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HOW TO WRITE A CV
We see a lot of CVs at CaPS. Every year we read and review literally thousands of them, for job, intern-
ship, grad school and funding applications. They are from students of all levels representing each of
the faculties and schools at McGill. While there is definitely room for individual variation, some things
clearly work better than others. Use the information, tips and samples in this guide to start writing and
organizing your CV.

GETTING STARTED
What’s the point of a CV?

A CV provides a potential employer with an overview of your experience, background and skills to entice
them to invite you for an interview. CVs are also often required as part of graduate/professional school appli-
cations.

General guidelines

• Writing a CV is an art, not a science. The goal is not to force your content into a particular template, but
rather to find a format and style that highlights your experience and strengths. The order and emphasis
of your sections should also reflect the level of priority for your reader.
• Put yourself in the shoes of your reader. Can they easily find the information they are looking for? Are
the skills and experience you would bring to the organization clearly articulated?
• Use concrete examples when describing your experience. What did you do/accomplish?
• Your CV needs to be consistent and clear in terms of its style and format, professional in its content
and overall presentation, and as much as possible, specifically targeted to the position/company/field
you are applying to.
• Do your research! For your applications to be effective, you need to demonstrate knowledge of the em-
ployer and what they are looking for. Be intentional and informed, not generic!
• Length: In Canada, outside of academia, your CV can be up to two pages. There are a few exceptions, in-
cluding the management/business sector, which tends to prefer one page. Ask at CaPS if you are unsure
about norms for your particular field/geographic area.

The “Master CV” - Your first draft

To make customizing your CV for each application easier, we recommend compiling a “master CV” that
includes everything. The idea is to have a comprehensive record of your activities, experiences and accom-
plishments that you can draw on for future applications. Use the Common CV Components list on the next
page to get started.

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COMMON CV COMPONENTS
These are the basic components of a CV for a current undergraduate student or recent graduate. While your
contact information always comes first, the other sections can and should be presented in whichever order
is most relevant to the position for which you are applying.

Contact Information Experience

• Include your full name, phone number and a There are many ways to organize this informa-
professional email in an attractive header tion. Early on, general section headings such
• Including your full civic address is optional as “Volunteer Experience” work well. However,
once you have more experience and want to
• If pertinent, you can indicate a local and per- highlight patterns you have identified, try to
manent address/city strategically use headers for your experience
• Include your website and/or edited LinkedIn section(s) in order to incorporate key skills from
URL if relevant the job description.
• In North America, personal information such
General options include:
as age and citizenship are not included
• Work Experience
Languages • Volunteer Experience

• • Extracurricular Experience
If you speak more than one language, list • Career-Related Experience
these in order of relevance to the workplace • Additional Experience
• Indicate your level of proficiency (i.e. basic,
intermediate, fluent) Sample targeted headings:

• Tutoring Experience
Computer/Technical/Laboratory Skills
• Sales and Customer Service Experience
• • Outreach and Marketing Experience
List the specific programs/software or lab
• Writing and Editing Experience
techniques you are familiar with
• Research Experience
• Leadership Experience
Education • Performance Experience
• List all degrees you hold or are working on,
• Administrative Experience
most recent first
• Include any specializations (major, minor), Certifications/Affiliations/Memberships/
thesis or honours work Additional Training
• You can include scholarships and awards as
• List any additional certifications or active
details here, or in a separate “Awards” section
memberships you hold, along with the dates

Awards and Scholarships Interests and Activities

• List titles, reason for the award (if not clear • Make sure this section is organized and rela-
from the title) and dates tively detailed/specific

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LANGUAGE, STYLE & FORMAT

Format

Use a simple, clear format such as the example below:

What (your degree or job title) date-date

Where (school or company and location)
• Details

General guidelines

• Use formatting techniques such as indenting and bold consistently throughout to increase readability
• Use bullet points for your details; long dense paragraphs are hard to read quickly and CVs are usually
skimmed in a few seconds, not read word-for-word
• List education and experience in reverse chronological order (most recent first “by end date”)
• Simple, straightforward layouts tend to work best; avoid tables, boxes, templates
• Choose a standard, legible and professional font in a legible size
• Ensure your email address, voicemail message and any URLs are professional in tone
• PROOFREAD your CV carefully for typos, spelling mistakes and poor grammar

