How to Create a CV Template

"CV" stands for "curriculum vitae," which is Latin for "course of life."

A CV is a one-page document that summarizes your educational and professional experience and achievements. In the United States, the term "CV" is mostly used in academic and literary circles, while the term "resume" is used in most other fields. The purpose of a CV or resume is to show prospective employers that you are qualified for a certain position. The exact information you include depends on the type of job you are applying for. If you create a template first, you can just plug in the appropriate information when you need to make a new version.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Word processing program

Instructions

1. Open Microsoft Word, which is native to all Windows-based computers. Create a new document.

2. Create a section at the top of your document for your biographical information. This will stay the same for every version of your CV, so type your real information. Include your name, address, phone number and email address, each on its own line. Center this information by highlighting it, selecting "Paragraph" from the "Format" menu and then changing the alignment to "Centered." To make your name stand out, you can make it slightly bigger than the rest of the text by highlighting it, selecting "Font" from the "Format" menu and changing the font size to 16 or 18.

3. Press the "Enter" key twice. Write a sentence stating your employment objective or professional headline. This will probably change depending on the type of job you are applying for, so you can write something generic for the template. For example, your objective or headline might be: "Freelance writer seeking full-time employment in an environment that will nurture her creative instinct and provide opportunities to advance in her career." You may want to leave this sentence centered, or you can change the alignment back to "Left" by going to the "Format" menu, selecting "Paragraph" and choosing "Left."

4. Add a section titled "Professional Experience" to provide details about your relevant employment history. Each time you create a new section, press "Enter" twice, type the title, press "Enter" again and then type the content. Bold the title by highlighting it, navigating to the "Format" menu, selecting "Font" and changing the font style to "Bold."

   Start with your current or most recent position, and continue in reverse chronological order. For the template, you won't need all of the exact details, but you do need placeholder text. It will help later if you use text that will remind you what goes where. For each position you list, include the name of the company, your job title, the length of time you held that position (usually the month and year of your starting and ending dates) and a description of your responsibilities. Leave room for at least three sentences about your responsibilities--this is the most important part.

   After you create one sample listing, you can simply copy and paste it into your document a few more times to simulate multiple positions on your template. You will replace each of these samples with the real information when you make the actual CV.

5. Add another section titled "Education." Like your biographical information, this will likely stay the same for every version of your CV. For each entry in this section, include the name of the school, your degree (if you received one), area(s) of study and the dates you attended (again, usually just the month and year). If your grade point average was exceptional or you received any honors, you can also include that. Otherwise, it's better not to mention it. If you'd like, you can also include a section describing organizations or leadership positions you held while in school.

6. Create a section titled "Skills." Write a few lines describing your skills and areas of expertise that are relevant to the position you are applying for. This is another section that may change in different versions.

7. Add a section for your references. References are people who know you well, either professionally or personally, and are willing to talk with your potential employers about your work style and qualifications. Some people choose to write "available upon request" and provide these separately.

8. Save your finished template. When you use it to create a version of your CV in the future, be sure to save it under another name first so you don't accidentally overwrite the template.

Tips & Warnings

• It is a good idea to have several versions of your CV, each highlighting a different aspect of your career. For instance, if you are applying for a job at a marketing firm and one at your local coffee shop, they will probably be looking for completely different skill sets. You should make one version of your CV focusing on your experience in marketing and a separate one with your experience in the service industry.

References

• CV Templates