100+ Free CV examples: When, Where and How to Use Them

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Browse our collection of over 100 curriculum vitae examples you can use for any role, international job opportunity or academic position. You will find professionally-written CV samples and free CV templates you can customize to suit your desired job on this page.

Resume versus CV

How is a CV different from a resume?

Resume

Although a resume is still a detailed summary of your professional accomplishments, this document breaks the information into five defined sections.

  • Contact information
  • Summary Statement
  • Work History
  • Skills
  • Education

Your resume may expand on these topics by adding the following optional custom sections. Still, these additions are rare and most of this information can live in the previously listed areas.

  • Awards
  • Licenses and Certifications
  • Hobbies
CV

What is a Curriculum Vitae? CV or “course of life” is a professional document showcasing your professional accomplishments similar to a resume. However, this document follows a detailed and heavily structured outline with more sections than a resume.

  • Contact Information
  • Objective or Summary Statement
  • Work Experience
  • Research Experience
  • Teaching Experience
  • Education
  • Skills
  • Research Skills
  • Language Skills
  • Digital Skills
  • Conference Presentations
  • Conference Attendance
  • Honors and Awards
  • Grants or Funding
  • Professional Affiliations / Memberships
  • Publications
  • Community Outreach
  • References

CV Examples by Job

Using a curriculum vitae example is much faster and effective than writing a curriculum vitae from scratch. Browse for examples of CV made for your desired role, so you can learn the types of skills, qualifications and experiences you should be highlighting.

CV Examples for Common Career Opportunities

The resume reigns over the U.S. job search, but you should opt for writing a CV under the following circumstances.

  • International job opportunities
  • Graduate school applications
  • Artist Grant or Commission
  • Entertainment Profession
  • Graduate School Professor
  • Researcher
  • Federal Worker

Now, let’s dive into the detailed CV samples and advice for these unique professional job opportunities below.

CV Examples for International Job Opportunities

During your job search, you might find yourself with the opportunity to work abroad. Common international job opportunities for U.S. citizens are:

  • Teaching English as a second language
  • STEM research jobs
  • Marketing and business consulting
  • Positions in the hospitality industry

Why write a CV for this job opportunity?

The CV is the most common job application document in most countries outside the U.S., so you should always apply with a CV for an international job opportunity. In addition to the information on a resume, employers will want to know you through these CV sections:

  • Volunteer work
  • Conference attendances
  • Research experience (if applicable to your role)
  • Professional affiliations
  • Awards
  • Hobbies or side projects you’ve embarked on.

CV Examples for Graduate School Applications

If you’ve decided to expand your education by applying to graduate school, a resume will fall short in showcasing your academic knowledge. Instead, a CV shows how extensive your background is in a particular field to determine if you’re prepared to excel in a graduate program.

Why write a CV for graduate school?

Resumes traditionally focus on your professional experiences and don’t expand on your academic accomplishments. A CV has sections that respond to a student’s needs, such as:

  • Teaching experience
  • Research experience
  • Research skills
  • Publications
  • Grants
  • Honors

CV Examples for Artist Grants

A big part of an artist’s career is applying for grants that will allow them to fund their work. You’ll need to show patrons a document listing the art pieces you’ve created before and your formal studies for these opportunities. The following are some examples of instances when you will need a formal application to produce your artistic work:

  • Grants from universities, art foundations or governmental agencies
  • Artist residencies and fellowships
  • Art commissions from an individual buyer
  • Gallery exhibitions

Why write a CV for this artistic opportunity?

It’s no secret that the artistic field is highly competitive and the spots for grants, residencies and art commissions are limited. When applying for a grant or receiving a commission request, you should present the individual or institution with a CV that shows your expertise to complete a successful piece. In a curriculum vitae you can include:

  • Publications or list of articles created
  • Portfolio with visuals of your work
  • Lecturing experiences
  • Teaching experience
  • Specialized skills (digital, technical, art skills)

Why write a CV for this job opportunity?

