CV itself already says a lot about the applicant. Being original without betraying other important guidelines is good advice.

Completeness

A CV should contain the necessary details to give the reader a complete idea of the person's training, experience and talents , and for this they should not leave out important or interesting data that serve to further personalize the applicant's profile.

It is not the same to graduate as an engineer than to do it with honors ; It is not the same to take a marketing course than to do it with the leading company in the field. Sometimes it is convenient to give an extra detail.

Assertiveness

Just as it does not make sense to emphasize the academic aspects of a CV to aspire to a job in a factory, it is advisable to be assertive when highlighting the information of the curriculum.

At the end of the day, we want the potential employer to look at some aspects of our trajectory and not to miss out on the less relevant ones. For this, we must always think about who we direct our CV to. Doing several according to our different job profiles is a good idea.

Speed

A good CV leaves the reader with a concise, general impression of who the applicant is before delving into the specifics of their journey. An initial summary of a few lines can help, but the entire sheet should be thought out to quickly answer the question of who you are and what you can do.

Brevity

No CV should exceed two sheets, no matter how much you can say about yourself and your career. Sometimes less is more, so it is advisable to show synthesis capacity when introducing yourself.

Modesty

This is perhaps the least easy to achieve of all these features. While it is true that a good dose of self-confidence is key in many situations, so is one of humility.

If we exaggerate our virtues we could sound implausible, or even desperate, if not pedantic. This should be avoided through concise and to-the-point language, never overblown and smug.

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