English Grammar and Composition chapter 15: CV and Cover Letter

15 CV and Cover Letter

Letter 15/1: Writing CV

All/most of you will have to write effective Curriculum Vitae, in short, CV, (called 'resume', in American English) for various purposes such as, to get a job or scholarship, etc. Writing a good CV is a skill all of you will need for your career.

The CV is meant to introduce you and your background to somebody who does not know you. It should present you in the best possible light, in a concise and well-structured manner. A regular CV for business purposes should definitely not go over one A4 size page. If one wants to use it for academic purposes and not for a job, the CV can pass that limit, and the additional space is used to describe academic activities, like conferences, publications list etc.

A well written CV shows first what is most important, but contains all relevant information. To this goal, it is advised that you adapt it to suit your target (specific type of job or scholarship). Pay attention to the order in which you present information in your CV.

Here is a guideline for writing a good CV. although there are a number of ways for writing CV, they agree on some common details.

The information you need to provide in your CV are:

Personal details: Here you should include your date of birth, contact address, telephone number and nationality. In case you have a permanent address different from your temporary address, include both. Personal details can be written with smaller fonts than the rest of the CV if you want to save space. You should write your name with a bigger font than the rest of the text, so that the reader can easily see whose CV s/he is reading.

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Objective: You should state very concisely what you accurately want to do. Say something like, "To develop a career in …..", or you can be more specific like "to obtain a position in … where I can use my skills in…" You can write a few lines to describe that specifically, but keep in mind that you should show what you can do for the organization or company you are sending the CV to more than what the company can do for you. Writing a good objective is difficult, so take some time to think about what exactly you are going to write there.

Academic achievements: After your personal details, give details about your education. It is suggested that you present details about education in reverse chronological order i.e., you start with the latest degree and go gradually back. You should mention all your academic achievements including grades/divisions/classes. You should also mention scholarships and awards you received along with your achievements in co-curricular and extracurricular activities in your academic life.

Mention the scholarships if you have received any or other types of awards such as best student's award, best debater's award, award for poetry recitation, extempore speech, sports and games and so on.

Experience: Here you should include experiences, if you have any, relevant to the position you are applying for. You should show that you are a person who can take initiative, has creativity and is innovative. You should be able to convince the employers that you will be the best pick for the job.

Extracurricular activities: If you are writing a professional, and not an academic CV, you should mention activities/programmes you have attended/participated in.

Language Skills: You should also mention your level of competence in any language you know in all the four skills, i.e. whether you are average, good, very good or excellent in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening in the languages you know.

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Computer skills: Write if you know—Microsoft word or anything else of computer.

Hobbies: List your hobbies if space is left on the page. They look fine on a CV, showing that you are not a no-life workaholic, but a normal person. You can introduce other headings that suit your needs. Have a references section, where you should list contact details of 2 or 3 persons who would write letters of recommendation or reference letters for you. These are the usual components of a CV. Print the CV on plain-white paper. You should never send a CV without a cover letter. If the advertisement does not say anything about a cover letter, you still should send one. Send the CV with covering letter in a matching A4 size envelope.

Activity 1

Refer to the guideline of CV writing above, and answer the following questions:

i) Why is a CV important?

ii) What is the basic purpose of writing a CV?

iii) What points should be included in a CV?

Activity 2

Next, fill in the gaps in the following sentences with appropriate information from the passage.

Length of a CV for business purposes should be ----------------page/s. A CV for academic purposes should include ----------- like-----------------. In American English a CV is called ----------. A CV should be sent with a ----------------------. The CV should present one in the --------------------. If there is space problems ---------------------can be used for personal details. What you want to do should be included precisely in ----------------------.Academic records should be presented in -----------------order. Experience shows the --------- of a candidate. In a professional CV, one has to mention the list of -----------------------s/he attended.

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A. Look at the following sample CVs. The first one is of a university graduate.

Figure

Labels: Photo Description: a blank rectangular box at the top right of the CV header, marked "Photo" for a passport-size photograph.

PERSONAL INFORMATION

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Interests: Travelling, reading & sports.

Computer Skill Computer application course (MS-Word, MS-Excel, MS-Access, MS-PowerPoint), Internet, Hardware & Networking etc.

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION

Reference Dr. M. Shahidullah Professor, Department of English and Director, IBS University of Rajshahi Phone: 0721-750767 Mobile: 01711-400879

Activity 3

Now make a CV of your own with authentic information.

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15/2: Writing a Cover Letter

A Cover Letter is a letter that has to accompany a CV. It usually refers to the advertisement for the post a candidate is applying for, with dates and source of the advertisement and a brief note on the applicant's background and qualification. The applicant's CV has to be enclosed/attached with the cover letter. The following sample cover letter shows what a cover letter usually contains:

a. Cover Letter 1

25 January 2025

The Librarian Pabna Community Library 15, Sadar road, Pabna

Dear Sir

I would like to apply for the position of the Library Assistant in your library advertised in the Daily Star on 10 January 2025. Please see my CV and other relevant papers send to you as attachment with this mail.

I'll be looking forward to your responses.

Best regards. Nikhilesh Adhikary

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b. Cover Letter 2

25 January 2025

Manager WESTEC Bashundhara City, Dhaka 1206.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I'm interested in applying for the position of a weekend sales assistant advertised in the daily Bangladesh Today on 20 January 2025. I have some experience of working as a salesperson in supermarkets like Agora and Nandan. I attach my CV to provide you with details of my educational qualifications and experiences.

Yours sincerely,

(signature)

Activity 1

Now answer the following questions.

• Where is the date put?
• What other information are provided in the cover letters?

Note: When writing a cover letter to apply for a job,

• Mention the position you are applying for and where you learnt about the vacancy.

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• Provide some information about your background and experience related to the advertised post.
• Provide information about your interest and suitability for the job. Show that you have some knowledge and skill about the job.
• Mention that you have attached a copy of your CV with other necessary documents.
• Have a good, clear format of your letter. Use the lay out and format of a formal letter.
• Print out in an A₄ size offset paper. Use a laser printer.
• Use Microsoft word programme to process the letter.

Activity 2

Here is an advertisement for a few part-time jobs for school students. Apply with a cover letter (block style) and a CV for at least three positions.

The Daily Star 20 December, 2024

Holiday Jobs for School Students

A reputed international organization dealing with different children's issues is recruiting some school children for holiday jobs. The jobs will be only during school holidays, both weekly holidays and long and short vacations. It will be an interesting experience for students. Payment will be on hourly basis but quite attractive.

Positions:

• Data collectors: From students of primary school about their opinions regarding their English Textbook from different districts. Number of positions: 50 from each district

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• Data collectors: From school drop outs regarding their willingness to continue their studies and causes of their dropping out. 50 from each district
• Motivators: Motivating poor parents to send their children to school. 50 from each district
• Teachers: for school beginners from poor families: 50 from each district
• Assistants for children's Libraries cum Child Centres to be established in each district: 20 for each district

Application dead line: 30 December, 2024

Qualification: Only students of class IX and X can apply

A testimonial from the Head Teacher is required.