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CV WRITING TIPS

There is no second chance to make a first impression. 

Simply remember: LEO

1. Less is more

  • Admissions teams are unlikely to read every single word on your CV. You want to get their eyes to capture the significant stuff as they scan your CV.

  • Try to limit your CV to 1 or maximum 2 pages. Record detailed dates of your accomplishments in a separate planning document and gradually update your CV, replacing old and less significant experiences with more recent and impressive accomplishments.

  • Be selective about what you include and do not make your CV an archive of all the things you've ever done. Do we really need to know about that 3 months internship? Or can your recent paid job replace it? Prioritize to make the most relevant and impressive experiences shine. 

2. Emphasize

To make your application shine, use formatting and language to make the words that showcase your story stand out:

  • Highlight in bold the important components of a section, consistently. So, for example, there is no point highlighting dates. You might want to highlight the names of the institutions at which you studied (if they are your selling point) or alternatively the degrees or awards you received. But be consistent. Do not randomly highlight pop-up words all over the place. 

  • Begin each bullet point with an action verb in the past tense. So, for example, you might write: "Led a workshop...", "Initiated a program...", "Managed a team...", "Coordinated, Taught, Facilitated, Oversaw, Presented, etc.

3. Organize

  • Include three-five sections in your CV, such as: Education, Professional Experience, Skills and Awards.

  • List your experiences in each section in descending order - the most recent on top.

  • Use consistent and clean formatting to make your CV easy to follow. 

  • Consider using invisible tables as grids in which to lay out the information. 

What does YOUR dream look like? Let's make it happen!
CV writing tips
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