English for Job Application
Writing a CV
A Curriculum Vitae (CV) or Resume is an important document giving your prospective employer the information of your personal particulars, personal statement with career objective, education, experience, skills and interests, and referees.Your CV should be written with clear sections so that the recruiter can refer to relevant information easily and quickly.
1. Personal Particulars
State your full name, date of birth, Hong Kong ID card number, gender, nationality, telephone numbers including your home telephone if any and your mobile phone, email address and home address.
2. Personal Statement
Highlight your relevant qualifications, your ambition, why you apply to this company and what you want to achieve.
e.g.“I am a recent graduate of the Education University of Hong Kong with a passion for a career in the field of administration and management and I would like to apply to a healthy organization like yours which can utilize my potential to the fullest and my organizational and interpersonal skills obtained in my internship.”
3. Education
List your education information with your degree including your major and minor studies. If you have a high GPA, make sure you mention this but if you think your GPA is not high enough, just skip it. You can also list relevant coursework, awards, activities, publications and grades which may be useful to your application. Include job-related academic achievements that will make you a suitable candidate for the post. Then, state the name of your secondary school and your DSE results. The following is an example.
Tertiary Education
Education University of Hong Kong 2018-2022
Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) in Social Entrepreneurship and Development Studies
GPA: 3.5
Relevant Coursework
Managing and Organising Social Enterprises
Organisational Budget Management
Leadership in Social Innovation and Development
Tool Kits for Social Entrepreneurship
Extra-curricular Activities
Chairperson, Social Sciences Association
Secretary, Drama Club
Secondary Education
ABC Secondary School 2012-2018
DSE Results 2018
English (5**), Chinese (5), Mathematics (5), Liberal Studies (4), Tourism and Hospitality Studies (5), Business, Accounting and Financial Studies (5*), History (4)
4. Experiences
Mention any past experience related to the duties and responsibilities employers expect you to perform if you are hired. Internships, part-time work and volunteer work can be included here. Remember to use past tense to talk about your past experiences. Look at the following example from an applicant.
IT Assistant
Global Tech Company
May 2021 – August 2021
- helped to keep all the 200 computers of the company running smoothly
- controlled and streamlinedaccess to data
- backedup data and made sure that any saved data had not become corrupted
- installed new hardware or software to keep up with an organization’s changing data storage and communication needs
5. Skills and Interests
State any skills and interests which you think will be of interest to the recruiter. Here is an example from an applicant.
Skills
• good technical skills including MS Office, Google Drive, spreadsheets, email, PowerPoint, databases, social media, web and enterprise systems
• effective communication skills such as understanding information presented, respecting others’ points of view through engagement and interest, using relevant knowledge and skills to explain and clarify thoughts and ideas
• proficient in both English and Chinese
Interests
• reading and writing
• volunteering and doing social services
• playing team sports such as football and basketball
6. Referees (optional)
These are professional people who can have unbiased opinions on your performances such as your employer in your internship, your supervisor, your colleague, your coach, your teacher or professor. Include the full name, job title, address, telephone number and email address of each of your referees.
e.g.
Dr Peter Chan
Lecturer in Engineering
Education University of Hong Kong
10, Lo Ping Road, Tai Po, N.T., Hong Kong
29481234
peterchan@eduhk.hk
If the company you are applying to does not require you to write any referees, it is up to you to decide whether to include them or not. If you do not want to include them, you can just write “References available upon request” on the last line of your CV.
Things to note
- Keep your CV clear and concise.
- Use a professional layout that makes it easy to read
- Besides the factual information about yourself, add any other information which is relevant to the post you are applying for.
- Check your grammar and spelling very carefully.
Exercise
Watch a YouTube clip about some typical mistakes made on CVs (0:12 to 6:25) and answer the questions.
Title: Common CV Mistakes – 7 Mistakes To Avoid On Your CV
Channel: CareerVidz
Answer the following questions:
- Set goals and ambitions which are unreachable and avoid those which are absurd.
- Tailor your experience to the job you are applying for.
- Make sure your hobbies are related to computers.
