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Most employers expect job applicants to provide a CV (Curriculum Vitae) or a resume. In many countries, these terms are used interchangeably, but in others there may be a difference between them. For example, in the US, a resume is used when applying for regular jobs, while a CV is for academic positions. In any case, a CV or a resume is a document which gives an overview of a candidate’s qualifications, skills and work experience, so that employers can select the most suitable applicants to invite for an interview. For this reason, it is important to spend time compiling a CV or resume which best depicts you, your background and what you can offer a future employer.

A resume (the term used from now on) is, in most cases, the first contact you have with a prospective employer, therefore you need to consider what impression your resume will make. For a favourable first impression, you need to take into account not only what information you should include, but also how much of that information is relevant to the particular position you are applying for, as well as how the information should be presented. However, bear in mind that your resume should be no more than 2 pages of A4 – any longer and it will go unread.

There is no set structure or content for a resume, but some information is essential, such as your name and contact details, for obvious reasons. The headings for each section should reflect the content, but do not necessarily need to be the same as shown below.

• Full name
• Contact details (mobile number, email address, and optionally, home address)
• Work experience / Training / Work placements
• Qualifications / Education
• Skills
• References

Depending on whether you are a student applying for your first job, or an experienced engineer, the sections of your resume may vary and appear in a different order. At any rate, your best and most relevant features should probably appear near the top of your resume. Additional sections may include a personal profile as well as information on your achievements, memberships of professional associations and interests. However, your resume should be tailored to the job you apply for and may not include the same information each time.

In terms of format, it is best to use the same standard font throughout and avoid cluttering your resume with too many lines, boxes and tables. A ‘clean’, easy-to-read resume is what you should aim for, especially as the person who reads it may only do so for a matter of seconds and needs to be able to see the most important information at a glance. With that in mind, sentences should be relatively short, and it is common to use bullet-points to list skills, work responsibilities, achievements, etc. When outlining your qualifications, work experience, training and industrial placements, it is usual to omit the pronoun ‘I’ and use the verb in the present simple for a job you are currently doing, eg. ‘Provide product support to clients’, ‘Execute equipment maintenance strategies’, or past simple form for past work experience, eg. ‘Examined installations to ensure conformance to design specifications’, ‘Attended 6-week course in Leadership Skills’, ‘Supervised and lead a team of 15.’ Finally, remember to write the most recent qualifications and work experience first, and then work backwards.

Below is an example of the resume of a recent engineering graduate. Notice the personal profile which appears near the beginning, just after the candidate’s name and contact details, which acts as an introduction to the resume. A personal profile, known also as a personal statement or summary, is optional but is becoming increasingly common. So, why write a personal profile? This is the section in which you can emphasise what makes you attractive as an applicant. It tends to be no more than a few sentences in length, and it focuses on your personal qualities, your relevant skills, what you are looking for from a particular post and what you hope to achieve. The personal profile is very often written in the third person, but without using the ‘he/she’ pronoun, eg. Ambitious, pro-active environmental engineering graduate with excellent communication skills seeks position with an innovative, forward-thinking company to build on knowledge and skills.