Describing your experience

• Aim for a factual, confident and professional tone; avoid embellishment

• Use active, skills-based language* and specific examples to highlight your accomplishments
• Start each bullet with an action verb instead of using pronouns (i.e. I, we)
• Pay attention to verb tenses: if you are no longer working somewhere, the verbs should be in past
tense, for a current activity, use the present tense
• Add a descriptor for clarity if your title was “Volunteer” or “Intern”, (i.e. Volunteer Peer Tutor, Adminis-
trative Intern)

* see the list of Action Verbs at the end of this guide

TARGETING YOUR CV
Keep the following tips in mind to ensure your CV is specifically tailored for each application:

• Read the job description carefully and research the organization to identify the key skills needed
• Use targeted headings (see examples on page 3) which speak to the main requirements of the position
• Ensure your descriptive bullets are prioritized and tailored for the role
• Consider the order of your sections to make sure the most important experiences appear early on

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SAMPLE: ONE PAGE CV

Jane Student
Vancouver, BC
[email protected] 514-111-9999

Education
Bachelor of Arts: Sociology Major 20xx - Present
McGill University, Montréal, QC
• James McGill Entrance Scholarship (20xx)

Leadership and Communication Experience

Peer Career Leader 20xx - Present
McGill Career Planning Service (CaPS), Montréal, QC
• Meet with students to review and offer feedback on their CVs
• Organize classroom presentations to promote CaPS activities and services
• Peer outreach activities have resulted in a 10% increase in drop-in appointments

Communications Intern (cancelled due to COVID-19) Summer 20xx

‡ƒŽŽ›‘‘Ž‘Ǧ”‘ϐ‹–ǡ‘–”±ƒŽǡ

Camp Counsellor Summer 20xx

ABC Daycamp, Vancouver, BC
• Supervised and interacted with a group of 16 children aged 6 to 10 years
• Developed weekly activities and agendas for campers
• Created and led local outings to attractions such as Science World
• Prepared and administered work schedule for all counsellors

Additional Work Experience

Crew Member 20xx - 20xx
Midnight Kitchen, Montreal, QC
• Worked in a team of 8 to produce healthy, sustainably sourced meals for students

Groundskeeper Summers 20xx - 20xx

Jagre Ridge Golf Course, Vernon, BC
• Collaborated with a team of 12 to groom the golf course each morning for clients

‡”–‹ϐ‹ ƒ–‹‘•ƒ†‹ŽŽ•
• Ȁ ‹”•–‹†‡”–‹ϐ‹‡†       ƒ›ʹͲššǡ‡š’ʹͲšš
• ‹ ”‘•‘ˆ–ˆϐ‹ ‡—‹–‡ǣ‘”†ǡš ‡Žǡ‘™‡”’‘‹–ǡƒ††‘„‡Š‘–‘•Š‘’

Activities and Interests

Musicǣ ˜‡”ͳͲ›‡ƒ”•‘ˆ‡š’‡”‹‡ ‡ƒ•ƒƒ –‹˜‡ƒƒ–‡—”—•‹ ‹ƒ‹‘” Š‡•–”ƒ•ƒ†„ƒ†•
Achieved Grade 8 RCM standing in both trumpet and piano
Sportsǣ ˜‹†”—‡”ǡ › Ž‹•–ƒ†•‹‡”Ǣƒ—ƒŽ’ƒ”–‹ ‹’ƒ–‹–Š‡‡””› ‘š—

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SAMPLE: TWO PAGE CV

Jean-François Student
Montréal, QC
[email protected]; 514-330-1123
ůŝŶŬĞĚŝŶ͘ĐŽŵͬŝŶͬũĨƐƚƵĚĞŶƚ

Languages
English and French (Bilingual)

ĚƵĐĂƟŽŶ
Bachelor of Science, Honours Anatomy and Cell Biology 20xx - 20xx
McGill University, Montréal, QC
• Minors in Anthropology and Social Studies of Medicine
• Dean’s Honour List