- Avoid revealing too much irrelevant information about yourself.
- Ask someone to check over your CV.
- by using your name like “Geroge_Smith@gmail.com”
- by using paragraphs, bullet points and subheadings
The following is a sample CV of an applicant for the post of Project Assistant.
Curriculum Vitae
Personal Particulars
Name: Wong Tai Man Chris
Date of birth: 7/10/2001
Gender: M
Nationality: Chinese
Hong Kong ID Card: Z123456(7)
Telephone numbers: 22334455 (Home)
99887766 (Mobile)
Email address: chriswong@gmail.com
Home address: 3/F Wai Wai Building, 123 Tin Tin Road, Hong Kong
Personal Statement
I am a recent graduate of the Education University of Hong Kong with a genuine passion for doing projects and would like to secure a position which provides me the opportunity to reach my full potential and utilize my abilities and experience in organizing projects. Therefore, by working in your organization, I can see the prospects of progressing intellectually and technically, leveraging my strengths in strategy, creativity and problem-solving, and at the same time practising my integrity and interpersonal skills.
Education
Tertiary Education
Education University of Hong Kong 2018-2022
Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Artificial Intelligence and Educational Technology Programme
GPA: 3.5
Relevant Coursework
Web Database Applications for Data Analytics
Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving
Introduction to Probability and Statistics
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Education
Educational Technology Enhanced Curriculum and Assessment
Extra-curricular Activities
Chairperson, Science Association
Secretary, Social Services Club
Secondary Education
ABC Secondary School 2012-2018
DSE Results 2018
English (5**), Chinese (5), Mathematics (5), Liberal Studies (4), Geography (5), Business, Accounting and Financial Studies (5*), Biology (4)
Experiences
Project Assistant in 3 projects during undergraduate studies
Sept 2019 – May 2022
- organized ideas, conducted research and produced project materials
- applied system-oriented problem solving methods
- carried out portfolio management
- supported engineers as project practitioners
Data Science Intern
Capital World Company
May 2020 – August 2020
- collected, analyzed, and interpreted150 data sets to drive optimization and improvement of product development
- provided help in developing custom data models of nearly 100 to apply to data sets
- coordinated with 10 different functional teams to implement models and monitor outcomes
- performed data scrubbing, trouble-shooting, quality checking, and usability analysis
- researched, analyzed, presented results, and recommended intelligent solutions to solve problems
Skills and Interests
Skills
- excellent skills in project management, doing research and organizing ideas
- good technical skills including MS Office, Google Drive, spreadsheets, email, PowerPoint, databases, social media, web and enterprise systems
- effective communication skills such as understanding information presented, respecting others’ points of view through engagement and interest, using relevant knowledge and skills to explain and clarify thoughts and ideas
- proficient in both English and Chinese
Interests
- using computer software
- reading and writing
- playing team sports such as football and basketball
References
References available upon request
Further References
1. How to Write a Resume If You Are a Fresh Graduate
This link provides information on experience to include in a resume (CV) for the first job and how to write a resume as a fresh graduate. There is also an example from a recent graduate.
https://sg.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/how-to-write-a-resume-as-a-fresh-graduate
2. How to Write a CV: Tips, Template and Example
This link mentions what a CV is and how to write one with a template and an example.
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/how-to-write-a-cv
3. 6 Easy Steps to Write A CV For Fresh Graduates (With Tips)
This link highlights how to write a CV for fresh graduates with a hyperlink for the various skills needed to be written in a CV.
https://jobmajestic.com/blog/en/interview-tips/steps-write-cv-for-fresh-graduates-2/
4. Basics of Preparing an Academic CV and Cover Letter
In this video, the speaker mentions the major elements of an academic CV. There are guidelines to follow, common categories in a CV, and ways of presenting material. The speaker also discusses the basic elements of a cover letter, the best practices and some common mistakes, and how to tailor an application.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puDETdGvW5A
5. Making the Most of Your Experience
This video presents six key steps to enhance your experience which compliments your academic coursework whether in an internship, research or a summer job.