When it comes to your CV, it can be hard to determine the important things to include, especially if you want to impress your potential employer. Well, a CV must feature your strengths as a professional in a concise and comprehensive manner.

If you want an effective CV, you can opt for top-rated resume services to help you out. But, if you prefer creating it by yourself, below are the key things you must not forget to add to your CV:

Contact Information

Your complete contact details must be placed on the top part of your CV. It enables your potential employers to see how they can easily keep in touch or reach you. So, it should always be formatted into something that is easy to read. 

More often than not, the contact information includes your name, address, email address, phone number, and an online portfolio or website, if you have any.

Objective Statement

Your objective statement states your CV’s purpose in a clear manner, but not all CV’s have this. You can use an objective statement to let your potential employer know your career or job goal. 

Create your objective based on the work you are applying for. If you have forgotten to include this in your CV, you can just write it in your cover letter.

Work Experience

Your work experience is an important feature of any CV. This part will help you showcase your track record of career experience to your employer. In some instances, it is not necessary to list each job you had. 

Part-time jobs that are not relevant to the position you’re applying for must be omitted. However, you would want to include the recent job positions you have held that are related to the job vacancy.

If you had a lot of jobs, provide a listing of such positions that you have excelled at and that show skills and competencies that makes you qualified for the work that you are applying. The best thing to remember here is to highlight the job positions that show your reliable employment history.

Education

It is also important to include your academic qualifications, degrees or certifications. You should also include the institutions where you have earned them. Your educational background also measures your competency. Other employers are more interested in your academic experience, so make sure to be specific with your academic awards.

Credentials and Certifications

Do you have an advanced degree or certification that can be an asset in your career like an MBA? If yes, it is best to include it after your name at the top part of your CV. Through showcasing the acronyms, you are making sure that your potential employer will be able to see this selling point.

You do not have to include the acronym for a certificate or an undergraduate degree that isn’t relevant to your current work goals. However, you can include this in your credentials, which can be in your CV’s education section or professional development. You might want to keep your CV’s top place for the most vital information only.

Personal Qualities

It is a plus to give your potential employer some sense about who you really are as a person. Listing information about your recreational activities, interests or hobbies can help give you a full sense of responsibility. But you must remember that it’s essential not to load your CV with a lot of information. Just focus on what personal qualities set you apart from the others.

Special Skills and Experience

Your soft and hard skills are also important in your CV. Soft skills are the traits that make you the best worker. They include leadership, collaboration, communication, organization, and work ethic. Hard skills, on the other hand, are the abilities you learn on the job or in schools like financial forecasting and marketing campaign management. 

References

The majority of employers require references from individuals you know professionally who could vouch for your abilities and skills. You may include the company and contact information for a former manager, academic advisor, or employer if they agree to be one of your references.

The Bottom Line

Aside from adding those above-mentioned key things to your CV, you should also make sure that the layout and design of your CV are neat and easy to read. Try using one or two fonts and use paragraphs, headings, and bullet points to split up all the details in your CV. 

You should also ensure that your grammar and spelling are correct. Some recruiters easily pinpoint wrong grammar or spellings, which can affect your application. Just remember that the main purpose of your CV is to highlight your best qualities and qualifications for a job. You have to ensure that it stands out among the other applicants.

Josh Darnall is an HR professional who helps entrepreneurs find the right employee for their business. Josh focuses on talent acquisition and retention as he believes that any business cannot function without skilled and motivated employees. Josh also hosts seminars and workshops that aim to help fresh graduates land their first jobs. His topics teach students how to create a positive impression during interviews and make a comprehensive CV.

During his leisure, Josh contributes HR-related articles to different online platforms.