things to put in a personal statement cv

How To Write A Resume Personal Statement (With Examples)

In This Guide:

The purpose of a resume personal statement, the elements of a good personal statement, the construction of a good personal statement, final words: writing a resume personal statement.

Quick Answer: A personal statement on a resume summarizes the benefits of hiring you and encourages recruiters to pay attention to your resume. It's the first section of the resume that recruiters see, so it should be brief, easy-to-read, and attention-grabbing. Your statement should include who you are, suitable skills, achievements, your target company, and what you hope to do for your new employer. It should be short and concise, mentioning only the most relevant information for your target roles.

Landing a job interview requires a memorable resume. Including a good personal statement at the top of your resume is a perfect way to do it.

Essentially, your resume personal statement is a brief paragraph that aims to summarise the benefits of hiring you and encourage employers to pay attention to your resume.

If you are wondering whether you should include it.

And you will see why. In this article, we have all the information you need on how to write an eye-catching personal statement and a couple of useful examples.

Hundreds of resumes go through the hands of a Recruiter in just a day. So, you understand how important it is to grab his or her attention in just seconds. One really effective way is to write a personal statement at the top of a resume.

By including a strong personal statement you would for sure get more attention than one without.

1. State who you are

Begin with a description showing your current position in your profession and field of specialization. You could also include what you like most about your work and any characteristics and skills that would make you the perfect choice for the position.

2. Add measurements to your achievements

After that, you should communicate how suitable for the position you are and what is your value to the organization. This section should highlight accomplishments relevant to the position you are applying for. Show that you could be beneficial for the company.

If you are wondering which accomplishments to mention, select those that directly associate with your position. If the position requires managerial experience, mention previous situations that have placed you in such a role. This way, you could quickly establish yourself as the right candidate for the job.

3. State your career objectives

The third section of your personal statement should state why you are applying for this particular position. You have already communicated your skills and qualifications in the previous sentences, so you write the last one concise and direct.

4. Keep your personal statement short

Your whole personal statement should be short, concise, and easy to read. Keep in mind to use simple sentences telling the recruiter the most important information for you.

After telling you how to structure it, see how it is done.

“An efficient, and reliable administrative professional with 8+ years of experience supporting executives, sales personnel, and managers to improve the internal operations for their businesses.

Proficient in CRM applications and design programs. Diversified skill set covering administrative support, client relations, human resources and recruiting, account management, and project management. Excellent interpersonal, phone, and digital communication skills.”

“As a recent graduate from the University of Townville, with a 2:1 honors degree in marketing, I have undertaken internships at industry-leading agencies such as Beyond Imagination and Noah Freemans. These placements have allowed me to develop sector knowledge and gain hands-on experience, as well as expand transferable skills such as communication, negotiation, and analytical skills. My current goal is to gain a role that allows me to further my knowledge and take on increased responsibility at a market-leading digital marketing agency.”

“I am a highly competent IT professional with a proven track record in networking and managing databases. I have strong technical skills as well as excellent interpersonal skills, enabling me to communicate easily with clients. I am eager to be challenged in order to grow and further improve my skills. My greatest passion in life is using my technical know-how to benefit other people and organizations.”

Resume Personal Statement for Career Changers Example

Experienced Sales Manager

“As a Sales Manager with 7 years of experience, my tenacious and proactive approach resulted in numerous important contract wins. My excellent networking skills have provided my team with vital client leads, and my ability to develop client relationships has resulted in a 16% increase in business renewals for the organization I work for. I currently seek a new challenge which will utilize my meticulous attention to detail and friendly, professional manner.”

Resume Personal Statement for Entry Level Job

Entry Level Business Analyst

“Enthusiastic Business Analyst, skilled in leadership and communication. Seeking to enhance understanding of key metrics for IPSoft. As a business report writer for Valens Securities helped grow employee grasp of key concepts by 42%. My PowerPoint presentation of GBMP’s Policy Deployment plan was turned into a webinar that got 2,300 views.”

Resume personal statement for experienced professional

Experienced Teaching Assistant

“Enthusiastic teaching assistant with 6 years of experience. Seeking to maintain a graduate teaching assistant position at St. Andrews University. Mentored 70+ students for 3 years. Delivered lectures, edited 2 books. Commended by 2 professors for research quality. Graded 1000+ student papers. Skilled in materials development and research.”

And if you are still not sure how to write your personal statement, go through our Resume Examples . They are all approved by top Hiring Managers and have helped thousands get their dream job.