Whether your role is in front or behind the scenes, a curriculum vitae will help you showcase as much of your professional achievements as possible. Although you should keep your CV compact for quick viewing, some sections you should consider including are:

  • Specialized skills
  • Language skills
  • Professional affiliations or memberships
  • A thorough work experience (if in the Arts, you can divide it by TV, Film and Theater categories)
  • Teaching experience (especially beneficial for coaches, coaching assistants, choreographers and acting coaches)
  • Awards

CV Examples for Academia

Becoming a university professor requires a lot of academic preparation — in many cases a doctoral degree — and an extensive list of peer-reviewed publications. The competition is tough and the career progression for job security, also known as “tenure track” can take up to a decade. There are many types of professorship positions in academia, on and off the tenure track, like:

Tenure track positions:

  • Tenured professors
  • Associate professors
  • Assistant professors

a Non-tenure positions:

  • Adjunct or part-time professors
  • Full time non-tenure professors
  • Lecturers

Why write a CV for this academic opportunity?

The CV is the standard document for applying to any role in academia. Graduate school professors should showcase all the work they have done in their respective fields, with particular attention to their pedagogical experience and research. Some essential sections you should include in your graduate school professor CV are:

  • Teaching Experience
  • Publications
  • Research Skills
  • Professional Affiliations
  • Conference Presentations

CV Examples for Researchers

Applicants pursuing a career in research should prepare to complete a full academic career starting with a bachelor’s degree and ending with a Ph.D. or other “terminal degree,” meaning the top academic level in your field. Researchers should also consider getting certified to stand out from the competitive applicant pool. Research scientists can work in multiple disciplines:

  • Public or private universities
  • Private laboratories or research firms
  • Non-profit organizations

Why write a CV for this job or academic opportunity?

As a research assistant, you will need both strong academic knowledge and substantial practical experience. Therefore, where a resume would be too limited, the CV is the ideal tool for researchers to display their extensive work in laboratory or field experiments as well as a thorough list of their academic achievements. Some crucial sections you should include in your researcher CV are:

  • Research Experience
  • Research Skills
  • Conference Presentations
  • Conference Attendance
  • Grants or Funding
  • Professional Affiliations

CV Examples for Federal Workers

If you’re applying for a job within the federal government, you might need a special federal resume. Depending on your role, you could also apply with a CV with certain modifications. Check out the table below to see what sections you can include in a federal resume and a CV, so you can decide which document is right for you.

Federal Resume

  • Required sections

  • Federal Resume

  • CV

  • Job Title and Announcement Number
  • CV Examples
  • CV Examples
  • Contact Information
  • CV Examples
  • CV Examples
  • Summary Statement or Career Objective
  • CV Examples
  • CV Examples
  • Work Experience
  • CV Examples
  • CV Examples
  • Research Experience
  • CV Examples
  • If applicable
  • Teaching Experience
  • CV Examples
  • If applicable
  • Skills
  • CV Examples
  • CV Examples
  • Education
  • CV Examples
  • CV Examples
  • Languages
  • If applicable
  • If applicable
  • Professional Affiliations
  • If applicable
  • If applicable
  • Volunteer Work
  • If applicable
  • If applicable
  • Military Information
  • If applicable
  • CV Examples

CV

  • Required sections

  • Job Title and Announcement Number
  • CV Examples
  • Contact Information
  • CV Examples
  • Summary Statement or Career Objective
  • CV Examples
  • Work Experience
  • CV Examples
  • Research Experience
  • If applicable
  • Teaching Experience
  • If applicable
  • Skills
  • CV Examples
  • Education
  • CV Examples
  • Languages
  • If applicable
  • Professional Affiliations
  • If applicable
  • Volunteer Work
  • If applicable
  • Military Information
  • CV Examples

Why write a CV for this job opportunity?

Generally, for positions in law enforcement, jobs requiring military background, clerical positions in governmental agencies or candidates who are veterans, the federal resume will work best. However, if you’re working in research or are a federal contractor, the CV might give you more flexibility to showcase your various qualifications. In all cases, you must verify the announcement number of your desired job and include it on your resume or CV so the employers can accurately match you to the position.

