Writing a CV or Résumé

What is a CV or Résumé?

In simple terms, your CV or resume sets out your skills and experience.

Your CV should demonstrate to any potential employer why they should hire you above any of the other skilled candidates who have presented themselves for employment.

In practice, plenty of CVs do anything but that!

Technically a CV (Curriculum Vitae) is a detailed document outlining all of your life achievements, qualifications, associations, awards and skills. Curriculum Vitae means ‘course of life’ in Latin. 

A resume (spelt résumé, with accents, in its technical form), is a more concise document; an abbreviated version of your CV that focuses on specific skills and achievements, usually in relation and relevant to an employment opportunity.

However, for the sake of this page the terms CV and résumé are interchangeable. 

In the UK and Ireland, job applicants are usually required to produce a CV whereas in the US and Canada the word resume is more frequently used. 

In India, Australia and other English speaking counties either term may be used – for the purpose of applying for a job CVs and resumes are the same thing, it just depends on where the job is!

This page sets out some of the ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ of CV writing to help you avoid some of the worst pitfalls and prepare a resume that will stand out from the crowd for all the right reasons.

Things You Should Do When Writing a CV

Include your contact details at the top

Start with your name, address, phone number and email address. If your CV runs to more than one page, then make sure you include an identifier on every page, probably as a header or footer, and page numbers.

Decide whether you want to start with a personal statement

This is optional, although many CV-writing companies recommend it. If you decide to include one, it needs to say something real about you, and not just be an anodyne statement that could apply to anyone. Try to avoid jargon such as ‘forward-thinking’ or ‘strategic’ and use this to showcase your strengths, if possible focused on action.

Include sections on Key Skills, Knowledge and Achievements, Work Experience, and Education

Precisely how much to include in each section depends on the sector to which you are applying. Try to get some advice from someone in the sector if you don’t already work there. Start with the most recent achievement, experience or training, and work backwards in each section.

When discussing achievements, focus on what you’ve actually done and the end result achieved

Your statements should be in the form “In situation x, I did this and the end result was that”.

For example:

In an unexpected funding crisis, I organised and carried out a cross-departmental review with colleagues, and managed to find savings which addressed all our funding concerns and gave us £x to put towards contingencies.

Or

As president of the climbing club at university, I sought out a commercial sponsor from contacts made during work experience and successfully obtained funding for new equipment.

Or

As chair of the college fundraising committee, I successfully organised an event which more than 200 people attend, and which raised £x. It has gone on to be a regular part of the social calendar.

Concentrate on your personal actions, the precise outcome, and how you knew the action was a success.

Include everything relevant in ‘Work Experience’ and ‘Education’

Once you’ve got plenty of work experience, it’s OK not to include the paper round you had when you were 16 and the summer jobs you had as a student, but you don’t want any gaps once you’ve started work.

If you’ve taken a career break for some reason, or had a period out of work after redundancy, say so. Otherwise you’ll be asked about it, if they don’t just assume you were in prison and bin your CV.

Don’t include every last course you’ve ever done, but do include everything that’s relevant to the job. If you’re going for a job as a forklift driver, they won’t want to know about your catering qualification, but your Health and Safety certificate might be relevant.

Check the essential requirements for the job, and make sure you’ve included anything that’s mentioned.

Make sure that your spelling and grammar are all correct

Many employers bin any CVs with spelling or grammatical errors.

Look at our pages on Grammar and Spelling, use your computer’s spell-check function, proof-read it yourself, and get someone else with good spelling and grammar to have another look before you send it.

Work on your presentation

Use a standard and professional-looking font such as Arial or Calibri, which is easy to read, and generally no smaller than 10 point for body text, larger for headings. Do not, under any circumstances, be tempted to use Comic Sans Serif.

Lay your CV out nicely on the page so that it’s easy to read and looks professional. Remember that it will probably be printed in black and white. If you’re not sure where to start with design, there are plenty of free CV templates available online.

Mistakes and Pitfalls to Avoid

Do not be tempted to lie

You will be found out sooner or later and, if a lie has got you a job, it will lose you one too.