Your personal statement will be totally unique to yourself, but by using the above tips and tricks we gave you, you will be able to create one which shows the Hiring Managers everything they need.

Remember to keep it short and only include the most relevant information for your target roles.

Do you have any other questions about personal statements on a resume? Give us a shout-out in the comments below!

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CV Personal Statement Examples and Tips

Your personal statement is the first thing a recruiter or hiring manager will read when flicking through what will usually be a huge pile of CVs. With so much competition, you need a personal statement that grabs their attention for all the right reasons. But how do you write one? Here’s our guide along with a couple of personal statement examples for inspiration.

What is a personal statement?

A personal statement is a concise paragraph that sits at the top of your CV just below your name and contact details and tells the reader why you would be a fantastic asset for their company. It should include a summary of your most relevant skills and experience and give the recruiter an insight into your ambitions and character.

Your personal statement should explain:

• Who you are
• Your suitability for the role and the value you can add
• Your career goals

Conveying all that information in just a few sentences is certainly not easy, but with research suggesting that recruiters spend an average of just six seconds reviewing each CV before deciding whether the applicant is a good fit, you must get it right.

How to write a winning personal statement for your CV

No one has your specific skills and experience, so your personal statement must be unique. However, there are some universal tips you can follow.

• Length, formatting and tone of voice

Probably the biggest challenge you’ll face when writing a personal statement for your CV is keeping it between 50 and 150 words, or around four or five lines of text. It should be clean and concise, formatted consistently and written in the same font and point size as the rest of your CV.

Personal statements can be written in the first (“I am a marine biologist”) or third-person (“Marine biologist looking for”), but whatever voice you choose, keep it consistent throughout your CV.

Recruiters read so much hyperbole and waffle that being honest and understated will help you stand out. This is not The Apprentice, so buzzwords, empty promises and meaningless metaphors should be avoided at all costs.

• Back up your claims

Cliches like ‘hard worker’ or ‘experienced’ are just empty words that recruiters see hundreds of times a day. Instead, establish your credentials with relevant vocational qualifications or professional memberships you have and quantify the level of experience you have. For example, “I am a RICS qualified surveyor with eight years’ experience working for a property development company”.

• Include statistics from your career

Including specific data or statistics in your personal statement will immediately make it stand out from the hundreds of others recruiters read every day. Metrics of success are far more memorable than simply listing your achievements. For example, “I introduced a new lead qualification tool that increased sales by 15 percent”.

• Remove pronouns in the third person

The personal statement on your CV is the one place where it’s okay to talk about yourself in the third person. However, using pronouns, for example, “he is a conscientious worker with 12 years of experience...” is a step too far. Instead, drop the pronouns, so that would become “A conscientious worker with 12 years of experience…”

Personal statement examples

Here are a few examples of personal statements to keep you on the right track and hopefully provide a little inspiration.

Written in the first person by a graduate looking for their first professional role.

I am a recent graduate with a first-class degree in economics, specialising in econometrics and international trade. I have commercial experience in the finance sector courtesy of an internship with a UK corporation, where I developed the technical data engineering skills you are looking for. I have a proven ability to meet deadlines and produce consistently high-quality work, as evidenced by my degree, and would relish the chance to develop my skills within your organisation.

Written in the third person by an experienced purchasing manager looking to climb the ladder.

Purchasing manager with 12 years of experience who wants to progress to a more senior role within the aviation industry. Has developed strong and lasting relationships during previous managerial positions in the sector and wants to put this strong network to good use to add value to your business.

Time to get hired

Writing a winning personal statement that you’re happy with and that summarises your skills and experience effectively in just a few lines will take time. However, using these tips and examples as a guide and editing your personal statement for every role is an important piece of the puzzle.

To hear Guardian Jobs reader Elia’s story and how her Personal Career Management programme helped land her ideal job watch the video .

Personal Career Management can offer you a  free review to assess your needs and to see which programme is right for you.

To book call Personal Career Management on 01753 888 995 or fill in the contact form .

Personal Career Management are Career Management Partners for the Guardian and are a specialist career coaching and outplacement company.

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Writing a personal statement for your CV

CV personal statements are like the sales pitch of your CV, but not everyone thinks they're useful. Discover if they're really necessary, how to write a CV personal profile and templates for inspiration

What is a CV personal statement?

A CV personal statement is a concise paragraph or summary, which details what you can bring to a job or company. It's also known as an opening statement, personal profile, personal summary or executive summary.

Sitting at the top of your CV, it's your opportunity to sell yourself to employers and to highlight the relevant skills and experience you possess.

