Write a professional CV easily

A CV is a summary of someone’s professional background.
It is the abbreviation of the Latin “curriculum vitae”, which means “life course”.
Your CV summarizes your studies, diplomas, professional experiences and skills.

The CV enables the recruiter to make up his mind about your experience and skills in order to assess your ability to fill a vacancy.

A CV is generally composed of the following information:

Essential personal details: first name and last name, address, locality, email address, phone number(s)..

Optional/additional details: identity photo, gender, birth date, birth place, nationality, civil status, driving licence, a link to a website or your social networks profiles (LinkedIn, Facebook).

Academical and/or professional background: your studies (include the date of awarding of a certificate or degree and the date of issue), your professional experiences (employers, positions and assignments conducted), your skills, languages skills, the courses (trainings), the internships you did, the extra-professional activities (volunteer activities for example), your recommendations, hobbies and personality traits.

All the information must be comprehensive and correct (be careful with languages, which you actually have to master).

The chronological CV is the most commonly used form of CV. A chronological CV must mention the most recent studies and professional experiences first. Your last job (the most recent one) must appear in the first position (on top of the list), and your first job in the last position (at the bottom of the list). This also applies to your experiences’ section, in which you include the experiences that held in a specific period of time. Examples: studies, courses attended, internships and extra-professional activities.

The sections of your CV must appear in the following order: personal and contact details, followed by a possible brief description of your personal profile. Next, mention your studies and professional experiences, your skills (languages…) and personality traits and interests.

You can write a CV using a word-processing software such as Microsoft Word. Browse a free CV example or a template online and look if you can reproduce it. Or opt for using our CV generator: simply enter your information and download a perfect CV in only 15 minutes. The same goes for covering letters.

When you have completed your CV and covering letter, send them by email to the recruiter to apply for the job you are looking for.

In our CV generator, you will find tips grouped per topics that will help you write an optimal CV. Here are a few general tips:

- Only give relevant information that convey an added value for the job you are applying for.
- Do not mention weird hobbies or interests that could raise certain questions.
- The main information must appear on the first page. Add a brief description of your personal profile.
- Use bulleted and numbered lists in order to improve the clarity of your CV for the recruiters.
- Always go for a chronological CV, except otherwise required in the job offer.
- Be brief but persuasive when presenting your CV. Mention the important information in a concise manner.