How to write a CV

What is a CV?

CV is short for the Latin curriculum vitae meaning “course of life”. A CV should provide the reader with a timeline and a summary of your qualifications, experiences and achievements.

A CV has a formal framework, meaning there are some norms for what a CV should contain. Among other things, you should list what you have done in reverse chronological order. This means that you start with by listing your most recent education or work experience and work your way backwards.

As a student and recent graduate, education should come before work experience. Furthermore, you must ensure that the CV is updated, that it is tailored to the recipient, and highlights your relevant skillset for the position you are applying to. 

It should be accurate and easy to read

Your CV should provide a potential employer with a quick, clear and easy to read picture of your skills. Many people possess a larger skillset than they might think. Therefore, it is important that you take time to think and reflect on what experiences you have, what you have learned and what skills you have developed through the course of your life. Examples are software you master, generic tasks that you have done professionally or thru volunteer work, or topics you have insight and understanding of.  

It's a sales pitch 

A modern CV functions as a sales pitch in which you are selling your skills to a potential employer. With that in mind, make sure that you prioritise those part of your skills that are most relevant for the position and the company you are applying to. While it is okay to use bullet points listing your skills, avoid the use of abbreviations. A long CV is good, but a precise one is great. Unless you have had an extensive career, your CV shouldn't be longer than two pages. 

1) CV template

Start by finding a template that you like. Your CV is not a creativity contest, but it may be a good opportunity to showcase your design skills.  

Nice and tidy 

The layout of your CV should be nice and tidy. Be consistent in the way you list your educational and professional experiences. By doing this you provide any potential employers with an easy-to-read way to form an impression of who you are.  

Tips on where to get a CV template 

• Word
• Canva
• Overleaf

There are several online portals where you can buy a CV-template. There is no need to spend too much money on this. 

2) Personal information

Highlight your name and make it the headline of your CV.  

Your contact details must be up to date and with no attempt of humour for example in your e-mail address. It should include your e-mail, phone number and date of birth. Use your personal e-mail address and not a UiA address. It can also be useful to add your LinkedIn address, if you have an up-to-date profile.  

Read also: How to create a successful LinkedIn profile

3) Photo

Many recruiters recommend including a photo on your CV because visual elements attract the reader's attention. Others argue that by not including a photo, you protect yourself against discrimination. A question you might ask yourself is what images appear if you are googled? By choosing a photo for your CV, you have a say in determining the impression you want the employer to remember you by. If you decide to include a photo on your CV, make sure it appears professional.

Professional portrait

A professional photo can easily be taken by a friend with a good mobile camera. Try to be relaxed, smile, and think about: 

• Your outfit: The clothes should be able to be worn at your future workplace. 
• Light conditions: Use daylight and be aware of any shadows on your face. 
• Angle: Take the shot from the shoulders up. It should be easy to recognise yourself, so keep your eyes fixed on the camera and place the camera at face level. 
• Background: The background should be neutral.

What to avoid 

• Blurred photos 
• Selfies
• Filters
• Photos taken in a social setting. In other words, don’t crop yourself from a group photo.  

4) Key skills

Listing key qualifications can sometimes be tricky, especially if they are asking for relevant job experience and you are applying for your first position in the field. Consider using a different heading, such as profile, about me, summary etc.  

The purpose of this section of the CV is to highlight relevant skills and provide a short and precise summary of the CV. You don't have to have such a summary, but it can be useful to capture the interest of the employer. A good summary that tells the reader what to expect further down in the CV will arouse curiosity and the desire to read further. For example, if you say that you have good academic results, this should be elaborated during education. 

Highlight what’s important 

When writing this paragraph, you should highlight the most important things from your education, experience, skills and work-relevant qualities as a person. Your CV can be largely reused, but you should target this section with the employer and the position you are applying for in mind. 

5) Education

Include all of your high school education

It is common to include upper secondary education in your CV, to show where and when you graduated. If subjects taken are relevant, you can provide a small description of these. Furthermore, any military or national service should be listed under education. Here you can give a brief description of areas of responsibility, and you should highlight relevant skills for working life, such as mental training, teamwork and perseverance. 

