How to write a CV in English

@Moira Escribano RodrÃguez

Do you know how to write a CV in English that any employer would like? With this guide you will nail the CV and the interview!

The first thing you need to know about writing a good CV in English is that it is essential for being successful and have good job opportunities. That’s why you have to put effort and time preparing it.

When preparing a CV or résumé there are some cultural differences that we need to take into consideration.

And we must remember that a CV is not the same as a résumé. A CV contains structured information about the professional experience of a person and the résumé usually can’t exceed more than two pages. This format is more typical in North America while the CV is more used in Europe.

Is really important to remember that the structure of your CV is going to depend of the job or the company that you want to apply to.

But first, here are some tips to have in mind while writing your CV in English.

Five Tips To Write An Outstanding CV In English

1. Create different CVs, each aimed to a specific job or field. Even though this requires a lot of work, you are going to have more chances of having a suitable profile for the position an employer is trying to fill.

2. Your CV should be concise, clear, easy to read and shouldn’t be more than two pages long. Remember that the person who will be reading your CV has to read hundreds more so making it eye-catching is fundamental.

3. On every section of your CV try to put the most important experience at the top and always use some keywords relevant to the job you are applying for. Employers want to know how good you were at your previous job, not only what you did. Make a list with the duties you had at your previous jobs and write first the most relevant ones.

4. The keywords I mentioned in the third point should draw the recruiter’s attention. These keywords could include technical skills, personality traits or details about your previous job experiences.

Keep in mind that the keywords have to match to the words in the job description that you are applying for.

5. Use descriptive adjectives and verbs to make your CV stand out. While describing your experience and education try to take advantage of using active verbs.

Here is a list of some active verbs you can use to improve your CV:

English verb	Spanish verb
To assign	Asignar
To delegate	Delegar
To organize	Organizar
To supervise	Supervisar
To address	Dirigirse a
To motivate	Motivar
To negotiate	Negociar
To persuade	Persuadir o Convencer
To calculate	Calcular
To operate	Operar
To solve	Resolver
To train	Entrenar o Formar
To analyze	Analizar
To budget	Hacer un presupuesto
To forecast	Prever
To research	Investigar
To create	Crear
To design	Diseñar
To perform	Llevar a cabo
To shape	Dar forma
To illustrate	Ilustrar

How To Format Your CV in English. What Layout Works Best?

You can write your CV in English using a lot of different stiles but the basic sections to be included are:

1. Personal information

In this section, you need to include your full name, address, phone number and email address. Make sure to use your personal email address, not a work email address.

2. Summary

This part of the CV is optional but is an excellent way to make yourself stand out even more.

You just need to describe who you are and what are you looking forward, but remember not to talk about academic and work experiences because that will be written in the next section.

In this part, you should be able to express what can you offer to a specific job.

This section can be too called Objective. The objective has to match the job you are applying for, so remember to be very specific.

3. Education

You need to be careful with terminology used for education because it can’t be translated directly. That’s why is important to know how academic qualifications can be describe in both British and American English.

Commonly confused words:

There is a common mistake which is confusing the words ‘career’ and ‘degree’.

Career in English means ‘vida profesional’ and degree is ‘grado o carrera’.

That’s why your career can or can’t be in the same field you’ve studied.

Education and formation are another two commonly confused words.

Education refers to what you have studied, on the other hand, formation means the way something is naturally made or the development of something into a particular thing or shape.

This is way formation can’t be used in your CV to talk about education.

When you are describing your education, you don’t have to include just the programs you’ve already finished but also the ones you are currently doing. In this section of your CV try to use action verbs to describe what you have learn or accomplished through those years.

4. Work experience

In this section, you should include the name and location of the companies that you have worked for. You need to add as well your position, your role, the dates and the duties you performed while you were working in that company.

Remember that you should detail the duties you performed because is the most important part of this section. Be really accurate and try to highlight even more the abilities that are most relevant for the position that you are applying for.

And if you have a long list of work experience, include just your most recent four or five positions or the ones that are more relevant for the position you are seeking.

But…. What happens if you don’t have work experience?

This is the case of young people or recent graduates and this is understandable and completely normal.

What you can do is try to compensate talking about experiences or skills that you have learnt through your academic years. Always include any internship or volunteer experience that you have done.

5. Additional information

Here is where you can include all your language skills and your technical abilities.

When talking about the level of a language, English in this case, be honest and include any certifications that you have or any course that you have done.

You can use this following terms to talk about your English skills (speaking, writing or reading):

· Conversational: basic language ability. You can have very basic conversations.

· Proficient: this means that you can have difficult conversations while using more compound structures. You have a better control over verb tenses.

· Fluent: you can follow up with almost every conversation and keep up with the different topics. You can use common expressions and you understand different accents.

· Native: English is used as your main language and you use it like a native speaker.

Remember to include your computer skills too. Keep in mind that this section depends on the job that you are applying for. So, if you are applying to a technology job this section should be more extensive. If the job is non-technology you should just include your computer skills as an additional skill.

What To Avoid On Your CV!

1. Spelling mistakes or wrong grammar. First thing and most important one, your CV shouldn’t have any spelling mistakes. Ask someone to read your CV once you are done to double check that everything is written perfectly.

2. Emails sounding not professional. Avoid using emails that are not professional sounding. Remember that is one of the first things that they are going to see when they read your CV and they are going to use it to communicate with you.

3. Photographs, especially for Anglo-Saxon countries. Pictures are a controversial topic because most Anglo-Saxon countries suggests not to include a picture on your CV, this is for discrimination reasons, to avoid that possibility.

4. Be careful with acronyms. And lastly spell out your degree or masters programs, don’t use acronyms or terminology that international employers maybe are not used to.

We hope we have shed some light on how to write a CV in English that would cause an amazing impression on the interviewers! Good luck with your job search!

Don't hesitate to try a FREE ONLINE CLASS with us to learn more about English!

English Teacher in

English Teacher in

Spanish Teacher in

Spanish Teacher in

German Teacher in

German Teacher in

French Teacher in

French Teacher in

How to write a CV in English

Do you know how to write a CV in English that any employer would like? With this guide you will nail the CV and the interview!

Five Tips To Write An Outstanding CV In English

Here is a list of some active verbs you can use to improve your CV:

How To Format Your CV in English. What Layout Works Best?

1. Personal information

2. Summary

3. Education

4. Work experience

5. Additional information

What To Avoid On Your CV!

29 March 2023

Cómo optimizar el marketing online para tu academia de inglés y atraer a nuevos estudiantes

27 March 2023

▷ Mejores academias de inglés en CHICAGO | Descubre la mejor escuela de inglés en CHICAGO

24 March 2023

Best Spanish Schools in VALENCIA |Discover the best language school for Spanish in VALENCIA

22 March 2023

Los españoles desembolsan una media de 15.000 euros en clases de inglés durante toda su vida

22 March 2023

Best Spanish Schools in BARCELONA |Discover the best language school for Spanish in BARCELONA

20 March 2023

▷ Mejores academias de inglés en TIJUANA | Descubre la mejor escuela de inglés en TIJUANA

20 March 2023

Best Spanish Schools in MADRID | Discover the best language school for Spanish in MADRID

19 March 2023

▷ Mejores academias de inglés en NEW YORK | Descubre la mejor escuela de inglés en NEW YORK