While effectively and succinctly convincing recruiters that you're a good fit for the role, a personal statement gives you the chance to show off your strengths and share your career goals.

'The focus of your CV statement should be to target your offer to employers - why should they hire you and how are you different to other graduates? Therefore, making your personal statement as unique as possible is crucial to ensure you stand out from the crowd,' explains Alex Proctor, careers consultant at the University of Bradford.

Do I need a personal summary on my CV?

Traditionally, almost all CV types include a personal statement but there is some debate about whether you actually need to include one.

Some recruiters and careers advisers believe that personal profiles are one of the most important parts of a CV, as they provide an easily accessible overview of a candidate's ability, while others feel that personal statements are a waste of valuable space and time.

The latter belief is often the case with graduate CVs, as some employers feel that those just stepping onto the career ladder don't necessarily have enough knowledge or experience to warrant a personal statement. Because of this, a graduate's personal profile runs the risk of being bland and generic and stating things that should be a given, such as, 'I'm hardworking and organised,' which is why some recruiters believe that they are best suited to more senior CVs.

So while your CV doesn't need a personal statement, employers spend only seconds looking at application documents. With this in mind, a CV personal statement gives you an invaluable opportunity to make your application stand out as quickly as possible.

Alex believes 'that a CV personal statement is a good idea, because employers often have so many CVs to read through and the personal statement, if clear and concise, can elevate your chances of getting through to the next stage of the recruitment process.'

If you'd like to include a personal statement on your CV it might be best, as a graduate, to focus on your educational background and the career path you'd like to embrace. If you have relevant experiences use these to make your personal statement unique. 'If you haven’t got much work experience, focus on what experience you can extract from your degree,' advises Alex. 'If you have taken part in various projects demonstrate what your role was. Alternatively, if you have written a dissertation, showcase your topic and what skills you have developed from this experience. Employers will value your individuality even if you haven't had masses of practical work experience.'

If you're struggling to give it context and get it right, make an appointment with your university's careers or employability service and ask an adviser to help you hone your writing. 

What should I include in my CV personal profile?

In terms of length, a CV personal profile should be no longer than 150 words. 'It should be short, impactful and aligned effectively with the CV content,' explains David Ainscough, careers consultant team lead and deputy director at the University of Cambridge.

'A personal CV profile should include details of your educational background, evidence of work experience, as well as your career aspirations. You ideally need to ensure you are telling the reader what you can offer skill-wise and don't be afraid to also share any accomplishments,' adds Alex.  

If you're struggling with what to write, break your personal statement down into three parts. Focus on:

• who you are
• what you can offer
• your career aims.

Start by introducing yourself. For example, 'A recent graduate with a 2:1 in English literature from the Hillview University' or a 'Highly-skilled physiotherapist with five years’ experience…'

Next, detail what you can offer the company. Ask yourself why you're suited to the role and cover any relevant skills or experience. If you lack practical work experience instead draw attention to your academic achievements, such as contributing to university publications, which developed written communication, attention to detail and teamworking skills. Or how you applied skills learned on your physical therapy degree during your time as a physio assistant for university sport teams.

Conclude your personal statement by highlighting your career goals. For example, 'I am looking to start my career in the exciting world of publishing and to develop the skills learned through my university studies and internships.'

It's up to you how you present this information; there is no hard and fast rule. However, personal statements are generally displayed as a single paragraph, without a title or subheading. You'll need to keep it consistent with the rest of your CV formatting, meaning that the font size and type will need to be the same throughout your document.

Also, consider the voice and tense you'd like to use. Personal statements can be written in either the first or third person, but you'll need to maintain this voice throughout - don't switch between the two.

Take a look at  how to write a CV .

How can I make it stand out to employers?

• 'Remember that first impressions count so make sure you're giving the recruiter a comfortable reading experience. Layout and clarity are crucial,' says David.
• Tailor your CV personal statement (and CV in general) to each application.
• Be honest. Untruths are easy to uncover and lying on your CV is a criminal offence.
• Provide evidence of skills and experience but remember to keep it brief. For example, 'experienced event manager, who led a team to organise a charity ball for 150 people, raising £5,000 - a 20% increase on previous years.'
• Use the job description to help form your CV personal profile.
• Stick to the word limit.
• Check for spelling and grammar mistakes. The personal summary sits at the top of your CV so any errors will be immediately apparent.
• 'Keep it fresh. It needs to be reviewed in each application you make so consider something new to say each time,' adds David.
• Read it aloud once you've finished writing to make sure it flows.
• Copy and paste from your  cover letter or from online CV personal statement examples. Your personal summary needs to be unique and personal to you.
• Include unnecessary personal information such as your age, marital status etc.
• Use clichés, slang or jargon.
• Use bland, empty statements like 'I work well independently and as part of a team'. This tells employers absolutely nothing about what you’re capable of.
• Overuse buzzwords.
• Include quotes from previous employers.
• Ramble. Recruiters don't have time to read through waffle, so get to the point.

