Essential Content For Your CV

Your CV must be professionally presented and getting the right format will make your CV easy to navigate, easier to read and will hold the reader's attention more effectively. Unusual formatting of a CV will very often mean that it isn't read in detail, and will hinder your chances of being invited to interview.

The following sections should be included in a CV, normally in the order presented below. However, the sequence of the information might change depending on your level of experience. For example, a recent graduate might want to bring the ‘Education' section further forward to emphasise academic achievements more than work history. It is important to pick a format that works for you.

Contact details
Include full personal contact details including Name, Address, telephone numbers (home and mobile ideally), email address, and links to your website or portfolio (if appropriate).

Links to your portfolio and website (if appropriate)
For certain disciplines such as designers or PR professionals, or indeed people who have worked in a freelance/self-employed capacity, you may wish include details of an online portfolio or website which showcases your work. Ensure these are well presented and appropriate for any job applications you are making.

Personal Statement / Profile
Start the body of your CV with a strong profile that highlights your key skills and experience. This should be no longer than a few sentences and cover the key aspects of your career, and bring to the fore the main areas you wish to highlight.

Skills & Achievements
Highlight your main skills and achievements that you wish to emphasise. This might change depending on the role to which you are applying.

Experience / Work History
In this section you should start by stating the full company name, your job title, and the dates of employment. You might also wish to include a brief description of the company or a website to help the reader understand more about the company you worked for.

For each position you have held you should provide a brief description of your role, and then provide bullet points of key responsibilities and key achievements. When describing your achievements, don't talk about what you can do, talk about what you have done!

Education
Under education you should include the name of the Institution, the qualification and grades achieved, and the dates of study. Professional qualifications should also be included.

Hobbies / Interests
For hobbies and interests, keep it concise, informative and appropriate.

References
It is perfectly acceptable to simply state ‘Reference available on request'. If you do provide references, you must ensure they are accurate.

For more information on formatting your CV please see our CV template examples as well as our CV writing guide. Our consultants would also be delighted to discuss these issues with you, so please contact us to see how we can help.