Your curriculum vitae is a snapshot of you

AORN Journal, Feb, 1999 by Sheila O'Connor

NOTE

(1.) B Markey, R Campbell, "A resume or curriculum vitae for success," AORN Journal 63 (January 1996) 199.

DESCRIBING PROFESSIONAL QUALITIES

Professional qualities can help distinguish one candidate from another; therefore, it is important that accomplishments are identified that reflect qualities of the individual. Qualities can be distinguished by evaluating skills, traits, or functional knowledge. Skills are abilities that are learned or acquired and used to get something done (ie, communicating with other team members, organizing room turnover, problem solving to find lost equipment or unavailable supplies). There can be several categories of skills, such as technical, leadership, and educational. Functional knowledge is learned from work experiences (ie, understanding how sterilizers work and how monitoring is completed, informal lines of communication). Traits are distinguishing personal characteristics that are either inborn or developed. Traits describe you and your characteristic way of applying skills (ie, hard working, team player, quick learner). Some of the qualities are important to include in a CV because they can describe the candidate in a manner other than using job titles. Qualities that can be used to sell your skills, and examples of how you demonstrate those qualities, can add to your self-description.

Describing accomplishments in measurable terms helps the reader fully understand the extent of your responsibilities. A job title does not always describe the extent of accomplishments in the role. Measurable accomplishments can be identified for job responsibilities or other activities of the candidate.

PRESENTATION

There is not a generally accepted format for a CV. The CV should be concise, with corrected grammar and spelling, and it should be easy to follow. As the purpose is to introduce a person to the reader and, for awards selection, to show that the person has accomplished criteria that makes him or her qualified for the award, the words used in the content of the CV are invaluable.

Points to address when preparing a CV include the content and presentation. The visible product is important when a person is submitting a CV. A CV that reads well and looks attractive leaves a positive first impression. A CV looks more inviting if it is reproduced on an offset press using high quality paper. The format for arranging the content is an individual's decision. Using a block format prevents the body of the CV from appearing cluttered and is appealing to the eye. A one-page CV is often sufficient to inform a reader about yourself; however, longer CVs are acceptable for people with extensive professional experience.

Using colored or bordered paper might seem attractive and as though it would help one CV to stand out from the others, but if the colors or borders are bold, it might distract the reader from the contents of the CV. A CV printed on white, off-white, or eggshell-colored paper is fine if the content is complete and detailed.