What Do I Need to Include on My CV?

Are you beginning to search for a new career opportunity? If that is the case, then we suppose you need a little help creating a curriculum vitae. Typically, people are more familiar with creating a resume. Therefore, it might help for you to review everything you need to include for a CV. Otherwise, you might not realize something is missing. Then, what kind of impression would that make on a potential employer?

Name and Contact Information

To begin, we must first write down our personal information. Most of the time, you’ll put this up near the top left-hand corner of the page. That way, it’s the first thing people see when they read the document.

Full Name:

Do not write down a nickname. Since this is a professional document, it would be best for you to write down your full legal name.

Address:

Next, you should include your address. Begin with the street address. Following that, you can put the city, state, and ZIP Code.

Phone Number and Email Address:

Finally, you should include a few methods for people to contact you. Without these, you’ll never know if they wanted to give you an interview.

Personal Summary

Once you are done with your personal information, we can begin to work on your summary statement. This is going to be near the top of the page. Its purpose is simple. After someone reads it, they should have a general feeling about who you are.

The Most Impactful Information Goes Here:

By the time someone finishes reading your personal statement, they should be compelled to finish the entire document. By using quality CV templates, This is easier than ever. Not only are they aesthetic, but they are also simple to use.

Professional History

At this point, it’s time to dive into the meat of things. Typically, you’ll want to list your professional work experience. Depending on the industry, you may wish to list your oldest positions first. On the other hand, in some instances, it would be better to reverse the order.

Previous Job Positions:

How many different jobs have you had? Ensure that each of them is included in your final submission.

When Did You Hold Those Titles?:

Don’t forget to include dates for each of the positions. Otherwise, it is impossible for people to know how much experience you have.

Summarize Your Experience and Achievements:

With each job, tell the reader what it taught you. That way, they can imagine you as an asset to their team.

Educational History

Now, the reader knows about your work history. Next, we must inform them about your education. In some cases, this might be even more important than the professional experience. In particular, it is incredibly important in academia.

Grants and Scholarships:

Besides your degree status, we recommend including any grants or scholarships. When you receive one of them, it showcases something special. Not everyone gets them. Therefore, you must have received it for a reason.

Certifications and Professional Licensing:

Your educational history should not be limited to things you learned while attending university. Sometimes, industries require people to attend continuing education classes. If you have any of those under your belt, list them here. Additionally, professional licenses should also be included. That way, everyone knows you are able to work in the industry without any legal obstacles.

Skills

Your skills are often the most important things you bring to an organization. Generally speaking, we can divide your skillset into distinct categories. Typically, you’ll see these labeled as hard skills and soft skills.

Hard Skills:

A hard skill is anything that you can measure objectively. For example, if you play baseball, your batting average would be a hard skill. In most industries, there are a few such skills that are highly pertinent. It will behoove you if you exemplify them.

Soft Skills:

In comparison, soft skills are much more subjective. These would include things like your ability to socialize. In some industries, teamwork is highly valued. However, not everyone works well in a group. If you can, let your reader know.

Recognition

As you progress through your career, you’ll accumulate recognition. Depending on the industry, this recognition will come in various forms. However, no matter its appearance, we recommend including it.

Industry Awards:

Suppose you have several industry awards. In that case, you’ll want to list each of them. Remember to include the date when you received it. Go through each of your awards until you have them all.

Publications

Of course, publications are an easy way for people to compare careers. Most of the time, your publications are important in an academic setting.

Academic Journal Articles:

Have you ever submitted an article to an academic journal? If so, as long as it was published, you should be proud. Plenty of academics compete to see who can become the most prolific author of all.

Professional Press Releases:

Even though press releases are not peer-reviewed, you can still include them. If a major business publication uses your work, you should take credit for it. Learning how to write press releases is another valuable skill set. Regardless of the industry, it can be quite useful. Therefore, it will only help you if you include it here.

Everything You Need for a Stellar Curriculum Vitae

Creating the most effective curriculum vitae is not all that difficult. In fact, it is a relatively straightforward process. For the most part, it is simply a lack of knowledge that prevents people. Once they learn everything required, it is no longer a complicated task. By now, you should have a good idea about what must be done. Next, you simply need to implement that knowledge.