Getting Started

Please be advised that your Curriculum Vitae (CV) must possess basic content and clear structure. It should present you in such a way that makes you stand out from the rest. We advise that your CV be ONE PAGE.

1. Name in capitals, central on the page in larger font than the rest of the CV

2. Address, email and phone number underneath your name

• Make sure your email is professional if it is not already. The best approach is firstname.lastname@example.com

3. Objective (optional)—What is your job objective for this CV (e.g., paralegal, law, finance intern)?

4. Education and Qualifications (starting with the most recent)

• Include all your examined grades e.g. university grades for each year; for SSCE, UME, A-levels (or equivalent) etc., please state how many subjects and at what grade.

• List the schools you attended (with dates, awards and honors) and classes you have completed that are relevant to your objective (you may want to describe any special projects, papers, or presentations that were part of your coursework).

• Include your GPA

• Ensure dates are in reverse chronological order (most recent to least recent) under each section

5. Experience (starting with the most recent) if any

• State the name of the organisation, your title and dates of employment on one line
• Use bullet points to structure the content of each description (a maximum of two-three points)
• List the positions you have held (include paid, volunteer, and intern positions). Keep in mind, you do not need to list every job you have ever held; you only need to list the experiences that are relevant to the position. Arrange these in reverse chronological order and for each position, ask yourself:
• What were my major accomplishments? (if possible, quantify)
• What were my main responsibilities?
• What skills did I acquire, improve, utilize?
• What special knowledge did I gain?

6. Activities (optional)

Were you a member of any clubs? What about other on- or off-campus organizations (e.g., fraternities, student publications, charitable groups, etc.)? Were you a member of any athletic teams? Were you elected or appointed as an officer of a club organization? Describe your accomplishments in the above activities.

7. Skills and Interests (optional)

 What skills do you possess (e.g., language ability, computer skills, and other technical skills)? What do you like to do outside of work and school? Be specific.

The goal of your CV is to effectively communicate your qualifications for consideration. In many cases your CV will determine whether or not you will proceed to the next stage of the process. The CV by itself, however, will not get you the internship.