What to Include in a CV: 6 Must-Have Sections to Put on a CV in 2020

Writing a CV in 2020 is hard—

What to include? What to leave off? What sections do employers expect to see? In what order?

To land the job you’ll need to go the extra mile to stand out from 250 other candidates. But—you also need to play by some standard CV writing rules.

And you came to the right place to learn how to do both on your Curriculum Vitae.

This guide will show you:

• What sections to include in a CV in 2020 and what order to follow.
• What information exactly to put in each CV section.
• Tips on achievements and keywords to use on a CV and land more job interviews.
• Things to leave off your CV so you don’t bomb your own job search efforts.

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The purpose of this article is to provide you with a handy checklist of sections, good keywords, and other items to put on a CV. If you’re more interested in how to write each CV section, see: How to Write a CV for a Job: Examples and Writing Guide

Also, note that this guide covers what to write on a CV you’d use to apply for jobs in UK and other European countries. If you want to learn about what to put on an American academic CV, switch over to: Academic Curriculum Vitae: Template and Samples

Unsure what the difference is? Go here: The Difference Between a CV and a Resume Explained (Definitions and Samples)

List of Must-Have (and Nice-to-Have) CV Sections in 2020

A standard CV written in accordance with the modern-day hiring standards has to include the following sections:

A CV must include:

1. Contact information
2. Personal Statement (Personal Profile)
3. Work Experience
4. Education
5. Skills

These are the basics. However if you want to outperform other candidates, your CV will benefit from some extra sections. If you can showcase any of the following, make sure to include them:

A CV could also include:

1. Professional Certifications
2. Professional Associations
3. Languages
4. Additional Training and Courses
5. Conference Participation
6. Publications
7. Awards
8. Blogging and Influencing
9. Volunteer Experience

Two CV sections that seem to confuse candidates most are: Hobbies and Interests and References.

Here’s all you should know about these two potentially tricky parts of your CV:

Should You Include Hobbies and Interests in a CV?

Long story short:

“Reading, Sports, Films,” is a no-no.

“Harlem Renaissance Poetry, Vittorio De Sica’s Films, Table Tennis”—that’s more like it.

To learn more, see: Hobbies and Interests for a CV/Resume: Good and Bad Examples

Should You Put References on a CV?

Learn more: How and When to Put References on a Resume or CV

We’ll break down what information exactly you should include in every CV section, but before we get to that, consider one thing—

The order of sections and the structure of your CV will depend on the stage of your career you’re currently at.

And it matters a lot.

In a recent reed survey, over half of recruiters selected “a logical order for presentation” as the most important thing to consider on a CV.

And here’s the order of CV sections you should follow to create a professional CV in three different scenarios:

Order of Sections for a Standard CV

1. Contact information
2. Personal Statement (Personal Profile)
3. Work Experience
4. Associations and Certifications (Optional)
5. Education
6. Skills
7. Extra Sections
   
   

Order of Sections for a CV with Little or No Experience

1. Contact Information
2. Personal Statement (Career Objective)
3. Education
4. Work Experience (Including Internship and Volunteer Experience)
5. Skills
6. Extra Sections

Order of Sections for a Career-Change CV

1. Contact Information
2. Personal Statement
3. Relevant Experience
4. Additional Experience (Optional)
5. Education
6. Skills
7. Extra Sections

All of the above is applicable to traditional, reverse-chronological CVs only. If you choose to write a skills-based CV, you’ll need a slightly different section setup. You can learn all about it here: Skills Based CV: When and How to Write It (Examples)

Now, let’s quickly go through what to include in every section of a good CV.

In the contact information section, at the very top of your CV, include:

• Your full name
• Your job title
• Phone number
• Personal email address
• LinkedIn profile
• (Optionally) Professional website
• (Optionally) Other social media handles.

Do not include:

• Physical address
• Date of birth
• Your work email address or any other current business-contact info
• Your photo (unless asked for in the job ad)
• Irrelevant social media URLs.

As for the last point, don’t get me wrong—

If you use Twitter to exclusively discuss things related to your industry, it’s okay to include the handle. But if you only retweet football talk or post “Cool People Don’t Date Tottenham Fans” (they don’t) memes, leave it off.

Also, make sure your email address is elegant. If you still use that “CuteChickAngela@hotmail.com” email you thought funny in high school, get a new one.

See examples and get more information here: Contact Information Section for a Modern-Day CV or Resume

A CV personal statement (also called a CV personal profile or a CV profile) is a short, 2- to 4-sentence paragraph at the top of your CV. Its purpose is to give a synopsis of your career, list your top skills and achievements and show what you can do for your future employer.

Here’s what to include in a CV personal statement:

• Who you are
• 2–3 skills
• 2–3 achievements
• The name of your target company
• What you hope to do for your new employer.

And here’s what to leave off:

• Salary requirements
• Reasons for leaving your past company
• An explanation of why you want the job
• An old-school CV objective a.k.a. “What I want out of the job.”

See this example for reference:

CV Personal Statement Sample

Or learn how to craft an outstanding CV personal statement from our handy guide: CV Personal Statement/CV Profile: Samples and Writing Guide

Arguably, the most crucial section of your whole job application. According to a Jobvite report, 67% of recruiters consider relevant work experience the most important thing they look for on a CV.