Avoid leaving gaps in your career history

You may be ashamed that you had to spend time flipping burgers at McDonalds, and perhaps you don’t think it fits with your planned career as an astrophysicist. But, especially if you don’t have much work experience, every bit is useful and you should show what you learned from it: teamwork or time-keeping, perhaps.

Large gaps in your CV look like you’ve sat around doing nothing instead of having the initiative to go out and get a temporary job.

Do not start your CV with the dull bits

Many people make the mistake of starting with their education and qualifications. That’s really dull.

Start with your key skills, and what you’ve actually achieved in life. If potential employers like your key skills then they’ll read on to your qualifications.

Do not include your hobbies and interests

Unless of course they have developed skills that are relevant to the job.

Nobody really wants or needs to know that you do karate, or like going to the cinema. If you do include something relevant, don’t be tempted to show off by including something that sounds impressive, but isn’t really.

Murphy’s Law says that the person reading your CV will be an expert in that subject.

Be sure your sins (or exaggerations) will find you out…

As a very junior trainee in her first graduate job, Liz was astonished to pick up her telephone one day and find the company CEO on the other end of the line.

“Hello,” he said. “You know about canoeing, don’t you?”

“Yes, absolutely,” she replied. She had relied heavily on the experience gained from running a university canoe club on her CV. It was one of the few subjects she still felt certain about six weeks into the job.

“Good,” he said. “I’ve got a CV here from someone who says he’s got a One Star award in canoeing. What does that mean?”

“It’s the most basic canoeing qualification available. You can get it after a day’s course.”

“Hm. Not very impressive then,” grunted the CEO. “Have you got one?”

“Oh yes. I’m qualified to teach it.”

The candidate in question did not receive an interview. He probably never knew quite why.

Don't make your CV too long

Two pages of A4 is plenty. Nobody wants to read more. By all means make the font smaller, widen the margins and shorten the gaps between paragraphs, but no more than two pages.

Do not use an unprofessional email address

Get a professional-looking email address with your name, not a nickname. A jokey email address is fine for your friends, but it’s not OK for potential employers, and may even cause your CV to be rejected.

You may consider buying your own domain name; they are inexpensive and allow you to have a much more professional sounding email address.  So rather than cuddles1982@hotmail.com you could have jane@smithfamily.com or jane@abc-consultancy.com – depending on the availability of the domain name you want.

If you are applying for a job in a computer or internet related field then having your own domain name is particularly important for your image.

Be careful if you use the email address that is linked to your Face book page or other social media accounts.  It is very easy for potential employers to search social media sites for email addresses, which could mean they find out a lot more about you than you would like.  You may however want potential employers to find your LinkedIn account. 

You may also find our pages: Managing Your Online Presence and Writing an Effective LinkedIn Profile useful.

The Golden Rule of CV Writing

Put yourself in the recruiter’s shoes and think about what they need to know about you. The job description should give you a reasonable idea.

Use your CV to tell them what they need to know upfront and clearly, in a way that looks professional and believable. 

Your CV will not get you the job but, if done well, should give you at least a foot in the door.

Why does Japan have such a high suicide rate?

By Rupert Wingfield-Hayes BBC News, Tokyo

• 5 hours ago
• From the section World

Last year in Japan, more than 25,000 people took their own lives.

That's 70 every day. The vast majority were men.
Those figures do not make Japan's the highest suicide rate in the world in a developing country.
That dubious title belongs to South Korea. But it is still far, far higher than virtually all other wealthy countries.
It is three times the suicide rate in the United Kingdom.

Train tragedy

The grim self-immolation of a 71-year-old man aboard a Japanese bullet train on Tuesday has once again rammed the issue back in to the headlines here.
What drove a quiet, elderly man, to douse himself with fuel and set fire to it in a packed carriage on a speeding train?
As he tipped the liquid over himself he is reported to have shooed away other passengers, telling them it was dangerous.

Jump media player

Media player help

Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.

Media caption Footage showed the smoke-filled carriage - courtesy TBS

Some said there were tears in his eyes as he did so.
Now, as they start to dig in to his background, members of the Japanese media are turning up the tell-tale signs of a man on the edge. He lived alone and had no job. He spent his days collecting aluminium cans to sell for recycling.
Neighbours told reporters they had heard him smash a window after locking himself out of his dilapidated apartment.
Others said they rarely saw him outside, but could often hear the sound of a television playing. Poor, old and alone. It is an all too familiar tale.

