CV and cover letter

When you need it

You need a CV and a cover letter when you apply for a job, an internship, a volunteer position, a scholarship or a place on some university programmes. The two documents work together. The CV is a structured summary of your education, experience and skills. The cover letter is a short, personal letter that explains why you want this particular position and why you are a good match for it.

CV is short for curriculum vitae and is the usual word in Britain and most of Europe. In the United States the same document is a résumé, usually one page, while CV there means a longer academic record. Recruiters often spend less than a minute on a first reading, so both documents must be clear, short and easy to scan.

Structure

The CV, in this order:

1. Contact details. Name, phone, email, city. In the UK and the US, leave out your photo, date of birth and marital status; employers there avoid them to prevent discrimination. This is different from the traditional Ukrainian and Russian резюме.
2. Profile. Two or three lines about who you are and what you are looking for.
3. Experience. Most recent first. Job title, employer, dates, then three or four bullet points. Each point starts with an action verb in the past simple (present simple for your current job) and, where possible, shows a result with a number.
4. Education. Most recent first: degree or school, place, dates, and results if they are good.
5. Skills. Languages with levels (Ukrainian: native; English: B2), software, driving licence, other relevant skills.
6. Interests (optional). Only if they say something useful about you.

The cover letter, in four short paragraphs:

1. The position you are applying for and where you saw it.
2. Two or three reasons you are a good match, each with evidence from your experience.
3. Why this organisation interests you.
4. Your availability and a polite closing.

Useful phrases

British English spells organise, specialise, analyse; American English uses organize, specialize, analyze. Choose one variety and use it consistently throughout both documents.

Model text

Dear Hiring Manager,

I am writing to apply for the summer internship in your marketing team, which I saw advertised on your website.

I am a third-year economics student, and for the past year I have managed the social media accounts of our student union. During that time, the number of followers grew from 800 to 3,000, and I learnt how to plan content, analyse results and work to tight deadlines.

I am particularly interested in this role because your company works with small local businesses, an area in which I would like to build my career. My English is at B2 level, and I also speak Ukrainian and German.

I have attached my CV, and I would welcome the opportunity to discuss my application at an interview. I am available from 1 July.

Kind regards,
Anna

Common mistakes

• ✗ I have experience of work with clients.
  ✓ I have experience of working with clients. / I have worked with clients.
  Досвід роботи / опыт работы uses a noun, but in English the verb after experience of or experience in takes -ing.
• ✗ I am working as a waiter since 2023.
  ✓ I have worked as a waiter since 2023. / I have been working as a waiter since 2023.
  Ukrainian and Russian use the present tense with з / с 2023 року, but English needs a perfect form with since.
• ✗ I am a communicative, responsible and creative person.
  ✓ I have strong communication skills: I led weekly meetings with twelve volunteers.
  Комунікабельний / коммуникабельный is not communicative in English, and a list of adjectives convinces nobody without evidence.
• ✗ My duties were: making reports, answering the phone.
  ✓ Prepared weekly sales reports. / Answered up to 50 customer calls a day.
  English CVs describe what you did with action verbs, not what your duties were.
• ✗ Date of birth: 12.03.2004. Marital status: single. (with a photo)
  ✓ Leave these out for a UK or US application.
  Personal details that are standard in many Ukrainian and Russian CVs look out of place in an English-language one.

Try it