How long should a CV for Masters application be?

Question

I am applying for a masters programme in the Netherlands and am required to submit the CV. All the previous CVs I have written had been for internship applications so normally they were one page long. Keeping them short was not difficult since I just had to exclude irrelevant academic experiences. However, apart from grade transcript and english language certificates, CV is the only document required - No SOP and recommendation letter. Hence, it my only opportunity to present myself properly, but I know what is considered proper in this situation. I was thinking to include:

• Internship experience (it's relevant)
• Academic experiences (research assistant position, additional coursework, summer schools)
• extracurricular activities (student organizations, competitions)

Should I:

a) Include all the above mentioned information and describe activities in detail, which probably means a 2-page CV

b) Include all the above mentioned information but try to write it in one page

c) Choose only the most relevant information and write it in one page

Thanks.

Answer 1

Ok. The proper CV is the one that is well-tuned to a particular job. So, in general, there is no best CV template. If you apply for internship and other industry jobs, you might need a differenrt CV than when you apply for a master or Phd. The rule of thumb is to show the person who is reading your CV that you have the majority of the job requirements in their job posting. If it is a master program, then they probably have listed some requirement. You should try to tailor your CV as much as possible so it can show the best version of you in terms of those job requirements. For example, if one of one the requirements is having experience in doing research, then putting a research project you have done or a publication (if you have any) would help a lot.

So, again, you should read the job requirement (in this case the master program requirement) very carefully and tailor your CV accordingly.