Diplome d’Etudes Collegial (DEC), Health Sciences 20xx - 20xx

Cégep de Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC

Research Experience
Clinical Research Coordinator 20xx - Present
Bone and Mineral Unit, Royal Victoria Hospital, Montréal, QC
• ŽŽƌĚŝŶĂƚĞƚǁŽƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚƉƌŽũĞĐƚƐŝŶǀĞƐƟŐĂƟŶŐƚƌĞĂƚŵĞŶƚƐĨŽƌŽƐƚĞŽƉŽƌŽƐŝƐ
• >ŝĂŝƐĞďĞƚǁĞĞŶƉĂƟĞŶƚƐ͕ŝŶǀĞƐƟŐĂƚŽƌƐ͕ŚŽƐƉŝƚĂůƐƚĂī͕ĂŶĚƐƉŽŶƐŽƌŝŶŐĐŽŵƉĂŶŝĞƐ
• ĞƐŝŐŶĂŶĚƉƌŽǀŝĚĞŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶĂŶĚƌĞƐŽƵƌĐĞƐĨŽƌƉĂƟĞŶƚƐĚŝĂŐŶŽƐĞĚǁŝƚŚŽƐƚĞŽƉŽƌŽƐŝƐ
• ^ƵĐĐĞƐƐĨƵůůLJƌĞĐƌƵŝƚĞĚŚƵŶĚƌĞĚƐŽĨƐƚƵĚLJƉĂƌƟĐŝƉĂŶƚƐƵƐŝŶŐŝŶŶŽǀĂƟǀĞĂĚǀĞƌƟƐŝŶŐ

Undergraduate Research Assistant 20xx - 20xx

Professor McGill Lab, McGill University, Montréal, QC
• tĞůĐŽŵĞĚĂŶĚƌĞŐŝƐƚĞƌĞĚƉĂƌƟĐŝƉĂŶƚƐĂŶĚĞdžƉůĂŝŶĞĚƐƚƵĚLJ
• ŽŵƉůĞƚĞĚĚĂƚĂĞŶƚƌLJ͕ĂĚŵŝŶŝƐƚƌĂƟǀĞƚĂƐŬƐĂŶĚůĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌLJŵĂŝŶƚĞŶĂŶĐĞ

Community Involvement
Friendly Visitor 20xx - Present
Montréal General Hospital, Montréal, QC 20xx - Present
Centre Hospitalier St-Therese, Shawinigan, QC 20xx - 20xx
• sŝƐŝƚƉĂƟĞŶƚƐŝŶƚŚĞĚŝĂůLJƐŝƐƵŶŝƚƚŽƉƌŽǀŝĚĞĐŽŶǀĞƌƐĂƟŽŶ͕ĂŶĚƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ

sŽůƵŶƚĞĞƌ^ĞƌǀŝĐĞWĂƌƟĐŝƉĂŶƚ 20xx - 20xx

<ĂƟŵĂǀŝŬzŽƵƚŚ>ĞĂĚĞƌƐŚŝƉWƌŽŐƌĂŵ͕,ĞĂƌƐƚ͕KE͕WƌŝŶĐĞZƵƉĞƌƚ͕ΘDŽŶĐƚŽŶ͕E
• >ŝǀĞĚǁŝƚŚĂŐƌŽƵƉŽĨϭϱLJŽƵŶŐƉĞŽƉůĞŝŶƚŚƌĞĞƐŵĂůůĂŶĂĚŝĂŶĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƟĞƐĨŽƌŽŶĞLJĞĂƌ
• sŽůƵŶƚĞĞƌĞĚĂƐĂŶĐƟǀŝƟĞƐŽŽƌĚŝŶĂƚŽƌŝŶĂƐĞŶŝŽƌƐ͛ƌĞƐŝĚĞŶĐĞ͕ĂƐĂdƌĞĞWůĂŶƚĞƌŝŶĂĚĞĨŽƌĞƐƚĞĚĂƌĞĂ
ĂŶĚĂƐĂDĞŶƚŽƌŝŶĂĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJĐĞŶƚƌĞĨŽƌĂƚͲƌŝƐŬLJŽƵƚŚ 

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ĚĚŝƟŽŶĂůtŽƌŬdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ
^ĞƌǀĞƌ;ƉĂƌƚͲƟŵĞͿ 20xx - Present
Bar le Barouf, Montréal, QC
• dƌĂŝŶŶĞǁƐƚĂīŽŶƐĞƌǀŝĐĞĂŶĚĐĂƐŚ
• ǁĂƌĚĞĚŵŽƐƚĞĸĐŝĞŶƚǁŽƌŬĞƌƚŚƌĞĞŵŽŶƚŚƐŝŶĂƌŽǁ
• EŽŵŝŶĂƚĞĚƉŽŝŶƚƉĞƌƐŽŶƚŽĚĞĂůǁŝƚŚĐƌŝƐŝƐƐŝƚƵĂƟŽŶƐ