Think about the connotations of the words you use - 'currently studying' implies things might change, 'trying' implies failure, 'might' or 'maybe' sounds like you're not sure. The words you use have power so choose them carefully. You want to sound confident, positive and enthusiastic.

Find out more about the  top 7 CV mistakes .

CV personal statement examples

To help you get started take a look at the following CV personal profile examples.

As a recent graduate from the University of Townville, with a 2:1 honours degree in marketing, I have undertaken internships at industry-leading agencies such as Beyond Imagination and Noah Freemans. These placements have allowed me to develop sector knowledge and gain hands on experience, as well as expand transferable skills such as commercial awareness, communication and negotiation and analytical skills. My career aim is to gain a role which allows me to further my expertise and take on increased responsibility at a market-leading digital marketing agency.

I am a highly motivated 2:1 forensic science graduate from Groveshire University, looking to secure a graduate position that enables me to use and develop my analytical, attention to detail and communication skills. I have gained relevant experience in both scientific and hospital laboratories, which allowed me to build on my problem solving, concentration and team working skills. My career goal is to assume a role that enables me to analyse and interpret forensic data and to eventually move into crime scene investigation.

Remember; avoid copying and pasting ready-made examples. Instead use them as a guide to craft your own, tailored CV personal statement. Take a look at our  example CVs .

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Best CV Personal Profile Examples

What is a CV personal profile?

A personal profile, also known as a CV summary, is the opening statement of your CV. It is a short introduction which outlines your personal characteristics, telling the prospective employer what kind of a person you are, the attributes and qualities that you possess and the work experience that you have.

How to write a CV profile statement from scratch

When writing your personal profile, ensure it is:

• Short (no more than 6 lines);
• Relevant to the job you are applying for, and;
• Contains some real-world examples .

Be bold, be confident and talk about yourself in a positive way.

Your personal profile is not the place to be humble; it is your chance to be noticed and tell the potential employer exactly who you ‘really’ are and what you can do for them.

Warning: Do not go ‘over the top’ and give the impression that you are either very arrogant or simply too good to be true! Keep it balanced and realistic, bearing in mind the needs of the employer.

Click here if you want to see a bad example of a personal profile.

What information to include on a personal profile

The purpose of your personal profile is to concisely present your skills, qualities, work experience, and your career goals and ambitions. Consequently, you can mention anything from the following categories when constructing your personal profile:

Personal Qualities

• Self-motivated
• Having an eye for detail
• Management skills
• Communication skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Design skills
• 5 years experience in …
• Excellent track record of …
• Extensive background in …
• Previous work experience in …

An ideal statement should have at least one example for each of these three categories.

How long should my profile statement be?

There are no set rules about the length of a personal profile, however, it is highly recommended to keep it ideally within the 50/80-words boundary (no longer than six lines). The reason for this is because employers, in the first instance, tend to scan CVs rather than extensively read it. Keeping it short and to the point increases the chances that they will actually read it.

Furthermore, as the total length of a CV is only 2 A4 pages long, having a short statement frees us valuable space for other key sections of your CV such as the work experience, education and skills sections .

Winning personal profile CV examples from all job sectors

Business management cv profile.

• The candidate mentions their key personal skills and qualities that are relevant and important when managing a business.
• The candidate mentions their relevant work experience in the field, indicating that they are able to work within multiple job sectors.

IT CV profile

• The candidate correctly highlights their areas of expertise, such as designing websites, networking and managing databases. It is clear from these examples that the individual has a broad understanding of IT and would be able to work on a wide range of IT projects.
• The candidate reassures the prospective employer that although they are working in a very technical field, they have the ability to work with a wide range of people. Interpersonal and communication skills are key to any job.

Student CV profile

• The above personal statement is clear and informative, making it clear that the applicant is a student, currently completing their university degree, and are looking to work part-time in the industry.
• It is always a good idea, as the candidate has done in this example, to clearly mention your availability for work and also the reasons for why you are seeking work. “Making money” is not a good enough reason for an employer to give you a job. The candidate has mentioned that they wish to put into practice what they have learned and make a positive contribution to the employer.

