Applying for a job in Brazil: the currículo brasileiro

In Brazil the document is the currículo. Senac, a Brazilian vocational training institution, describes what it should and should not contain:

• It should have: personal data, an objective, education, courses and languages, professional experience and complementary information such as volunteering or experience abroad.
• It should not have: ID document numbers, salary expectations, a date and signature or a photo, which should only be sent when the company asks for it.
• Truthfulness: be clear and truthful. Information you cannot prove with a certificate or declaration can work against you.

1. 1Personal data: Senac lists name, nationality, age, marital status, address, phones and email. See the note below on age and marital status.
2. 2Objective: the position you want within the company.
3. 3Education: institution, course and year (or expected end).
4. 4Courses and languages: institution, start and end month and year and number of hours.
5. 5Professional experience: companies, start and end month and year, and job title.
6. 6Complementary information: volunteering and experience abroad.

Brazilian Law 9.029/1995 prohibits any discriminatory or limiting practice to access or keep a job based on grounds such as sex, origin, race, color, marital status, family situation, disability, professional rehabilitation or age, among others.

That is why many Brazilian candidates choose to leave out age, marital status and photo. The law doesn't ban you from listing them, but it protects you if the information is used against you.

Senac says a photo should only be sent when the company requests it. The exception is jobs where appearance is part of the work, such as modelling or acting. For everything else, a currículo without a photo is normal.

Keep the currículo short and organised, with the most recent information first, and use a plain font. State your experience and courses precisely, with dates, so the recruiter can verify them. Keep proof of your courses handy.

Remember that LinkedIn and job sites such as Sine (the national employment system) ask for a full profile, so keep your online data consistent with your PDF.

A Brazilian currículo has an objective and a section of courses with hours, which a US resume doesn't. In the US you would drop the age, marital status and ID numbers, while a traditional Brazilian layout allows them. The photo is out in both cases, unless requested.

The structure Senac describes, with its Portuguese names:

• Dados pessoais: name, address, phone, email (and, if you choose, the traditional extras).
• Objetivo: the role you want in the company.
• Escolaridade: institution, course, year or expected end.
• Cursos e línguas: institution, start and end month and year, hours.
• Experiência profissional: companies, start and end month and year, job title.
• Informações complementares: volunteering, experience abroad.

• Currículo: the CV. Objetivo: the target position. Escolaridade or formação acadêmica: education.
• Carga horária: course hours. Sine: the national employment system.
• CPF and RG: tax and identity numbers: Senac says not to put document numbers in the currículo.

Do I put my photo? Only if the company asks for it, says Senac.

Do I put my age and marital status? Senac's description of the personal data includes them, but Brazilian law prohibits using them to discriminate, and many candidates leave them out. It is your choice.

Do I sign and date the currículo? Senac lists the date and signature among the things not to include.

What if I can't prove a course? Don't list it: information you cannot support with a certificate or declaration can weigh against you.

• Adding CPF, RG or other ID numbers.
• Stating a salary expectation.
• Signing and dating the currículo.
• Claiming courses or skills you cannot prove.
• Using a photo when none was asked for.

• Objective and education first.
• Courses with dates and hours; experience with months and years.
• No ID numbers, salary, date and signature.
• No photo unless the company asks for one.
• Only what you can prove.