A well-structured CV (curriculum vitae) is key to making a good first impression and potentially securing an interview. A CV typically includes sections that provide a comprehensive overview of your experiences, skills and qualifications. Generally speaking, the following sections are crucial:
Executive Summary OR Professional Profile
This is a really important section that gives you a brief but powerful version of your experience, skills and education. Most hiring managers don’t read an entire CV so you want to add the hard-hitting information from the get go. Include quantifiable evidence e.g., “5 years in project management experience”. Also, include your achievements e.g., “Employee of the year 2019”.
Experience OR Work History
Include your hard skills here, for example, the technical or practical skills that you need to do the job e.g., data analysis, project management etc. Its also important to include your “soft skills” in this section. These are your personal attributes such as work ethic, problem solving, emotional intelligence. The employer wants to know your mindset and whether or not you have the right attitude. You can give them an idea from the contents of your CV. Qualify your experience by adding quantifiable evidence of your skills and knowledge. Adding numbers makes your CV look more powerful and credible, for example:
- Managed a client budget of £2M for a clinical research project
- Led a team of 3 Junior project associate professionals
- Strong experience using Excel and XYZ software
Another tip is to tailor this section to match the job specification. This simply means to use similar language and highlight key experience as those mentioned in the job description as long as they are relevant to your experience.
Education, Qualification, Certification and Licenses (combined)
Keep this section succinct but informative. Include details of all qualifications, certifications, short course and apprenticeships that you have completed. You can also mention key knowledge you picked up during the learning process.
Key kills and achievements (combined)
In this section include lots of key skills and where possible use this same language as the employer by matching the key skills and key words to those used in the job specification. Include relevant experience and use key words to make your CV searchable to recruiters and hiring managers.
You can afford to leave out:
– Hobbies and interests’ section (especially if they are not relevant)
– Reference section- you can always provide this at a later stage
– CV application objective (it just takes up space)
– Do not give away personal information e.g., DOB, full address, marital status etc…
Remember that the content and order of these sections can be modified based on the job you’re applying for and your personal circumstances. Tailoring your CV for each position you apply to is vital, as it helps highlight the most relevant information and increases the likelihood of being noticed and called for interview by a potential employer.