Historical practices

"Isolation is the number one precursor for depression and suicide," says Wataru Nishida, a psychologist at Tokyo's Temple University.

When all else fails - some people feel - you can just kill yourself and the insurance will pay out

Wataru Nishida, Temple University

"Now it's more and more common to read stories about old people dying alone in their apartments," he says. "They are being neglected. Kids used to take care of their parents in old age in Japan, but not any more."
People often cite Japan's long tradition of "honourable suicide" as a reason for the high rate here.
They point to the Samurai practice of committing "seppuku" or to the young "kamikaze" pilots of 1945, to show there are distinct cultural reasons why Japanese are more likely to take their own lives.
To an extent Mr Nishida agrees.

Many deaths of elderly people in Japan may be suicides

"Japan has no history of Christianity," he says "so here suicide is not a sin. In fact, some look at it as a way of taking responsibility."
Ken Joseph from the Japan Helpline agrees. He says their experience over the last 40 years shows that elderly people who are in financial trouble may see suicide as a way out of their problems.
"The insurance system in Japan is very lax when it comes to paying out for suicide," he says.
"So when all else fails - some people feel - you can just kill yourself and the insurance will pay out.
"There is sometimes an intolerable pressure on the elderly that the most loving thing they can do is take their lives and thereby provide for their family."

Financial pressure

Because of this, some experts think Japan's suicide rate is actually much higher than reported.
A lot of lone deaths of elderly people are never fully investigated by the police.
According to Ken Joseph, the almost universal practice of cremating bodies here also means that any evidence is quickly destroyed.

Many Japanese men feel isolated from others

But it is not only elderly men in financial trouble who are taking their own lives.
The fastest growing suicide demographic is young men. It is now the single biggest killer of men in Japan aged 20-44.
And the evidence suggests these young people are killing themselves because they have lost hope and are incapable of seeking help.
The numbers first began to rise after the Asian financial crisis in 1998. They climbed again after the 2008 worldwide financial crisis.
Experts think those rises are directly linked to the increase in "precarious employment", the practice of employing young people on short-term contracts.
Japan was once known as the land of lifetime employment.
But while many older people still enjoy job security and generous benefits, nearly 40% of young people in Japan are unable to find stable jobs.

Isolating technology

Financial anxiety and insecurity are compounded by Japan's culture of not complaining.
"There are not many ways to express anger or frustration in Japan," says Mr Nishida.
"This is a rule-oriented society. Young people are moulded to fit in to a very small box. They have no way to express their true feelings.
"If they feel under pressure from their boss and get depressed, some feel the only way out is to die."
Technology may be making things worse, increasing young people's isolation. Japan is famous for a condition called hikikomori, a type of acute social withdrawal.

What is hikikomori?

• The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare defines hikikomori as people who refuse to leave their house and isolate themselves from society in their homes for a period exceeding six months
• According to government figures released in 2010, there are 700,000 individuals living as hikikomori with an average age of 31
• An overlapping group of people with the hikikomori, otaku are "geeks" or "nerds"
• While hikikomori is mostly a Japanese phenomenon, cases have been found in the United States, Oman, Spain, Italy, South Korea and France

More about hikkomori

The young person affected may completely shut himself - it is most often a male - off from the outside world, withdrawing in to a room and not coming out for months or even years.
But that is only the most extreme form of what is now a widespread loss of direct face-to-face socialising.

Research showed that many Japanese men were not interested in a sexual relationship

A recent survey of young Japanese people's attitudes to relationships and sex turned up some extraordinary results. Published in January by the Japan Family Planning Association, it found that 20% of men aged 25-29 had little or no interest in having a sexual relationship.
Wataru Nishida points to the internet and the pervasive influence of online pornography.
"Young people in Japan have a lot of knowledge," Mr Nishida says, "But they have no life experience. They have no idea how to express their emotions.
"They have forgotten what it's like to touch a person. When they think about sex they have high anxiety and no idea how to deal with it."
And when young people do find themselves isolated and depressed, they have few places to turn to.
Mental illness is still very much a taboo here. There is little popular understanding of depression. Those suffering its symptoms are often too scared to talk about it.

