13/08/2021
CV Format: Overview
A standard format of a CV for a job should include the following sections:
Contact Information.
Personal Statement.
Professional Experience.
Academic History.
Key Skills and Qualifications.
Industry Awards.
Professional Certifications.
Publications.
Professional Affiliations.
Conferences Attended.
Additional Training.
Let's walk through these sections step by step:
1. Contact Information
Full name
Professional title
Email address
Phone number
LinkedIn profile
Home address
2. Personal Statement (Summary or Objective)
A CV personal statement is a brief (100 words tops), snappy paragraph at the top of your CV that provides an overview of your qualifications and skills. It works as a “trailer” for the rest of your CV. Fill it with keywords relevant to the job opening and explain why you’re the perfect candidate.
If you have years of relevant experience, write your personal statement as a CV summary: highlight your best professional achievements.
Not much experience yet? Go for a CV objective: summarise what skills you’ve mastered so far and how well you’d fit in.
Whichever one is right for you, don’t focus it solely on what you want out of the job. Instead, emphasize what you have to offer. For instance:
Dependable licensed NMC Registered Nurse trained to work in high-stress environments and stay calm under pressure. Seeking to leverage meticulous record-keeping and analytical skills to help St Francis Hospital with your upcoming challenges.
3. Professional Experience
Start with your current or most recent job.
Below, list your previous jobs chronologically descending.
List: your job title, the name of the company, dates worked.
Below each entry, add up to 5 bullet points explaining your responsibilities and achievements.
Quantify whenever possible. Numbers pop!
4. Academic History
If you’ve got any post-secondary education, limit your CV education section to just that. Don’t mention your high school, unless it’s your highest degree of education.
Format your CV education section the following way:
Graduation year (if you’re still studying, enter your expected graduation date)
Degree
Institution name
Sub-honours (if applicable)
Don’t have a wealth of job experience? Place your education section above your work history and mention the coursework you’ve completed, as well as extracurricular academic achievements.
5. Skills
Here’s how to list skills on a CV step by step:
Start with a spreadsheet with a master list of all the professional skills you’ve developed.
Read the job ad carefully and look for skill-related keywords.
Those skills from your list that match the job description go on your CV.
Instead of just listing skills in a separate skills section, mention them in your CV personal statement and in the work history section.
6. Additional Sections
If you’ve participated in any activities relevant to your career that don’t fit into any of the above sections, list them in extra sections of your CV. Some CV examples of such sections include:
Industry awards
Professional certifications
Publications
Professional affiliations
Conferences attended
Additional training
