The CV, an abbreviation of curriculum vitae, translates to the course of life in Latin. The first CV to ever appear was created by Leonardo Divinchi in 1482, who submitted it to the Duke of Milan in hopes of landing a job [1].

Things have come a long way since. It wasn’t until the 1950s when CVs became formalized and expected during job applications. Resumes have taken many forms throughout the years. 

Here are the most important things you must include in your CV:

1) Career Objective 

An objective, also known as a personal statement, is a short introduction about yourself and what you are looking for you in your career. It is usually 2-3 sentences long.

For example:

I am an enthusiastic college student working towards a degree in Marketing. I am seeking a part time position where I can learn new things and hone my skills.

* Make sure to tailor your objective for every job position you apply to.

2) Personal details

•  Your name

•  Phone number

•  Email address (Please make sure that you have a formal sounding email handle. Employers are less likely to take you seriously if your email reads something like beleiber4eva@gmail.com). 

3) Education and qualifications

 List your educational history in a reversed chronological order. Make sure to include:

• The title of the qualification

• The name of the institute 

• Dates of qualification and attendance

• Grades ( if they are impressive)

• Honors, awards or scholarships

If you have any qualifications or further training, you can consider creating a Continuing Professional Development section to list out your qualifications [2].  

4) Employment history

•  Job title

•  Dates

•  Name of organization and location

• A short description of your role

5) Key Skills

Include a combination of hard and soft skills. Hard skills are technical knowledge gained throughout your career, for example, graphic design. Whereas soft skills can be understood as interpersonal skills that help you interact effectively with other people, such as teamwork or adaptability. 

6) Interests and hobbies 

Keep your interests relevant to the job positions you are applying to. For example, if you are applying for a journalist position, you can mention fiction writing as a hobby. 

This is also a great place to mention any voluntary work you have done.

* Make sure to mention any authoritative positions, for example, a debate team leader, or captain of the football team [2]. 

References

[1]"The World’s First Resume is 500-years Old and Still Can Teach You a Lesson or Two", Business.linkedin.com, 2020. [Online].
Available at: https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/recruiting-humor-and-fun/2015/the-worlds-first-resume-is-500-years-old. [Accessed: 04- Feb- 2020].

[2]J. Innes, The CV book. Harlow, England: Prentice Hall, 2009.