In the CV work experience section, include up to 15 years of relevant job experience. List jobs in reverse-chronological order. In each entry, include:

• Position name
• Company
• Dates worked
• Up to 6 bullet points outlining your achievements and responsibilities
• Numbers and metrics to back up your achievements
• (Optionally) A “key achievement” subsection at the bottom.

Do not include:

• Short-term employment (unless you have less than 2 years of experience in total)
• Present tense for a past job
• Explanation of employment gaps of time-off
• Tables, images or charts.

CV Work Experience Section Example

Find out how to max out your work history section to impress every recruiter: How to Describe Work History on a CV/Resume to Land More Jobs

What you need to put on a CV in this section depend on your experience.

If you have more than 2 years of relevant job experience, in your education section, include all postsecondary degrees. Enter:

• Graduation date
• Your degree
• The name of the institution.

And nothing else.

Like in this example:

For entry-level CVs with little work history, place your education section above your work experience. You can add:

• Your honours
• Your dissertation title
• Relevant coursework
• Your best achievements
• Extracurricular academic activities.

Like this:

To find out more about putting education on a CV, see: Education Section for a CV/Resume: Best Tips

And now for the final mandatory section of a CV: skills.

Here’s what to list:

• 4–8 skills relevant to the job
• Soft skills and job-specific hard skills
• Indication of your proficiency level (Basic, Advanced, Expert)
• (Optionally) Examples of how you used your abilities.

And here’s what best to keep to yourself:

• Skills unrelated to the position
• Lengthy, unspecific descriptions.

Imagine the job description requires skills in: SEO, CRO, Data Analysis.

See this sample skills list:

Good skills to include on a CV vary most across positions, industries, and individual sets of qualities. There’s no one-size-fits-all formula.

That’s why why have over 10 dedicated guides on various skills sets and how to use them in your job search. Give them a read if you want to learn more about particular skills:

• Soft Skills & Hard Skills Employers Look for (+Lists)

• Computer Skills for a CV/Resume

• Communication Skills for a CV/Resume

• Creative Thinking Skills: Definition, Examples, and How to Boost Creativity

• Critical Thinking Skills: Definition, Examples, and How to Improve Them

• Decision-Making Skills for a CV/Resume

• Management Skills List + Surprising Expert Advice for Your Job Search

• Marketing Skills for a CV/Resume

• Project Management Skills for a CV/Resume

• Technical Skills for a CV/Resume

• Time Management Skills for a CV/Resume

Now you know everything about what items to include in each of the standard CV sections. But there’s a bit more to a well-crafted CV.

Here are a few extra ideas for what to put on a run-of-the-mill CV to turn it into a fab one.

CV power words

Also known as CV action words or action verbs. These are the words you use to introduce your achievements, instead of just listing responsibilities.

With CV action words:

• Responsible for becomes Improved...
• Worked with becomes Collaborated on a team that...
• In Charge Of becomes Directed 20 employees to…

Here are some sample action words to put on a CV:

1. Accomplished
2. Advanced
3. Boosted
4. Completed
5. Created
6. Delivered
7. Enhanced
8. Expedited
9. Improved
10. Lifted
11. Managed
12. Maximized
13. Produced
14. Stimulated

For 226 more, see: 240 Most Powerful Action Words for a CV/Resume

Good CV fonts

Use standard, elegant, and legible fonts such as Calibri, Cambria, Open Sans, Helvetica, Georgia, or Bookman Old Style.

Don’t pick outdated fonts such as Times New Roman. Don’t ever think of using a “fancy” curly-tailed font. Instead of adding a touch of class it will make your CV a nightmare to read.

See more: The Best CV Fonts in 2020

Keywords from the job description

Sending one generic CV to all prospective employers won’t do. Especially in the era of Applicant Tracking Software, you need to tailor each curriculum vitae you send to match the job on offer.

Read the description of the position carefully. Jot down all important responsibilities and required skills. Then, use those keywords on your CV.

Here’s how to do it to pain-free: How to Tailor Your CV to Match the Job Ad

Good CV Layout

That means:

• Lots of white space
• Uniform formatting
• Big section headings

And, for the final word…

What’s the one thing you should never, EVER include on a CV?

Lies.

You might feel tempted to exaggerate the importance of your past positions. Embellish your achievements. Overestimate your language skills. All that just to get a shot at the interview which otherwise seems impossible to get.

Don’t.

First of all—recruiters are trained to spot liars. And once they find out you lied, there will be no second chance.

And, perhaps paradoxically—

Employers are much more forgiving than you’d think. A recent survey found that 42% of employers would consider a candidate who met only 60 percent of key qualifications for a specific role.

Unconvinced? See: Can You Lie on a Resume and Why You Cannot

Here’s what to include in a CV:

1. Every CV should include the following sections: Contact Information, CV Profile, Work Experience, Education, Skills.
2. Good additional sections to put on a CV are: Certifications, Associations, Languages, Extra Training and Courses, Conferences, Publications, or Awards.
3. Things not ever to include in a CV are: date of birth, photo, salary requirements, irrelevant social media links, more than 15 years of work experience, tables, images and, obviously, lies.

If you have any questions or need further assistance about what to include in a CV and what to leave off, drop me a line in the comments and I’ll do my best to straighten out your queries. Thanks for reading!