Consistency is key 

Education and all other forms of experience should be listed with when you started and finished, using month and year. If you haven’t concluded your studies, you list when you started (month and year) and ongoing.  

In addition, you should say something about what you learned during your studies, or any skills you developed. It can also be useful to look at the learning outcomes you find in most course descriptions at uia.no, and use it as inspiration to write your own descriptions for your CV.  

Example

08.2019 - 06.2022           Early Childhood Education and Care, University of Agder 

Bachelor's thesis: Lifeskills in kindergarten. 

Gained knowledge about children's development and the environment in which they grow up. Developed a particular curiosity about how religion and beliefs influence the environments in which they grew up, and how this must be met with openness and understanding in order to achieve the best possible cooperation with the homes. In practice, I developed an understanding of how play affects children's development and learning. 

Showcase your work 

The description is only an excerpt of what was listed as learning outcomes. You should not simply copy paste these. You need to consider what part of the learning outcomes that are relevant for the position you are applying to. This paragraph can be a longer description or presented in bullet points.  

Other things to consider adding under education: 

• You are welcome to note the subject of your bachelor's or master's thesis, this shows your in-depth knowledge and interest in the subject. 
• In addition, you can also list any internships and provide employers insight into the experience you have acquired. 
• If you have been on an exchange, you should enter this under education. Write down the time period, university and country, and highlight the competencies and skills that you developed. This can be both professional or personal skills, such as independence or the ability to organise.  
• You can note your results if you think it gives you an advantage. The employer does not expect this to be listed. A C grade is usually the average grade, so A or B are the grades that may be noticed. 

6) Work experience

When listing your work experience, you can use the same form as the example below. Make sure you note the type of position and the extent of the engagement.

You may not find all your previous jobs relevant to the job you are going to apply for, but you should still include it in your CV. While some of your previous work experience may not be professionally relevant, it is always relevant for a potential employer to see that you have work experience. You learn something from every job. Give a brief description of what you have done and learned and feel free to focus extra on skills that are transferable to the job you are applying for. 

Eksempel på arbeidserfaring 

10.2018 - 08.2021            Café Laura, Kristiansand S, Norway

Barista, part time job approximately 7,5 hours per week, full-time during the summer months. 

Gained experience in handling stressful situations, solving customer needs and creating additional sales. Was given extended responsibility for planning "Handelens dag", the biggest market day of the year. Employee of the month, April 2021. 

Make sure to include all your experience 

Sometimes people wonder how far back you should go in a CV. If you started taking odd jobs in your early teens, then feel free to include it. The best way to do it is to sum it up:  

06.2012 - 08.2016            Miscellaneous odd jobs 

 

Cleaning job, once a week. Stood in the kiosk at Sør Arena one day a month. Caretaker's assistant, summer job for three seasons at Tratec. 

In the same way, you can merge the summer jobs you have had to avoid repetition. If you have had the same summer job for four years, and taken a few extra shifts if needed during the summer months, you can write it in the description.

7) Additional experience

Additional experiences you have had is also relevant to list in your CV. This may include for example, voluntary work. If you have had areas of responsibility, you should take the opportunity to make a short description about the skills you developed. For example, a position in a student association may have given you the skills to run a voluntary organisation, collaborate across disciplines and create results. Courses can also be listed under "other experience". List any positions or courses in the same format as education and work experience. 

Your hobbies may be relevant, if this is the case than put it on your CV. For example, an engineering student who has various technical projects will be able to legitimize the practical approach to the subject by describing this in their CV. 

Take some time to reflect on things you have done and what you have learned from you’re your experiences should be highlighted. It can be just as valuable as work experience and say a lot about you as a person and the values and attitudes you have. Taking courses can say something about your curiosity and initiative.  

8) Other information

If you have skills that you think will be relevant to the position you are applying for, you should bring it up. You can list it in key word form or briefly describe what the skill is about. 