Sport Camp Counsellor Summers 20xx, 20xx-

McGill Sports Camp, Montréal, QC
• Supervised a group of 10 children between the ages of 8-10
• ƌĞĂƚĞĚĂŶĚƌĂŶŵƵůƟƉůĞĂĐƟǀŝƟĞƐƌĞůĂƚĞĚƚŽǀĂƌŝŽƵƐƐƉŽƌƚƐŝŶĐůƵĚŝŶŐƐŽĐĐĞƌĂŶĚďĂƐŬĞƚďĂůů
• ŶĐŽƵƌĂŐĞĚĂŶĚŵŽƟǀĂƚĞĚĐŚŝůĚƌĞŶƚŽƉĂƌƟĐŝƉĂƚĞĂŶĚƐƵĐĐĞĞĚŝŶĂĐƟǀŝƟĞƐ
• hƉĚĂƚĞĚƉĂƌĞŶƚƐŽŶĚĂŝůLJĂĐƟǀŝƟĞƐĂŶĚĞǀĞŶƚƐ

džƚƌĂͲƵƌƌŝĐƵůĂƌĐƟǀŝƟĞƐ
DĐ'ŝůů/ŶƚĞƌŶĂƟŽŶĂů^ƚƵĚĞŶƚƵĚĚLJ 20xx - 20xx
/ŶƚĞƌŶĂƟŽŶĂů^ƚƵĚĞŶƚ^ĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ͕DĐ'ŝůůhŶŝǀĞƌƐŝƚLJ͕DŽŶƚƌĠĂů͕Y
• Communicated with new McGill students from abroad prior to their arrival;
ĂĚǀŝƐĞĚĂŶĚĂƐƐŝƐƚĞĚƚŚĞŵĚƵƌŝŶŐƚŚĞŝƌĞŶƟƌĞĮƌƐƚLJĞĂƌ

KƌŝĞŶƚĂƟŽŶ>ĞĂĚĞƌ Aug 20xx

McGill University, Montréal, QC
• >ĞĚĂŐƌŽƵƉŽĨϮϬŶĞǁDĐ'ŝůůƐƚƵĚĞŶƚƐƚŚƌŽƵŐŚŽƌŝĞŶƚĂƟŽŶĂĐƟǀŝƟĞƐ

Judo Instructor 20xx - 20xx

Centre de Judo Shawinigan, Shawinigan, QC
• Coached children between the ages of 5-15
• :ƵĚŐĞĚũƵĚŽĐŽŵƉĞƟƟŽŶƐĨŽƌƚŚĞϱͲϴLJĞĂƌŽůĚĐĂƚĞŐŽƌLJ
• ƌĞĂƚĞĚĂŶŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶƐŚĞĞƚĨŽƌĂůůƉĂƌƟĐŝƉĂŶƚƐĂďŽƵƚƐĐŚĞĚƵůĞƐĂŶĚƌĞƋƵŝƌĞĚĞƋƵŝƉŵĞŶƚ

ĐƟǀŝƟĞƐĂŶĚ/ŶƚĞƌĞƐƚƐ
Sports:
• Varsity soccer, McGill University (20xx-Present)
• :ƵĚŽʹďůĂĐŬďĞůƚ;ϮϬdždžͲWƌĞƐĞŶƚͿ͘tŽŶŶĂƟŽŶĂůĐŚĂŵƉŝŽŶƐŚŝƉŝŶϮϬdždžΘϮϬdždž

Music:
• WŝĂŶŽʹĐůĂƐƐŝĐĂůΘũĂnjnj;ϮϬdždžͲWƌĞƐĞŶƚͿ

Travel:
• France, England, Spain, Portugal and Australia

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SAMPLE: ONE PAGE CV

&ĂƟŵĂ^ƚƵĚĞŶƚ
ĨĂƟŵĂ͘ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚΛŵĂŝů͘ŵĐŐŝůů͘ĐĂ͖ϱϭϰͲϯϵϴͲϯϯϯϰ

