CV Writing 103 - How to package and present your CV

Preface: This article is applicable for any type of CV/resume be it for a job/internship application or a college application or anywhere else.

One of the key contributors to a good profile but a bad CV is poor packaging of content. You may have done excellent work but if you are unable to convey that to someone reading your CV, then it is not a good CV. Every line in your CV has to be meticulously phrased. Try out different alternatives until you arrive at the best one.

Keep in mind the following while phrasing every line in your CV:

1. Use bullet points, not paragraphs

2. Write each point as briefly as possible. You don't have to write complete sentences

3. Make each point concrete so that the evaluator know what exactly you have done

4. Add in numbers/ be quantitative where ever possible

5. Avoid technical jargon and acronyms where ever unnecessary (basically make it easier for anyone to read and understand your CV)

6. For any group activity, focus more on the role you played, rather then what the team delivered as a whole

7. Always try to mention the impact that you generated

8. Start each point with an action verb such as: created, delivered, executed, headed, volunteered, etc. You can just google ‘action verbs for CV’ and find a list to make it easier for you

9. Bold important parts. Here don’t bold the entire sentence but just phrases/words within sentences

10. No full stops. Bullet points do not end with full stops

11. Mention a date with every point on your CV. Either just the year or year and month. If it's a continuous activity, mention the duration as well.

Keep in mind while presenting the CV:

1. Use tables, it will make it easy to display all the information in a neat and clean manner

2. Pay attention to alignments, and neat presentation. It is very important

3. All points within a bucket have to be ordered. You can order them in either of two ways:

   1. Reverse chronological order - Latest appears first

   2. Importance order - Most important points appear first

Having personally vetted over 100+ CVs, it becomes evident that these subtle differences can make or break a good CV. Try to implement each of these points. In the coming weeks, I will be uploading more examples for you to see how you can better phrase and package your CV.

• View sample CV: click here

• Learn how to make your CV from scratch: CV Writing 101 - The 4 step process

• Select the right buckets for your CV: CV Writing 102 - Selecting the right buckets

• FAQ on CV writing: Part 1, Part 2

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Thank you and all the best!