HR CV profile

• The candidate highlights that they have previous work experience in Human Resources (HR), making them familiar with the payroll systems and employment law. Additionally, they indicate some personal qualities (such as interpersonal skills and being sensitive to people’s privacies) which would be highly beneficial for the role that they are applying for.

Manager CV profile

• The candidate not only states that they have three years’ of experience in management but they also mention the positive contribution that they made to that organisation. In this case, it was a significant improvement in the performance of the team that they were managing.

Sales/retail CV profile

• Just by looking at the profile statement of this individual, we can conclude that this person has thorough experience of sales and is able to handle the various aspects of the selling process. Additionally, their promotion indicates that they are a high achiever.

Teaching CV profile

• In just a few lines, the candidate demonstrates a great deal of compassion, empathy and care for young people and their futures. This level of care and concern, along with an enduring passion for teaching, are the key ingredients of being successful in any teaching careers.
• The candidate indicating that they are able to work with young children from all backgrounds and walks of life. This is important, especially when living in today’s multicultural and diverse societies.

Engineering CV profile

• The candidate correctly highlights their previous work experience and areas of expertise. This makes them look like a very competent and accomplished chemical engineer, increasing the chances of being invited for an interview.

Designer CV profile

• This is an effective statement because the candidate highlights their valuable 1st class degree in Graphic Design and previous work experience in the design industry. Additionally, the candidate makes mention of their personal qualities, such as having the ability to think outside the box, to further indicate their suitability for the job.

Hospitality CV profile

• The above is an excellent example of how profile statement should be constructed; it contains references to their previous work experience in the same industry, personal qualities that are relevant to the job (e.g. having a passion for food and socialising with people) and their job achievements (e.g. winning an award). Any employer reading this statement will have to think twice before they put it in the rejection pile!

Admin CV profile

• The candidate mentions their previous work experience project management and providing administrative support to businesses.
• This admin personal statement clearly demonstrates that the individual is aware of all the challenges that administrators face; working in a busy working environment, handling multiple projects simultaneously, prioritising tasks and achieving the highest standard of work.

Customer service CV profile

• The candidate indicates that they are able to resolve customer enquiries and complaints face-to-face, over the phone or via email. This ability enables them to work in a variety of different job settings, i.e. a call centre, on the shop floor or at a desk.
• Their statement contains a tangible example of accomplishment (i.e. successfully resolving 150 customer enquiries or complaints).

Media CV profile

• The candidate has included many examples of their previous work experience and competencies in the field. Any employer interested in hiring an experienced camera operator will most certainly be impressed and continue reading the remainder of their CV.

Healthcare CV profile

• The candidate highlights that they are able to work with a variety of different people, something which is essential as physiotherapists will be working with people from all backgrounds and ages.
• The statement includes personal qualities that are important to have as a physiotherapist, such as being caring and friendly. Although some careers advisors do not recommend generic words such as ‘caring’ and ‘friendly’, it is nevertheless recommended to include them if they truly reflect your personality and if the rest of the personal statement contains specific information which is not generic in nature.

Writer CV profile

• This profile is short and punchy, increasing the chances that it will be read in full by the prospective employers
• The candidate highlights their career achievements by stating that their works have been accepted and published by leading newspapers and magazines – a testimony to the high quality of their work.

Science CV profile

• This statement is short and to the point; highlighting all the important information such as the candidates work experience, expertise and some personal qualities and characteristics.

Do I need to include a personal statement on my CV? No, it is entirely optional to include a personal profile on your CV. However, it is generally recommended to include one, particularly as it serves as a little “About me” section at the top of your CV. Every written document has an introduction, why shouldn’t a CV?

Can I use the first person tense in my statement? Yes, the first and third person tenses are both fine to use – but not both. Decide on the one tense and stick to it.

Where should I include the profile statement on my CV There is no fixed place in which you should put your personal profile. Some candidates place it at the bottom of their CVs. Ideally, you should position it at the top of your CV.

What is the most important thing to include on a personal profile? Real-world examples and tangible performance indicators, for example; increased sales by x percent, managed x number of people, won such-and-such awards, improved productivity by x percent, etc. These types of information are highly valuable, as opposed to saying that you are the “best salesperson in the country” and not backing it up with any evidence!

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Home » Careers advice » Writing your CV personal statement

Writing your CV personal statement

There are many important aspects to a CV but your CV personal statement is perhaps the most important.

With so many applications to read through, the hiring manager wants to see a clear contender. They’re looking for someone who has the right skills, industry knowledge and attitude to succeed with their company.