Japan's mental healthcare system is also a mess.
There is an acute shortage of psychiatrists. There is also no tradition of psychiatrists working together with clinical psychologists.
People suffering from mental illness may be prescribed powerful psychotropic medicines but unlike in the West, this will often not be accompanied by a recommendation that the patient seek counselling.
The counselling industry itself is a free-for-all.

Suicide rates per country (per 100,000)
Country	Total	Female	Male
Republic of Korea	28.9	18	41.7
Hungary	19.1	7.4	32.4
Japan	18.5	10.1	26.9
Poland	16.6	3.8	30.5
Belgium	14.2	7.7	21.0
Finland	14.8	7.5	22.2
France	12.3	6.0	19.3
Austria	11.5	5.4	18.2
Czech Republic	12.5	3.9	21.5
United States	12.1	5.2	19.4
United Kingdom	6.2	2.6	9.8

Unlike in America or Europe, there is no government-mandated system of training and qualifying clinical psychologists.
Anybody can set him or herself up as a "counsellor" and it's very hard for someone seeking help to know whether they actually know what they are doing.
It is not a happy picture, and while the suicide rate has actually begun to decline in the last three years, it is still woefully high.
Wataru Nishida says Japan needs to start talking about mental illness much more, and not just as something scary and strange that afflicts a few.
"When you see a television discussion on mental illness in Japan they still talk as if 'depression equals suicide'," he says. "That needs to change."

Share this story About sharing

On 24th November 2013

On the road to evil, there is no one exceeds Mr. Thaksin Shinnawatra (the former PM of Thailand) He can do anything to satisfy his lust of wealth and power. Making corruptions from any project of Thailand-budgets more than a decade; by manipulating his underlings or entourages to get things done. At this point, we can conclude that he is at present the richest man in this world. People get rich by doing their own business with competence and perseverance; Mr. Thaksin Shinnawatra gets rich by corruptions. He is still doing it nowadays even though he is ousted, through his political party and his dearest youngest sister Ms. Yingluck, the present PM of Thailand. Don’t you believe me? Come to Thailand and you will experience the atmosphere of corruptions in every nuance of doing business. Whether in the government sectors and large business sections; no pay no gain, no money no flowing of the systems. It is a sad feeling for ordinary Thai people; we have to accept it with grief and painfulness. No one can terminate him; he makes divisiveness among Thai people (manipulating the so called Red-Shirt to protect his regime with the support of his money and power). The leaders of the Red-Shirt are rich; they are nourished by their master Mr. Thaksin who is very, very rich man. Mr. Thaksin is now has a resident in Dubai; it is very ridiculous for all conscious people that he is now commanding Thai government by using the up-to-date technology (Skype) to administrate Thai government. Oh my God! He is such a biggest man in Thailand; he belittles all Thai people; oh pitiful Thai people. It is sad, isn’t it? We have to terminate him in order for Thai people to breathe warmly and cheerfully. On 24^th of November 2013.  If you happen to do businesses with him stop doing it; he can easily betray you as he has already done to Thai people. He is a real liar, never keep his words; he is immoral. You yourself detest immoral, don’t you? Why then you do business with him? We have to flush out his sources of wealth, and then he will have no power. Only money that make him arrogant and braggart, he is incompetent by his nature. He is inept so to say.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Burma media council formed without professional input: journalists’ groups

Tuesday, 14 August 2012 13:32 Mizzima News

Widespread criticism and disappointment greeted the Burmese government’s formation of the Myanmar Core Press Council (MCPC), which was announced in state-run media on Friday.

Newspapers on sale at a vendor's stall in Rangoon Photo: Mizzima

Critics faulted the government for forming the council without the input of professional journalists' groups, which had consistently asked for a role in the formation of the state-appointed body.

The government announced a 20-member core press council that it said was charged with protecting media workers, establishing ethics and settling press disputes.

“I don’t think the council will guarantee freedom of press,’’ a veteran journalist said, according to an article in Eleven Media Group (EMG) on Monday.