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Arts and Science, Economics and Mathematics 20xx - 20xx

McGill University, Montréal, Canada
• Minor in History
• Exchange term at University of Edinburgh (Winter 20xx)

International Baccalaureate Diploma 20xx-20xx

XYZ International School, Beirut, Lebanon

CAREER-RELATED EXPERIENCE

Research and Event Planning Intern Summer 20xx

United Nations, New York, USA
• Researched the advantages of micro financing for female farmers in West Africa
• Assisted with planning for annual agriculture conference
• Translated English conference documents to French and Arabic

VP Finance 20xx - 20xx

McGill Arab Students’ Association, Montréal, Canada
• Managed the annual budget for one of McGill’s largest student associations

Assistant Analyst Intern Summer 20xx

ABC Bank, Hong Kong, China
• Translated English financial documents to French
• Documented trade transactions and entered data into Excel

Receptionist 20xx - 20xx

SFT Shipping, Beirut, Lebanon
• Answered client inquiries on the phone and in person in a trilingual environment
• Updated client accounts and entered import and export data

SKILLS AND INTERESTS

Languages: English, French and Arabic: Fluent, Hebrew: Intermediate, Mandarin: Basic
Software: Microsoft Office, Microsoft Teams
Interests: Reading (Politics, Technology), Painting and Genealogy
Sports: Basketball (Team Captain in high school, intramurals at McGill), Ultimate Frisbee and Golf
World Travel: Australia, Germany, France, UK, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, USA and Canada

REFERENCES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

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ACTION VERBS
On the following two pages you will find a list of action verbs organized by skill area.
Use these to help you describe your past experiences and skills in your CV and Cover Letter.
Make sure to check out all of the categories as many verbs apply to multiple skills!

ANALYSIS COMMUNICATION
Accounted Critiqued Measured Scrutinized Addressed Counselled Interpreted Referred

Analyzed Deciphered Observed Studied Advocated Demonstrated Lectured Reported

Ascertained Deliberated Prioritized Synthesized Authored Discussed Listened Responded

Assessed Determined Programmed Tested Called Drafted Lobbied Spoke

Compared Estimated Projected Validated Clarified Edited Marketed Summarized

Computed Evaluated Questioned Verified Coached Educated Persuaded Taught

Conceptualized Examined Rated Communicated Elicited Presented Transcribed

Concluded Formulated Recommended Contacted Explained Promoted Translated

Confirmed Justified Researched Convinced Familiarized Publicized Tutored

Corresponded Informed Queried Wrote

CREATIVITY INITIATIVE
Adapted Created Improvised Played Accelerated Created Improvised Played

Authored Designed Innovated Revised Accomplished Coordinated Initiated Revamped

Brainstormed Developed Invented Shaped Achieved Established Instituted Reviewed

Built Engineered Made Visualized Acted Founded Introduced Revitalized

Composed Envisioned Manufactured Advanced Generated Launched Solicited

Constructed Illustrated Produced Applied Handled Proposed Spearheaded

Attended Implemented Rejuvenated Utilized

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ACTION VERBS

LEADERSHIP PROBLEM SOLVING

Administered Delegated Headed Officiated Aided Fulfilled Reduced Solved

Advised Directed Hired Oversaw Alleviated Generated Refined Streamlined

Allocated Empowered Influenced Piloted Ameliorated Identified Reformed Strengthened

Anticipated Enabled Instructed Recruited Augmented Improved Remedied Supplemented

Appointed Encouraged Interviewed Sanctioned Customized Increased Remodeled Transformed

Approved Endorsed Led Selected Expanded Polished Repaired Troubleshot

Assigned Enforced Maintained Sponsored Extended Reconciled Restored Updated

Authorized Financed Managed Supervised Finalized Rectified Saved Upgraded

Chaired Fostered Monitored Trained

Decided Guided Motivated Unified

TEAMWORK ... AND MORE!

Accommodated Contributed Integrated Related Activated Excelled Licensed Shipped

Assisted Cooperated Mediated Respected Added Executed Navigated Sought

Balanced Facilitated Negotiated Shared Appraised Experimented Operated Staffed

Collaborated Harmonized Participated Approximated Familiarized Performed Submitted

Consulted Helped Partnered Audited Guaranteed Prepared Surveyed

Displayed Involved Realized Tailored

Dissected Issued Served

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