Typically the hiring manager will spend only a few seconds reading your CV. Your CV personal statement is so important because it can demonstrate all of these things to the hiring manager in just a few short sentences.

What is a CV personal statement?

This section goes at the top of your CV, underneath your details. It is sometimes referred to by other names such as:

• Career objective
• Career goal
• Personal profile
• Personal statement
• Introduction

A personal statement for your CV has three key ingredients:

1. Who you are

In the first sentence, you’ll introduce yourself by stating who you are in a work context. If relevant (or required in the job advert) you might also state the amount of experience you have.

2. What makes you suitable for the role

The second sentence will focus on the work experience and skills you have that will benefit the company. You don’t have to go into too much detail here because your employment history and core skills section will adequately cover this. The key to completing this part is to ask: what are the most important requests in the job advert? Try to cover this in your second sentence to instantly show the employer you are the right person for the job.

3. What you are looking for 

Your third sentence sets out your present career goals by stating what you want to achieve. Try to see this from the hiring manager’s perspective. They are recruiting for a particular position and don’t necessarily need to know your lifelong aspirations at this stage.

Here is an example of a personal statement for a CV:

Job title: Parts department service team member

[WHO YOU ARE] I am a diligent, hard-working customer service provider with more than 8 years experience in the motor trade and a passion for exceeding customers’ expectations.

[WHAT MAKES YOU SUITABLE FOR THE ROLE] I am competent in all aspects of the customer journey, from b ooking MOTs, ordering parts and liaising with the workshop to using databases, managing diaries and communicating effectively across the organisation.

[WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR] I am looking for an opportunity within customer service with the opportunity to advance to a team leader position.

Although your personal statement is just a small part of your CV, it’s important to get off to a great start because it will be one of the first things the employer reads. Making a great first impression will leave the hiring manager wanting to know more, and consequently could land you an interview.

Here are some further examples of effective personal statements that follow the above formula:

Retail sales personal statement:

Accountancy personal statement:

Where to put your personal statement

Your personal statement CV section should serve as an introduction to your CV. It should go at the top just after your name and contact details. A well written personal statement will instantly grab the reader’s attention and leave them wanting to know more.

Personal statement length

A successful personal statement will be short and to the point – typically just one paragraph consisting of no more than 3 or 4 sentences. This is because lengthy blocks of text will just lose the hiring manager’s interest and land your CV squarely in the rejection pile. Above all, it should be engaging and focused upon the role you are applying for.

Aligning your personal statement with the job advert

Your personal statement can only be written after you’ve analysed the job advert. This is because only then can you fully understand what the employer wants. With only one paragraph, you have to show how you are the right person for the job. You should never write a generic personal statement because this suggests you are not really interested in their company or the position on offer.

Keeping your statement honest and realistic

Stating that you want to be the CEO in three years’ time may come across as a little arrogant, presumptuous and possibly unrealistic. Your personal statement needs to be realistic and focused upon the job on offer. Even if you would like to become a manager as soon as possible, you don’t need to show all your cards when an employer is looking to only fill this position.

You also need to be honest throughout your personal statement (and indeed, your CV) because even the slightest embellishment could hinder your chances of an interview. Likewise, avoid cliché statements as these can be spotted from a mile away. Stick to the facts whilst remaining positive, upbeat, engaging and relevant.

You may find this video from Deniz Sasal at LIG Academy helpful:

Top tips for success:

1. get to the point.

You’ve got about 3 or 4 sentences to use. Don’t fill them with waffle – you’ll dampen your impact. Pick out the key reasons why the employer should hire you, in the context of the job advert.

2. Use buzzwords sparingly

This is not the place to talk about being ‘highly motivated’, ‘a great communicator’ or ‘amazing team player’. You need to stick to hard facts here, such as length of experience or results. Sure, you might have covered these topics later on. However, the employer won’t read further if you stuff the profile with general, fluffy statements that have no value.

3. Don’t boast

This IS a good place to include key achievements from your track record. However, inflating those achievements will make you look insincere, arrogant or downright dishonest. If you detail achievements, make sure you’re not exaggerating to impress. The employer may be suspicious of your claims and you could lose out on that all-important interview

We have a huge collection of free CV templates with space to write your objective – check them out here .

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What to put in your personal statement

While you can copy the basic template of a CV, it can be more difficult to know what to put in your personal statement. That’s because (you’ve guessed it) – it’s personal. It should reflect your personality and d emonstrate why  you’re  the best fit for  the role  a nd  co mpany.   

