CV Writing: Page 05


Next up: Getting Personal Information

When it comes to making a CV, one has to be a personal historian of the inductive type (building up the evidence). Not all recovered information will be used.
Source element: Each individual needs to create an evidence-based list of experiences, skills and duties. In a personal brainstorming session, perhaps helped by a conversation partner, the individual writes down skills without priority. Brainstorming is free flowing activity.

Then these must be shown to be evidence-based. This means, the ability to say where and when this happened. So write where that skill or ability was achieved.

  • If it is of an interest or hobby, write down the interest.

  • If it is from a qualification, write down the qualification.

  • If it was with an employer or two, write them down.

  • If it came from school, say so.


What are the essential responsibilities and skills from this job?


These details we must also know:

A list of places and dates:

  • Where and when at school, college, university, employers

  • When otherwise unemployed, caring etc.


Then, what skill and ability did each place and time develop?

This process of note making and association can take a long time because dates may need to be recovered. Sometimes 'month and year' is good enough: for colleges and universities for example.
If the student was not in prison, information to imply this is useful.

However, if so, it might be useful to note what good came about within the serving of time: courses of education and changes of attitude. Such information might be avoided on on a summary CV, but it might be needed.
Then order and break the information down now to put under headings of Education and Training, and Paid Employment. Voluntary Work is very important as are Home Skills if necessary in periods of home occupation and other time.

Some experiences may overlap - like formal training with an employer. So what, it also needs to be in the training section. Qualifications as well as activities should be connected here for information.
Even if there is a lack of formal experiences, then one still lives! Surely one can describe handling money and communicating by telephone and what technology is used. Summarise it as evidence with a spot of optimistic purpose.

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Adrian Worsfold