5 important sections to include in your CV
Your resume acts like a menu, displaying what you have to offer to potential employers. And, just as a menu is divided into several sections to make ordering at a restaurant simpler, resume sections make it easy for busy hiring managers to determine whether you have the qualifications they want.
To continue with the menu metaphor, if a restaurant took out any of the standard offerings—appetisers or drinks, for example—it would be selling itself short (and likely confusing customers). Similarly, if you wish to satisfy a hiring manager’s expectations, the main sections of a resume must be properly included.
What must be included in a CV?
Various sections of your resume address various aspects of your credentials. Obviously, resumes will differ based on whether you’re a new graduate, changing professions, or seeking a promotion. Experts believe the following are the essential components of a resume, regardless of your degree of expertise or industry:
Sections to include on a CV:
- Contact Information
- Summary of your professional life
- Skills
- Professional experience
- Education
Sections to include on a CV #1: Contact Information
One of the first sections to include on a CV is your contact information. Your first and last name, address, email address, and phone number should all be included in the contact area of your resume. You may just mention your city and state if you don’t feel comfortable providing your complete home address. You may also wish to add your social media platforms, blog, or website, depending on the position you’re looking for. So that prospective employers don’t have to look for it, your contact information should stick out from the rest of your CV. To make your contact information stand out, make it stronger or use a bigger font than the rest of your resume.
You should also add links to your social media profiles (as long as you’ve cleaned them up beforehand) and, if appropriate, your personal website or blog.
Sections to include on a CV #2: Resume Summary:
One of the underrated sections to include on your CV is the Summary. Depending on your preferences and objectives, you may want to add a resume profile, objective, or summary below your contact information. In general, they may be useful if they succinctly explain your immediate job objective, but they are not required for a good CV. In a job search letter or cover letter, you may choose to add a goal or summary instead. You could include short term and long term career goals.
Profile
A resume profile is a brief summary of your qualifications and experience as they pertain to the job you’re looking for. Each time you apply for a new job, you’ll need to update your resume profile.
Objective
Another optional element you may add is a resume goal (examples of career goals), which is tailored to each job you apply for. An objective gives a prospective employer a high-level summary of your work objectives. This section can help you answer the career goals interview question.
Summary
This section of your resume is optional and consists of one to two words or a list that summarises your key abilities, experience, and accomplishments as they pertain to the job you’re looking for. Years of experience in a certain profession or sector, talents you possess that are required for the position, and any special accomplishments that show your suitability for the job may all be included in your resume summary.
What must be included in a CV?
Sections to include on a CV #3: Skills
Skills
Every resume should have a skills section, one of the most important sections to include on a CV, which is organised in short, bulleted columns underneath your summary. This allows companies to scan over your CV to determine whether you have the skills they’re searching for. It must be extremely focused on the job that the individual is looking for.
So that your resume is optimised for application tracking systems (ATS), which companies use to review job applications, you’ll want to include the appropriate keywords.
Matching your skills section to the job description is particularly essential for individuals looking for technical employment, such as IT jobs since they must demonstrate to employers that they have the hard skills needed to do the job.
However, don’t neglect your soft talents, which are non-measurable professional abilities like problem-solving, communication, and leadership. Employers value soft skills more than technical talents such as reading comprehension and arithmetic. Make sure you show these soft talents in your professional experience area (see below).
Sections to include on a CV #4: Professional Experience
An experience section is an important section to include on a CV to showcase the experience you have that is relevant to the position you are looking for. Include the businesses you’ve worked for, the titles you’ve had at each, and the particular responsibilities you had in each job. You may also add any notable accomplishments or accolades you’ve earned in prior positions.
Only enter the past 10 to 15 years of professional experience in this area if you have had several positions. Internships and summer employment may also be included if you are a recent graduate. If you are still working there, remember to write your job descriptions in the past tense for prior positions and the present tense for your most recent experience.
What must be included in a CV?
Sections to include on a CV #5: Educational Qualifications
The education portion of your resume is an extremely essential section to include on a CV. This section of your resume summarises your educational history, as well as any academic accomplishments or honours you’ve earned. Include the name of the institution you attended, the degrees you obtained, and any distinctions or awards you received. If you’re a recent graduate, you may also add details on your high school experience. Recruiters and hiring managers shouldn’t have to look for your educational qualifications, so include them in a section at the bottom of your resume. Simply state where you attended college and what degree you earned. Also, if you graduated with honours, make a point of mentioning it.
What must be included in a CV?
Sections to include on a CV #6:
Optional Sections that you may include:
You may want to put material on your resume that doesn’t fit in any of the other sections. Your community service experience, for example, may be directly related to the job you’re looking for. However, before adding more information, consider if doing so makes you a more attractive prospect to a possible employer. If the answer is no, you should leave this material out.
Optional parts to add at the conclusion of your resume include the following:
Awards/achievements
Consider adding any extra accolades that you were unable to include in the experience part of your resume here. International recognition, publications, awards, and testimonials, for example, may all be relevant to the position you’re looking for.
Languages
If you speak well in more than one language, you may want to include that after your abilities.
Volunteering in the community
Some employers look for applicants that are passionate about or have experience with community involvement. If this is the case for the job you want, be sure to include any community service obligations or experience you have that is relevant to the role.
Hobbies
Companies are becoming more interested in getting to know their employees on a personal level. While you don’t have to include a lengthy list of interests, you may add two or three activities that reflect your personality.
