160 THE CURRICULUM VITAE AND THE COVER LETTER A functional (or skill-based) CV emphasises skills and personal qualities, highlighting those pertinent to the job. Have you ever written your CV? On what occasion? In the US, a r sum concentrates on communicating the most relevant work experience and education history, while a CV is longer and more detailed and can include more personal information, usually more relevant to academic and research positions. A combined CV combines the best features of the other two models. A curriculum vitae (CV) or r sum in American English is a document that describes an applicant s educational and employment history including other relevant personal information, from professional qualifications to skills, competences and main interests. Preparing a CV Since its purpose is to convince an employer that a certain candidate is ideal for the position they are looking for, a CV must be: customised to target a specific job or company; updated regularly, highlighting all information that is relevant to the company s needs; concise (usually no longer than two pages); well-organised in blocks of headed information; grammatically correct and with no typos. award: premio headed: intestato insight: informazioni utili, visione template: modello typo: refuso 324 WORK Types of CV A chronological CV focuses on work history and experiences, which are listed in a reverse chronological order, starting from the most recent at the top. A set of template documents and tools to help applicants manage every step of their learning and career has been created for European citizens to present their skills and qualifications in an understandable and uniform format. This Europass CV allows employers across Europe to easily recognise the information presented. The structure of a CV The sections which are usually included in a CV are: personal and contact details; qualifications, education, and training; work experience; achievements, skills, and competences; extra sections (hobbies, interests, awards, publications, references, etc.). The cover letter A cover letter is a short document that is sent together with a CV to apply for a job. The purpose is to attract the attention of the person in charge of screening the applicants, so that they are persuaded to look at the attached curriculum in more detail. It also gives employers an insight into the reasons why a person is looking for a job in their company or why they want to make a change in their career. To achieve these objectives, prospective employers should get the impression that an applicant has taken time to do some research on the company and understand the employer s needs and requirements.