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How to Use a CV Example

We offer various resources on how to write a CV, whether you prefer step-by-step instructions or if you’re a visual learner who prefers using a curriculum vitae sample.

  • You can head on over to our CV writing guide where you will learn what to include in a CV with a detailed explanation on how to write each section of your curriculum vitae.
  • Find a CV example for your desired role from any of the 100+ CV samples on this page and use it as reference to create a fully personalized curriculum vitae. Our CV examples are written by professionals who know the industry and understand what recruiters look for in a CV.
  • If you need more writing tips tailored for a particular job, you can browse our resume writing guides by job title. You can apply the same job-specific skills and writing tips on when writing a curriculum vitae. Just keep in mind that you will need to add extra sections and follow the standard format you will find on any of our CV samples.

We are currently updating our collection of resume writing guides to increase and diversify the resume examples we can offer you. Refer back to this page as we will be updating the link bank below with more writing guides for a myriad of roles!

Writing Guides by Job Title

Use an AI-powered tool to help you craft your CV

Our Builder is programmed to personalize any CV or resume for your desired role and years of experience. Let our writing tool do the heavy lifting and build a CV in minutes! With Hloom’s Builder you can:

  • Unlock unique templates and color options
  • Update the resume to a curriculum vitae by adding custom CV sections
  • Use prewritten and job-centered content suggestions for all your sections

FAQ

Updated: January 12, 2023

How do I write a good CV?

Writing a good CV means:

  • Doing your research about the desired role
  • Organizing all the information and details beforehand
  • Tailoring your accomplishments and skills for the job
  • Using a sample CV to make sure your content is up to par and you employed the accurate jargon
  • Proofreading to make sure your text is error-free

Employers who ask you to submit a CV want to see how you've excelled in your formal work experiences, but also why you are passionate about your field. Sections like Professional Affiliations, Publications andConference Presentations demonstrate you're genuinely interested in making strides in the industry and institutions recognize that.

What is the best example of a CV?

The best example of a CV you can use is one that is tailored to your desired role. A job-specific example, like the ones you can find on this page, show you the different sections that go on a CV, the type of accomplishments you should be highlighting to stand out in your industry and the language or jargon you should employ to convey the utmost professionalism.

How can I make a simple CV?

Just because a CV generally includes more sections than a resume, it doesn't mean you can't make a simple CV. An academic or scientific CV should include a complete list of your research experience and peer-reviewed publications along with the main CV sections — which generally take up more than one page. However, if you're writing a CV for a non-academic position, you can simply include various skills sections that summarize your diverse skill set, including a section for Awards, Professional Affiliations and a section for any conferences you've attended and participated in.

How do I write a CV in 2023?

The industry trends for CV and resumes remain focused on the importance of tailoring your document to your desired role. A critical section you should pay close attention to is the opening statement of your CV. Career objectives, which inform the employer of the applicant's career aspirations, have become less popular. In its place has risen the summary statement, which focuses on answering the employer's needs by listing highly-relevant skills and accomplishments.

The Europass CV has become less popular for European job opportunities because of its limitations for candidates with little to no formal experience. The Europass is also criticized for its unoriginal designs and its garish logo, which can turn off recruiters.

How do I write a CV in PDF?

You can write a CV with the PDF file format using Adobe Acrobat, which lets you open any PDF file and add text. You can also utilize iLovePDF for free to easily edit and convert PDF files. Our Resume Builder helps you create a resume in a few, simple steps and download in PDF, among other file formats.

Are CV and resumes the same?

Curriculum vitae and resumes serve the same purpose, which is informing the employer of why you're qualified to perform a job. CV and resumes differ in the number of sections they have and for which positions they're used. Resumes are the standard application for most jobs in the United States. CVs are commonly used for international job opportunities and academic and scientific jobs within and outside the U.S. A resume, by nature, is more concise and focused on your work accomplishments and skills, whereas a CV can extend the 10-page mark and includes various sections for a complete overview of your academic and professional career.

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