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Your CV: your business card

Your CV is one of the most important tools in the entire application process. The employer will study your CV in detail, because it contains all of the relevant information he needs, set out in a well-ordered manner.

Any letter applying for a job must be accompanied by a curriculum vitae. This CV is designed to give your future employer all of the information about you he needs to make a decision. Your CV is also a work in progress and will evolve with you over the course of your career. You may use your CV on various occasions, expanding it and adjusting it as the years pass. In actual fact, your CV is your business card, a reflection of your personality.
So, what do you need to make sure is definitely not missing from your CV? And what type of CV should you opt for: one that’s chronological, purely functional or a combination of both?

1. Guidelines for writing your CV

Your personal details
Give your full name, street address, telephone or mobile phone number, e-mail address, date and place of birth, nationality and marital status.
If you have more than one phone number, specify the times at which you can be reached on which number, at home or at work. To make things easier for the reader, give your age as well as your date of birth.
Personal objectives
Make sure what you say speaks for itself and is decisive. Example: ‘A varied and exciting job that offers me an opportunity to take on responsibility and develop further; a job in which I can operate independently in a young, energetic and enthusiastic working environment.’
Education and training
State what education you have had, as well as any additional courses, starting with your secondary schooling and going on to higher education. Specify which institutions you attended, which courses and in which years. If appropriate, give the title of your dissertation or thesis and the name of your tutor, as well as a short explanation about the content if you have just graduated.
Experience
Avoid giving longwinded summaries of your various jobs, as this is simply boring. In addition to the essential information, such as dates, length of employment and job title, also say what you did at the company. If you have only just graduated, say what work experience or holiday jobs you have had that relate to the requirements stated in the job ad.
Skills
Talk about things such as your knowledge of word-processing, etc.
Languages
If you are multilingual, let this be clear in your CV. Be honest about what you say, because your knowledge of languages is sure to be tested. In your summary, use terms such as mother tongue, bilingual, very good, good. Don’t use expressions such as passive and active knowledge.
Other activities and interests
Say what your hobbies are and what you enjoy doing in your spare time. If you think that your activities and interests will work in your favour, definitely say something about them, particularly if you are applying for your first job. Activities and interests give your personality colour. They can also make you an interesting individual who stands out from the others.
•    If you have been involved in the youth movement and have even been a leader in it, this may indicate that you are the sort of person who would make a good leader in business.
•    If you travel a lot, this may mean that you are open-minded and are willing to go outside your comfort zone.
•    If you are passionate about art, the reader may conclude that you are able to relax well away from the job, meaning you can cope better with a busy professional life.
References
Give the name, job title, address and phone number of people who are willing to give you a reference about which qualities you have. Unless your future employer asks for a specific number of referees, it is best to provide two names. Be sure to ask the permission of anyone you intend putting forward as a referee. Ask them which is their best address and telephone number for being contacted. And also ask them the times at which they can be reached.

2. CV: chronological, functional or a combination of both?

As the term suggests, a chronological CV provides a summary of your education and business experience through time. You can decide whether to begin with the most recent and go backwards, or the other way round. This type of CV is easy to write, but does not leave much room for highlighting particular skills. The fact that you have too little or too much business experience will also stand out immediately.
In a functional CV, you state your experience, specific characteristics, knowledge and skills for each area. Everything must have a direct link to the requirements of the job for which you are applying. The advantage of this type if CV is that you can emphasise your skills and qualifications better. However, remember that when it comes to an interview or filling out an application form, you will have to provide exact dates.
A combined CV blends the benefits of both chronological and functional CVs. This CV may also get the most information across, as the reader can gain exact details about the jobs you have done before, as well as the place and dates. And, again, you can adjust what you have done to fit in best with what the reader wants to see.
The sample CV shown in this article is a combined CV.
Box: Visit www.jobat.be, where you will find more information about the various types of CV, plus a sample of each.
Curriculum Vitae (at 26th June 2005)
Person details
First name: Hilde
Last name: Raes
Address: 6 Augustijnenlaan 
Postcode / city: 2000 Antwerp
Telephone number: 03/43.40.90
Date and place of birth: 8/12/1970, Ghent
E-mail address: hilde.raes@hotmail.com
Nationality: Belgian
Marital status: Married, two children
Career to date
- Company: Alcatel Bell, Antwerp 10/96-05/02
Position: management secretary for the legal director, then the managing director.
Running management secretarial services
Organising business trips, meetings, etc.
Management of filing
Business use of office automation tools: Windows & Office 2000
Responsible for secretarial assistant and driver
- Company: Volvo, Ghent 07/94-10/96
Position: secretary to the HR manager
Day-to-day running of secretariat
Management of filing
Organising business trips, visits, HR administration
Languages
Dutch: mother tongue.
French: spoken: very good; written: good.
English: spoken: very good; written: good.
German: basics.
Education
- Economics-Mathematics 1984-1990 Koninklijk Atheneum Antwerp
- Graduate Business Management 1990-1993 Katholieke Hogeschool Mechelen (KHM)
- Post-Graduate Business Management 1993-1994 Vlaamse Economische Hogeschool (VLEKHO)
Skills
- Windows & Office 2000
- Word-processing
- Meeting techniques
Other activities
Athletics
Amateur theatre