Languages 

Language proficiency can be listed in different ways. For example, languages can be graded as good, very good, fluent and native language. Some visualise how they rate themselves on a scale from 1-5. Only include languages that you master and can practice to some extent. If you only have a couple of years of language from secondary school and have not practiced it since, you should reconsider whether you should include it in your CV. 

Other things to consider 

Certificates (e.g. drivers’ licence) and any certifications that are relevant must be listed. Different software that may be relevant should also be described, and you should state whether you have knowledge, knowhow or good skills in the field. In addition, consider listing some skills you have developed throughout your study, such as collaboration, project management, creative skills. Look at the position and the job advertisement and highlight the skills you feel you can vouch for, and which are relevant for the position you are applying for.  

9) Hobbies

Hobbies may seem irrelevant, but here you give the employer an opportunity to see another side of you beyond the professional. Keep yourself brief and feel free to specify by explaining, for example, which team you are in/play on, or whether you are in a choir or play in a band and what genre it belongs to. It doesn't have to be anything distinctive, let your hobbies mirror what you like to do in your spare time. 

10) References

A reference is someone who can say something about how you are as a person and an employee, how you have functioned in previous jobs or in other professional contexts. A reference can include previous employers, a fellow student, colleagues, or supervisors. It is common to have at least two references, one of which is often a manager or other superior. The reference should know you well and you should be confident that they have your best interest in mind. Feel free to talk to your references and dare to ask what they think are your strengths and weaknesses, and what they think you should work on.

Listing references 

There are two typical ways to show references. One is to list the references with name, title, phone number and e-mail. The second is to write "references are provided on request". Unsolicited listing of your references with contact information in your CV can increase your credibility as a job seeker.   

Inform your references

When you provide a someone’s name as a reference, it is very important that you have clarified this with said person in advance. It is also important that you have prepared the reference for the possibility of a phone call. Send the job description in advance so that your references get an impression of what the job entails.

11) Difficult topics

Many people find it difficult to take a stand on questions such as age, nationality, marital status and "gaps in the CV". There is often a trade-off between the fact that it is perceived as negative to include it, compared to the fact that it leaves room for misinterpretation if it is omitted. It is not allowed to let family issues, ethnicity and the like affect the outcome of a hiring process. At the same time, employers may be affected by these factors, and therefore you should make some considerations related to what you want to share in a CV. 

Nationality 

It is debated whether to state nationality and ethnicity in the CV. If you have a foreign name, the employer will be curious about your origin and culture. 

A solution for those who were born and raised in Norway is to write, for example, "13 May 1988 in Kristiansand" under the date of birth. Alternatively, you can write "Nationality: Norwegian with Pakistani background". You may also be able to show your parents' country of origin by describing your language skills from their home country later in your CV. 

If you are of foreign origin, but a Norwegian citizen, you can, for example, write "Nationality: Syrian, Norwegian citizen". Feel free to describe how long you have been in Norway. If you do not have citizenship, you may refer to your residence permit. 

Remember that if you have a foreign background, you should bring out all the skills and all the benefits this can have for the employer. There is a lot of learning in international experience and integration that you should highlight and put into words. This creates credibility for you as a job seeker. 

Gaps in your CV 

Sometimes you can go periods without working or studying. If this period extends over six months, it is often referred to as a gap in the CV. The background for such "gaps" can be many. For example, it can be a choice of values, for example that you have chosen to stay at home with children. Maby, you have taken a sabbatical or been traveling. Perhaps you have spent some time applying for jobs. Another cause may be illness. Remember that if you are a student or employer when you become ill, this is not considered a gap. 

You may have been told that gaps in your CV can give an unfortunate impression to the employer, and that you as a job seeker should be prepared for the possibility that you may be asked about these gaps at interviews. Remember that regardless of what is the cause of the so-called gap, you are usually left with useful experiences that can be valuable in working life. Think about how you handled the situation you were in, what skills you developed, and what you learned from it. Did you perhaps learn something about yourself?  

If you are unsure whether you have gaps in your CV and may be wondering how you can refer to these "gaps" to a future employer, a good advice is to book a meeting with a career counselling services.