Comments by EMG and other journalists do not bode well for the government’s announcement that it is rewriting the media laws of the country and will submit the new law to Parliament during the current session, which ends in August.

“Some members of the council have records of breaching journalism ethics,” said an EMG editor.  “So how could they work for journalism ethics? And some are publishers so there will be conflicts of interest in the future.”

Last week, Mizzima reported on a Burmese journalists’ walking demonstration in Rangoon in support of freedom of speech and the press.

Wearing black T-shirts with the message “Stop Killing Press,” nearly 100 journalists demonstrated as the government prepared a new media law to be presented to Parliament without the joint cooperation of major journalists' groups and leaders.

A petition by the newly formed Press Freedom Committee called for an end to all “oppressive” media laws, and the promotion of free speech and a free press in Burma. News media in Burma is still subject to prior-censorship laws, which require new media to pass all stories through government censors prior to publication. 

Former Thai Leader's US Visit Renews Calls for Justice

Members of Nation Associate Anti-Corruption Network rally against former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's visit to America outside the U.S. embassy in Bangkok, August 10, 2012.

Daniel Schearf

August 14, 2012

BANGKOK — Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been visiting the United States on his first trip to the country since he was ousted in a coup in 2006.

His opponents have been demanding Washington revoke his visa and extradite the former leader to Thailand, where he faces jail time for conflict of interest charges from his time as leader.

The opposition Democrats have urged the Thai government to push the United States, a close ally of Thailand, for his arrest and extradition. On Friday, a group of about 200 protesters gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok making the same demand.

The demonstrators held banners and signs reading “Ugly American” and “What Rule of Law?”

Mongkolkit Suksintharanon, secretary of a group calling itself the Nation Associate Anti-Corruption Network, says in two weeks they will be back for answers. And he added they are calling on the United States to revoke Thaksin's visa immediately.

Walter Braunohler, the U.S. Embassy spokesman in Bangkok, says they welcome Thai people’s right to protest peacefully. But, as a policy, they cannot discuss individual visa cases.

“I can’t talk about the specifics of any one case, but I can say that the issuance of a U.S. visa does not imply any position on Thailand’s internal matters,” Braunohler said.

Thaksin last visited the United States in 2006 as prime minister.  But, in his absence, the military ousted him in a coup.

His detractors, the royalist Yellow Shirts, say Thaksin was corrupt and power hungry. His supporters, known as the Red Shirts, say Bangkok elites viewed his growing popularity among the rural masses as a threat to their power.

In 2010, the Red Shirts occupied parts of Bangkok demanding new elections. Clashes with the military left 90 people dead. Elections last year put in office Thaksin’s sister, Yingluck Shinawatra.

Critics say her brother is really in charge, while she says Thaksin is just an advisor.

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Sek Wannamethee  says the government has no plans to seek Thaksin’s extradition.

“His trip to the United States is a private visit. And, we were never, the Thai government was never informed, nor were we aware of his program. As for his travels abroad, the Thai government, we don’t have a policy of restricting his traveling abroad.”

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s ruling Pheu Thai party has been pushing for laws they say would help reconcile Thailand’s political divisions. Opponents say they are designed to grant amnesty to Thaksin so he could return to Thai politics.

The former leader's one week visit included stops in New York and California, among others. He was greeted by both Red Shirt supporters and Yellow Shirt opponents.

In Los Angeles, Thai media report, anti-Thaksin protesters blocked his route preventing him from giving a speech to supporters.

Three new wharfs planned for Ahlone Port

Friday, 10 August 2012 12:52 Theingi Tun

  Rangoon (Mizzima) – The Ahlone Dockyard Port will significantly expand with the construction of three new wharfs valued at more than US$ 110 million.

A section of Dalah port, Rangoon, Burma. Photo: Nay Lin Aung / Mizzima

Transport Minister Nyan Tun Aung said the work will be done in cooperation with Myanmar Annawar Swan Ah Shin Groups Company Limited, in a signing ceremony at Sedona Hotel in Rangoon.

Ko Ko Htoo, the managing director of the Myanmar Annawar Swan Ah Shin Groups Company Limited, said the three wharfs are designed to serve six [3,500-ton] vessels in simultaneous berths at the port, representing a total storage capacity of about 320,000 containers.

