To search for possible jobs, try www.careerbuilder.com, www.monster.com, or try local search engines http://www.chicagojobs.com/, www.jobsinchicago.com, or http://www.chicagojobresource.com/. In addition, the Chicago Tribune has an excellent job section in both its hard copy and on-line. There is also a local periodical, The Reader, that provides job listings.
To find information on job fairs, working at home, and other employment opportunities, http://chicago.employmentguide.com/ offers invaluable resources.
The CV is more commonly known as the "resume" in the United States. The resume lays out work experience, education, and skills and should be accompanied a personal cover letter. If you are applying for a research or academic job in the US that requests a CV, this means you need to supply a lengthy document listing all of the researcher's achievements, including his or her educational background, scientific papers and experiments, teaching experience and awards received.
A sample resume should resemble something of this format:
Heading: Do not include a heading; start your resume with your contact information.
Contact Information:Relevant personal contact information at the top of the page including:
Objective: Some career experts recommend describing your objective in the process of your job search just below the contact information. There is no hard and fast rule about whether or not to use it. Generally, the point made in the 'objective' will be made in the cover letter, so it is fine to omit it.
Professional Experience: Usually this information is listed chronologically. List your work experience with:
Education:This section should come before work experience if you are in school or have been out of school for one to three years, depending on your level of work experience and how relevant your education is to your career. If you have a high Grade Point Average (3.5 or above, equivalent to an A- or A), include it on your resume. If you attended college, list the name of the college and what you got your degree in. If you recently graduated or have taken courses highly relevant to the job for which you are applying, list those.
Certificates & Diplomas Courses, seminars, congresses or conferences that are relevant in relation to the position. Long or prestigious courses are also interesting. Point out a course's duration in hours. List these in a chronologically inverse order.
Languages: Since this may be relevant to an international job, you should list which languages you speak and your level: advanced, intermediate or beginner. Point out if you can translate, speak, or write in each language and list any associated degrees.
Computer Skills: Programs, applications, etc. Word processing, database, Internet, etc.
Personal Information: At the end of the resume you should include a brief section where you can list personal information such as hobbies or interests. This can be called something like "Other Interests," or "Skills or Interests." Here you should, very succinctly, list some of your hobbies, each in no more than three words. It's great if these are relevant to your job, but if they aren't these hobbies can simply reveal something about your personality. Interviewers commonly use this section as an icebreaker and as a source for starting a more relaxed, less formal conversation.
General Tips:
If you are still having trouble, here are a few sample resumes to help create your own http://www.distinctiveweb.com/samples.htm.