Reme mber, a personal statement isn’t  simply  a list of your strengths and achievements! Save those for  the rest of  your CV. Rather, it should be a snapshot of who you are and what you’ve got to bring to the table.   

It will also give your profile that extra boost it needs to secure yourself a new job. This is because  it’s more likely to capture a recruiter’s attention  when they’re scanning  through  your CV , saving them time in the process.  In this sense, a personal statement is  similar to  a cover lette r.   

However, you’l l be pleased to know that a personal statement is even easier to write than a cover letter. Instead of a page,  it   sits at the top of your CV and   should only be a few sentences.  So  there’s really no excuse to miss out this important step of the application process!  

A well-written personal statement  could  be the difference between an invite to interview and your application being cast aside. Give yourself a competitive edge and learn what to put in your personal statement by reading through our handy guide!   

Stic k to a  clear  stru cture   

Getting started  with   your  personal statement can be the toughest part. Once you start writing, the rest will flow naturally. The best part  of  personal st atements is that they’re totally individual ,  so there’s not necessarily a right or wrong answer.  

Yet, you’ll make it easier for yourself if you set a basic structure to stick to. Aim for 4-6 sentences and anywhere between 50-200 words. This will help to keep your points concise and purposeful. And you’ll only include the most important information!   

Another point to mention is the grammar in your personal statement. Whether you choose to write in the third or first person; that’s up to you. For example, you could write ‘Marketing graduate seeking…’ or ‘I’m a recent marketing graduate seeking…’ Just keep the tone consistent throughout.   

Include keywords, not buzzwords  

It’s difficult to write a succinct pitch outlining your talents. When in doubt, many of us will refer to buzzwords and jargon to distract from feelings of  self-consciousness or inadequacy . Yet, these   only detract from what you’ve got to offer the company.   

They’ll fill up the valuable space that you need to grab the recruiter’s attention. Not to mention,  you’ll appear as if you lack substance – which is  hopefully  not the case! Instead, turn your focus to  the  use of keywords.   

These are  the  specific skills or objectives listed in the job advert. For example, if  you’re applying for an  IT job  which  requires you to know JavaScript, be sure to mention ‘Developer with three years’ experience in JavaScript’. This will highlight your  relevancy for the role  and ensure  your application  makes it past the dreaded Applicant Tracking Systems.   

Emphasise your actions  

Of course, anyone can big themselves up and exaggerate their skillset. The fact is, why should a recruiter trust that you’re telling the truth? They don’t have the time to fact-check every personal sta tement ; especially  when they’re probably looking at hundreds of applications every day.   

If you can include a measurable record of your performance at work, you’re bound to catch a recruiter’s eye.  For example, when looking for your next  sales job  it’s a good idea to t alk about how much revenue you billed  in your previous role,  or how you grew a company’s client base.   

If you’re in a more niche field, such as graphic design, it’s a little trickier. However, every field has their own system.  In this industry, r ecruiters will k now that your portfolio is the most important aspect .   S o ,  be sure to mention that you’re able to provide this upon request. Actionable statements are the key to standing out.   

Split your personal statement into sections  

• Who you are 

The first section should be ‘who you are’. For example, you might be:  

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• An ambitious digital marketing executive looking to advance…  
• A highly skilled front-end develop er seeking  their   next opportunity in….  
• A recent History graduate looking for experience in…  

This is your introductory line  which acknowledges  w ho you are and  w hy you’ re interested in the  role.  

• What you can offer the company

This next section should focus on what you can offer the company. This is your chance to sell your top skills and strengths, which need to be backed up with evidence. If the employer is looking for somebody with project management expertise, for example, mention the  time you  successfully lead a project with flying colours.    

Alternatively, if you’re in need of a more general personal statement, include a couple of stand-out achievements. Perhaps you’re applying for a  customer service job . It could be useful to highlight your e xperience  in  ‘resolv ing customer queries and adopting a professional telephone manner.’   

There’s no point simply listing ‘customer service experience’ in your statement. This holds no weight and can quickly be overlooked. Not to mention, recruiters will have heard it a thousand times before!   

A rule to remember is not to make a statement without backing it up. For example, ‘During an internship which I arranged, I developed my knowledge of the industry and gained hands-on experience, as well as honing my skills in…”   

• Career goals

This final section  highlights  what you want to achieve in your career. It needs   to show the recruiter that you’re planning on sticking around and are ultimately worth their investment. The recruitment process is  expensive  and the hiring manager will wa nt to know that you’re in it for the long haul.   

