Tips for your career
Curriculum Vitae
How to write your Curriculum Vitae
Before you start looking for a new job, take the time to write your CV carefully. Do not forget that it is going to be your CV that decides whether you will be invited for an interview or not.
Content of your Curriculum Vitae
Your Curriculum Vitae should not be longer than two A4 pages. It can be shorter for graduates and applicants for junior positions. Your CV should include:
- Personal and contact data
Name and surname, titles, address, telephone, e-mail. It goes without saying that an e-mail address such as sweetie@… will not make a professional impression. - Education
Mention the highest completed form of studies, name of the school and the title obtained. You can also add the topic of your thesis or awards you won, but only if they are related to the job you are looking for.
Start with the most recent completed education first and continue in descending order. Do not include primary school. - Professional experience
Your professional history should be written in the same manner as your educational history. Briefly describe your responsibilities (in different companies, titles of positions can comprise different responsibilities – other tasks, duties, etc.). When describing your experience, use professional terminology; it will be perceived as a sign of your knowledge. - Language skills
Mention the level of your spoken and written language skills. - PC skills
- Completed training seminars and courses, but only the relevant ones
- Interests
It is advisable to modify your CV according to the position you are applying for. If you do not have the required education for this position but you have long-term experience, you can emphasise this experience.
Your picture could be a part of your CV, but it must be professional and genuine.
If the position requires knowledge of a foreign language, attach the foreign-language version of your CV to the Czech one.
All the information in your CV must be concise, well structured and based on the truth. Do not handwrite your CV, avoid spelling mistakes and slang expressions, and do not use too many colours or fonts.
Europass CV
You might have recently come across the term Europass CV, or E-CV. Europass is a set of documents which make qualifications and competencies more transparent and thus improve professional and educational mobility on the European labour market. One of the documents is the E-CV.
For more information on the E-CV, including its template, see www.europass.cz.