According to the Inland Water Transport website, the facility can now accommodate 16 vessels.

Earlier, the company built wharfs in the port facility, and it will operate the expanded facility under a long-term lease agreement, said Cho Than Maung, the managing director of Myanma Port Authority.

Transport Minister Nyan Tun Aung said in the signing ceremony that permitting private companies to run such facilities encourages private businesses and it is in line with other Asean countries’ economies.

Rangoon now has 18 wharfs, he said, and 14 more wharfs will be built.

Authorities are also planning new wharfs for the Thilawa Port in Thanlyin Township.

SR.	PARTICULAR	NUMBER OF SLIPWAYS	CAPACITY	MAX: LIGHT WEIGHT FOR DOCKING
1	Dalla dockyard	14	22 vessels	1400 tons
2	Ahlone dockyard	7	16 vessels	250 tons
3	Mandalay dockyard	1	5 vessels	300 tons
4	Thanlwin dockyard	1	2 vessels	300 tons
5	Sittwe dockyard	1	5 vessels	250 tons
6	Chindwin dockyard	1	3 vessels	250 tons
	Total	25	53 vessels

Thai student among death row inmates in Vietnam

Embassy holds out little hope of reprieve

• Published: 14/08/2012 at 01:56 AM
• Newspaper section: News

HANOI : A Thai diplomat in Vietnam has warned Thais not to attempt to smuggle drugs into the communist nation as traffickers face execution if they are caught.

Preeyanooch Phuttharaksa, immediately after her death sentence was passed by a court in Ho Chi Minh City, and her old photo from MySpace. (Main photo from Sports & Culture newspaper, Hanoi)

Charge d'affaires Boonrong Pongstiensak said Vietnam's anti-drug laws are among the world's harshest, and that many foreign prisoners are currently on death row in Vietnam, mostly on drug trafficking convictions.
"Even Vietnamese drug convicts face execution," he said.
Mr Boonrong told the Bangkok Post that the Thai embassy in Vietnam is working to help Preeyanooch Phuttharaksa, 23, a Thai college student from Bangkok who was sentenced to death for drug trafficking by Ho Chi Minh City court in June this year.
Preeyanooch was arrested for trafficking three kilogrammes of methamphetamine pills from Nigeria's Benin city into Vietnam through Saigon airport last October.
She was arrested after the drugs were found in a false bottom of her suitcase.

Police at Ho Chi Minh airport took this photo of Preeyanooch the day she was arrested last October for smuggling 3kg of drugs.

She told the court she was paid about US$1,570 (about 50,000 baht) by a Nigerian trafficking ring to smuggle the drugs.
Mr Boonrong said Preeyanooch had appealed for a reduced sentence on the advice of the Thai embassy in Vietnam.
He said the embassy was waiting for the Vietnamese president's decision on whether to reduce her death sentence to life imprisonment.

But Mr Boonrong said a reduced sentence would be difficult to obtain as drug trafficking is considered a most serious offence in Vietnam.

Mr Boonrong said four other Thais arrested for drugs trafficking are now being detained in prisons in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
They are awaiting trial, having been charged with smuggling methamphetamine pills into Vietnam.
Mr Boonrong did not give further details about these four suspects. He said the embassy in Hanoi is waiting for a response to a letter it sent to Vietnamese authorities asking them to allow Thai officials to visit the suspects.
He said visiting Thai inmates in Vietnam was difficult as it took a long time to obtain the necessary permission.
Mr Boonrong said he had received information that many Thai women are being deceived into trafficking drugs by international drugs gangs.

Permpong Chavalit, deputy secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, said the Foreign Ministry recently reported that about 100 Thai women are currently being detained for drug trafficking in several countries, including China, India, United Arab Emirates, Spain, Brazil and South Africa.
Some of them had married citizens of African countries and were forced to become involved in the trans-national drug trade, while others were willing to act as drug couriers due to the high pay, he said.

He said African drug syndicates are using Thailand as their base, and that African gangsters used different tactics to dupe Thai women into the drug trade.

Mr Permpong warned Thai women to stay away from African men to save themselves from being tricked into becoming a part of the drug networks.