Nine essential CV details ‒ and some that should be removed.
You want to learn how to write a CV since you're seeking for work, right? Check out the top nine components of your CV that you should never omit along with the information you should leave out to impress hiring managers.
1. Name and contact information
The first thing to include in your curriculum vitae (CV) is your name. Let's clarify that only your first name and surname are required ‒ no middle names, please. Then put your professional job title with your name. These details act as the title of your CV. Therefore, the phrase “curriculum vitae” should not get a mention.
Your name and title of employment are neatly positioned next to your contact details. You should provide your phone number and email address at the very least. It used to be traditional to mention your complete address as well. There is little need to include this information, though, as snail mail is essentially a thing of the past. You can specify only your town and county of residence as your location.
2. Personal profile
Your profile is the following section on your resume. Despite having numerous names in the recruitment industry, including personal profile, professional profile, and personal statement, this area only serves one essential role.
Your personal profile needs to give the prospective employer a snappy overview of what you're all about, covering your profession, what you can bring to the role and your current career goals. It's a short section – only about five lines – but it needs to showcase your relevance to the job and make an impact to convince employers that the rest of your CV is worth reading.
3. Core competencies
If you have a selection of skills and qualifications that make you a great fit for the role, you should introduce a Core Competencies section to make them stand out.
Core Competencies or Key Skills sections are typically found after your personal profile. List six to ten of your strongest qualities that would convince the recruiting manager that you are a good fit for the position.
These skills can be hard or soft, they could be certifications or awards, they could be a list of tools or software – whatever best shows you are qualified for the role.
Not only will the prospective employer get an overview of your abilities immediately, but also, your CV will be optimised for applicant tracking systems (ATS).
4. Employment history/work experience
Your career history is a crucial addition to your CV. Your employment history is listed in this section in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent position.
Include your employment dates, your work title, the firm, a line describing the position, and bullet points outlining your responsibilities, competencies, and accomplishments for each position. Your job experience in these positions is an important part of your resume since it gives the hiring manager an understanding of your abilities and experiences based on your employment history.
In theory, your most recent role should take up the most room because it's the peak of your career so far and therefore showcases your best abilities. The older the job, the less detail it requires. If you have a role that's older than 10 years, you may decide to remove it from your CV completely.
5. Volunteer experience
Volunteer work can be extremely valuable on your CV, especially if it's related to the role you are applying for. Adding this type of experience is also a great way to fill an employment gap in your CV, supplement work history if you are changing careers or support your CV as a new graduate.
The simplest way to add volunteer experience to your resume is to list it separately in the Employment History section, just like any other job experience. Include your employment title, the name of the company, the dates you held the position, a brief description of your responsibilities there, and bullet points outlining your major responsibilities and accomplishments.
As always, tailor your volunteering experience to the job you are applying for and optimize your write-up with keywords from the job description to make its relevance clear. Learn more about including volunteering on your CV.
6. Education
Your education must be listed in reverse-chronological sequence, just as your job experience section. You must at the very least list the title of your degree or qualification, the institution where you studied or the organization that awarded it, your grade, and the days you spent studying for or earning the qualification.
If you're just starting your career, and your education is still a huge selling point on your CV, you can add bullet points explaining relevant modules, assignments, placements and skills under each institution.
7. Awards and certifications
You might also think about including qualifications and awards on your resume. Awards may be tied to academia, business, employment, or volunteer effort.
Include the official award name, the award's objective and what it recognized, the award's scope, and the date of recognition when listing achievements on your resume. For instance, "Awarded the 2015 Student Publication Association's Best of Student Media Award for the news item "Ant Infestation at Telford Court"".
Certifications are written slightly differently, limited to the official title of the certificate, the awarding body and the date it was obtained. For example, 'Hubspot Inbound Marketing Certification Course 2018' or 'PRINCE2 Agile 2016'.
By adding awards and certificates to your CV, you offer third-party validation which proves your competency and worth to prospective employers.
8. Professional affiliations and memberships
If you are a member of a few professional bodies, it is worth adding them to your CV to highlight your involvement in your industry and demonstrate your commitment to your profession.
Include the organization's name and the kind of membership you hold (which is often student, professional, fellow or associate). You might be a fellow at the Royal College of Nursing, in which case you would write "Fellow - Royal College of Nursing (RCN)," or you might be a member of The Law Society, in which case you would write "The Law Society (Member)". Just be consistent. There is no one way to list the memberships.
If you are in more than three professional associations, create a new section titled Professional Memberships. If you have less, include them in your achievements or Core Competencies section.
9. Hobbies and interests
If you think it will help your application in some manner, you can add a section to your CV called Hobbies and Interests.
They are probably not interested in your interests in literature and football if you are applying for a marketing position with a company that sells e-scooters and e-bikes. The inclusion of your passions might be more relevant if you are an avid runner or biker or perhaps have an interest in sustainability. This would demonstrate that you are in line with the company's offerings.
A Hobbies section can add color to your CV and help the hiring manager get a better picture of your personality and skills if you're just starting out in your profession or changing careers.
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