What to Include in a CV

Here’s what to include in a CV:

• Contact information
• A personal statement (a short introduction)
• Work experience
• Education
• Skills
• Optional extra sections (hobbies and interests, for example)

You can click on each of the CV sections listed above to learn more about what you should include in each one. And the example below shows you what to put on a CV outline while also serving as a template you can download and fill in with your own information:

Download CV Example (MS Word)

We’re about to dive deeply into what should be in a CV, but you should also learn how to format your CV to ensure your information is arranged in the way that best fits your level of experience and application purpose.

1. Your contact information

The purpose of your CV is to get you interviewed for the role you want. So make it easy for employers to reach you to schedule an interview by putting your contact details at the top of your CV. Here’s the contact information your CV should always include:

• your name
• a professional email address (your name and/or job title rather than an address that makes you look silly, like boofsgoofs473@yahoo.com)
• your mobile phone number

Optionally, also include:

• your postal address
• your LinkedIn URL
• other relevant online profiles (portfolio, website, etc.)
• a photo (but only if the employer specifically requests it or you work in a job that’s based by your appearance, such as acting or modelling)
• CV icons (to make your contact details easier to find)

This is an example of what the contact information you put on your CV should look like:

2. A catchy personal statement

When you’re learning how to write a good CV, figuring out how to get your personal statement right is key. Positioned at the top of your CV, this section (also called a CV ‘About Me’ or CV summary) is meant to get the employer’s attention with your most job-specific experience, achievements, and skills.

So study the job advert and research the company to get a clear idea of what details to highlight in this 3–4 sentence summary. And use exact terms and phrases from the job description to emphasise your suitability for the specific role.

Here’s an example of a CV personal statement customised for a company seeking a ‘creative social media manager’ capable of ‘enhancing audience engagement’:

3. Relevant work experience

If you have some, relevant work experience is the most important information to include on your CV. Employers prefer to bring on experienced new team members that require minimal training. So fill your CV’s work experience section with proof that you’ve mastered your craft by:

• giving examples of your skills in action
• adding hard numbers wherever possible to show what you can accomplish

This work experience entry uses examples and hard numbers to show the recruiter that the applicant is qualified for the role they’re applying to fill:

Instead of just stating ‘Used organisational skills’, the applicant describes the many tasks (content production schedules, staff supervision, etc.) they successfully juggled. And rather than saying they ‘Boosted TikTok engagement’, the applicant referenced a specific percentage increase (57%).

4. Your education history

Employers want to know what level of education you’ve received. So put these details (if applicable) in your CV’s education section:

• university names, locations, and dates attended
• degree titles (including honours)
• relevant modules studied
• secondary school names, locations, and dates attended
• A-Levels
• GCSEs

This is an example of a properly filled-out education section on a CV:

5. A list of job-specific skills

Putting a bulleted list of skills on your CV shouldn’t be an afterthought. Make this section matter by:

• including keywords from the job advert that didn’t fit in the rest of your CV (doing so customises your job application for your target job)
• providing specific examples of your relevant expertise (names of software programs, for example)
• only listing skills directly related to the role you want

This is a well-written CV skills section:

6. Optional extra sections

You can create extra sections for any other relevant information you want your target employer to notice on your CV, such as:

• hobbies and interests that show you’re a well-rounded person
• technical skills related to the job you want
• foreign language skills that are useful in your line of work

The most common extra CV section in the UK is a hobbies and interests section, like this one:

What not to include in a CV

Curious about what you shouldn’t put on your CV? Here are three things to avoid:

1. Cliches

To maximise your chances of getting called in for a job interview, you need your application to stand out. So using cliched language that appears on most CVs is a bad idea.

Here are examples of words and phrases recruiters are tired of seeing, followed by attention-grabbing CV words that you can use instead:

• Responsible for → Trusted with
• Detail-oriented → Meticulous
• Worked with → Collaborated

If you need help finding unique replacements for cliches on your CV, just do a quick Google search for synonyms.

But only use synonyms that you’re sure improve your CV. It’s better to be clear than use big words that make it obvious you’re sophomoric picking random words from a thesaurus.

2. Irrelevant information

Every detail you put on your CV should be directly related to your ability to perform the job you’re applying for. Even if you’re proud of an achievement or skill, if it’s not relevant to your target role, it won’t connect with the person who reads your CV.

For instance, if you’re applying for a graphic design job, you should list tools like Photoshop and Figma over your guitar shredding skills. (You can always bring that up when a job interviewer asks what you do for fun.)

3. Unusual fonts

If you’re thinking of making your CV stand out by using strange fonts (e.g., handwriting-style script), don’t — or you might stick out for all the wrong reasons.

Your writing software probably offers you many outlandish font choices, which may seem creative but will make your CV hard to read or look tacky. So stick with proven CV fonts like Arial or Georgia to ensure the recruiter can easily see how qualified you are for their job opening.

4. References

Unless the job advert you’re responding to specifically requests them, don’t put references on a CV. Employers typically don’t check references until later in the hiring process, so the space they’d take up on your CV is better filled with descriptions of your skills and achievements.

But if your target employer has asked you to put references on your CV, put them at the end where they won’t distract from your other CV sections.

Frequently asked questions about what goes on a CV

Still unsure what you should include in your CV for a job in the UK? We’ve answered these three common questions about CV content:

1. What do you include in a resume?
2. What achievements do you include in a CV?
3. What do you include in a video CV?

1. What do you include in a resume?

A resume is what people in the US and Canada call a CV. So if you’re writing a resume, include the same sections you’d put on your CV, with some slight differences:

• A header with your name and contact information
• A resume summary (typically called a personal statement on a CV)
• Work experience
• Education
• Skills

Another difference between a resume and a CV is their length. Your resume should be just one page, instead of the customary two pages required for a CV. So there’s typically not space for your CV’s hobbies and interests section.

2. What achievements do you include in a CV?

Put any achievement that shows your target employer you’d excel in the role they’re hiring for on your CV. Such achievements could include successes from your:

• classes
• full-time job
• freelance gigs
• volunteer activites
• personal projects
• hobbies

3. What do you include in a video CV?

Here’s what you should include in a video CV:

• an introduction with your name and job title
• the reason you’re applying (mentioning the specific company and role, if possible)
• your relevant job history and education details
• job-specific skills
• examples of your work (either visuals or stated in your script)
• a request for an interview
• a thank you to the employer for taking time to watch your video

More answers to your CV-related questions

Below are expert answers to 10 more common questions about what to include in a CV:

1. Should you stuff white words on your CV to trick an ATS?
2. Do you put your age on a CV?
3. How do I write Distinction*(D*) on my CV?
4. How do you put references on a CV?
5. How do you write about travelling on a CV?
6. How do you write your degree classification on a CV?
7. How to write first-class honours on a CV?
8. Should I put my address on my CV?
9. What do you put in the personal profile of a CV?
10. What happens if you lie on your CV?
11. Does a Canva CV work in the UK?