Your C.V. or curriculum vitae is the first document that comes into your prospective program director's hand. Hence you want it to make an impression! Because your CV can significantly affect whether you will be selected for your preferred program.

Your C.V. shouldn't just give information about your personal history, qualification, and achievement. It must also portray a favorable image of your professionalism in the reader's mind. Finally, it must display your strengths and accomplishments so that you will be called for an interview no matter where you apply.

Components of a good C.V:

1. Contact information:
   
   This section must be included at the top of your CV, along with your name. It must provide all your contact information like phone number, email, home address, and other contact information. Ideally, you should use the same name in your medical school records and give contacts you check and use often.
   
   When writing your address, you should spell out words like street, avenue, etc. Also, suppose your current address is different than your permanent address. In that case, you can mention it by using the headline "present" and then add your permanent address using the headline "permanent."
   
2. Personal Information:
   
   As a CV is a professional document, how much personal data you want to disclose is your choice.
   
   You can share information regarding your age, marital status, children, health, hobbies, etc. Though this section is not always mandatory, some recipients may want this information. Hence, it is common practice to provide it.
   
3. Educational Background:
   
   In this section, you should first mention your current place of learning, followed by your previous institutions. Next, ensure to include the institution's name, the degree sought or completed, and the completion date or expected completion date. Also, remember to include your med school, graduate, and undergraduate education.
   
   The order in which you want to provide this information is up to you, may it be the date first, degree first, or institution first. But still, you should keep your entries consistent, regardless of your preference.
   
4. Employment Experience:
   
   Begin this section by mentioning your current place of employment and then mention the prior ones. Make sure you separate the part-time and full-time jobs by using appropriate sub-headlines. You do not want to create any confusion in the reader's mind.
   
   You must provide the date of your employment, your position title, and the address and name of your employer. Consider including primary duties, achievements, research interests, committee assignments, etc. Also, make sure to keep your entries uniform throughout the section.
   
   It would be best if you provided information about the jobs and work experience relevant to the current position you are applying for.
   
5. Extracurricular Activities:
   
   
   
   You can add any outside interests, extracurricular activities, and volunteer service in this section. This helps the reader get a broader perspective of your character and personality. Also, you can add any of your specialties or talents that didn't get their due recognition in other parts of the CV.
   
6. Professional Society Memberships:
   
   If you have been a part of any professional organization, you can list them in this section. You can also include any leadership positions that you may have held there.
   
7. Publications and Presentations:
   
   Mention the list of papers you have published or presented, including the title, date, and place of publication. Suppose you have some works that have been selected for publication but are yet to publish. In that case, you can add them under the sub-headline "forthcoming."
   
8. Honors and awards:
   
   You can add any academic, community, and organizational awards or scholarships that you may have received. Though you must use your judgment to determine if the achievement is relevant for the reader of your CV.
   
9. References:
   
   You may be asked to provide personal or professional references with their name, position, phone number, email, and address.
   

Tips for writing a good C.V.:

No matter where you apply, they are getting hundreds of CVs. Hence your CV should be easy to read, consistent, organized, and leave no confusion in the reader's mind. So here are a few tips for writing a good CV that stands out!

• The person who will read your CV has to create a list of the most suitable candidates in a specific amount of time. Hence it would be best if you kept your CV concise and on point.
• Be consistent with the information you provide in all entries. Don't give much information for one entry and fail to do so for others.
• Keep your CV chronologically consistent as well. For example, if you are presenting the most recent information first and then the previous data about your education or employment, keep the tread some throughout the document.
• Do not make double entries for the same thing.
• Read and re-read your CV and check for any errors, spelling mistakes, and grammatical errors.
• Get your CV proofread by your professor.

Conclusion:

Now that you know how to construct an impressive CV, you should get started! There is a lot of information you can add to your CV. Still, it may be best to add the relevant information and ensure that your CV is impressive. Make sure to implement the knowledge you have learned here, and you will be able to land a lot of interviews.