A curriculum vitae gives a potential employer a good picture of who you are, what your skills are and thus how he could best use you. It is therefore important that your curriculum vitae meet a number of unofficial requirements.

Because although different types of CV´s exist and you and your skills are naturally unique, there are a number of elements that every CV must have. For this reason you will find on this page a handy checklist - does your curriculum vitae contains all the elements that are necessary for drafting a clear and objectively strong CV?

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Checklist for CV´s: the parts

Despite these differences there are several parts that you see in virtually every CV. They are distributed over four fixed headings, namely the following:

  1. Personal details
  2. Education
  3. Work experiences
  4. Skills

Personal details
This part is intended for the following types of information:

  1. First and last names
  2. Address
  3. Date of birth
  4. Telephone number
  5. E-mail address

Optional are:

  1. Academic title
  2. Marital status
  3. Nationality
  4. Driving licence (yes or no)

Education
Under the heading "education" you mention the studies that you have pursued, beginning with the most recent. And be sure to specify for each study at least the following points of information:

  1. Years
  2. Name of study
  3. Place of study
  4. Specialisation
  5. Degree obtained

Courses and workshops are also mentioned here, including indicating whether you obtained a specific certificate for them.

Work experiences
Under "work experiences" you share all the experiences that you have already acquired, including traineeships and secondary jobs. Be sure to mention the following:

  1. Years
  2. Name of company
  3. Position in company
  4. Description of position

Skills
The following part says something about the qualities you have. Under this come e.g. mentions about your language knowledge or the mastery of specific software. It is also possible to devote this part to your personal competencies. This way the recruiter develops a better understanding of exactly what your skills are.

Checklist for CV´s: the content

Along with the above-mentioned elements there are some additional points of attention that mustn’t be missing from the checklist for CV´s. So review the following list before sending off your curriculum vitae:

  1. Have you already indicated your contact information?
  2. Is your CV shorter than two A4 pages?
  3. Are there no chronological gaps between the activities?
  4. Have you used clear language?
  5. Are there only facts in the CV?
  6. Have you avoided jargon?
  7. Does the CV really say something about you?
  8. Are you telling the truth in the CV?
  9. Is the CV easy to read, and are the various elements simple to find?
  10. Did you place the emphasis on already-achieved successes?

 

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