Obviously, your career goals will depend on what stage you’re at in your  career.  If you’re a graduate, you’re probably looking to get more hands-on experience. If you’re simply looking for something different, then why not say that you want to impart your experience and bring a fresh perspective to a progressive company? It’s all subjective!   

Finally ,  proof-read  your personal statement !   

A personal statement itself won’t take long to write ;  the best ones are short and succinct. However, you’ll sabotage your own application if you don’t take the time to proof-read your personal statement!   

Check it carefully, take a break, then check again. You could even ask someone to look for you. Spelling and grammatical errors will only push your application to the bottom of the pile, so don’t miss this impor tant  final   step !  

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Craft a winning personal statement for your CV to stand out

8 min read · Updated on April 18, 2024

Let the personal statement on your CV speak volumes about you

You probably have a fairly good idea of how to write a CV . Your employment history , education , and qualifications are relatively easy to pull together as you just need to look at dates, your previous job specs, and what you've achieved over the years.

The personal statement is often the trickiest component of a CV to write. Thankfully, we've got this comprehensive guide to help you write a winning one.

What is a personal statement for a CV?

Your personal statement is a short paragraph that sits at the top of your CV, just below your name and contact details. Diving into three key aspects, this section offers the recruiter or hiring manager a powerful overview of you as a professional:

1.    Who you are

2.    Your suitability for the role and the value you can add

3.    Your career goals 

Why include a personal statement on your CV?

It is estimated that recruiters spend an average of less than 8 seconds reviewing a CV before deciding whether the applicant is a good fit. 

As the personal statement is the first section they will read, it must be powerful and tailored to the job you're applying for to successfully showcase your suitability. If it's not, you're unlikely to convince the recruiter you're the talent they need for the job.

5 tips on writing your personal statement

Before we look at some personal statement examples, let's take a look at the basics. Here are some expert-backed tips for writing a good personal statement on your CV.

1. Keep it short and on point

Keep your personal statement clean and concise. It's typically around four sentences long, or about 50 to 200 words. If you're overshooting that word count, see which nonessential parts can be omitted.

2. Get the layout right from the start

Make sure that your layout is consistent with the rest of your CV's formatting . That means maintaining the same font size , font type, and text justification. Recruiters will notice these minor details, and so it's smart to get ahead of the game here. 

3. Use a heading (if there's space!)

You can add a “personal statement” heading in the same way that you'd title the subsequent sections of your CV. However, if you're tight on space, you can cut the heading as recruiters will know what this paragraph is nonetheless.

4. Choose the right perspective

The first person is acceptable for a statement (“I am an IT professional looking for a job in…”) as is the third person (“An IT professional looking for a job in…”). Choose the point of view that's most comfortable to write in, but, as always, keep it consistent with the rest of your CV.

5. Cut back on unnecessary words

If you're writing in the third person, remove all pronouns. Otherwise, it sounds existentially awkward, rather than objective. For example, “She is a retail professional seeking a management role…” would become “A retail professional seeking a management role…”

How to write a personal statement for a CV

We've looked at the purpose of a personal statement, what it should include, and how it should look on the page. Now let's zoom in on exactly how to write a winning statement.

When writing, keep in mind that the personal statement on your CV is your elevator pitch; it's the equivalent of the “Tell me about yourself” or “Why should I hire you?” question in an interview. Below, we break down what you need to include in your personal statement.

Part 1: Who you are

Your opening statement needs to tell the prospective employer where you stand in your career. 

This introduction could include your current role, years of experience, and what you like the most about your career or professional field. It gives the recruiter a hint of the qualities that make you valuable to the vacancy.

Your first sentence may read like so:

As a successful digital marketing professional with five years specialising in e-commerce, I have recently worked with several global brands in the sector to improve their marketing strategy and boost their reach.

Part 2: Your suitability and value

The next part of your statement should line up with the requirements in the job description and prove your relevant and impressive qualifications.

It's always best to address here the essential job specifications to articulate from the beginning that you're the right person for the job. For example, if the role requires management experience or a certain degree and you have these, say so.

Your middle sentences may look like this:

I have experience in optimising quality digital products via my most recent role and am therefore in tune with the latest developments across the online landscape. As a result, I have devised winning branding strategies for e-commerce businesses that are robust, customer-centric and set for aggressive growth.

Part 3: Your career goals

The last part of your personal statement should be short and snappy as it's reaffirming why you are applying for this vacancy.

It might read something like so:

I am currently looking for a senior branding or marketing management role within the e-commerce sector where I can maintain my strong track record and deliver similar results.

Complete CV personal profile examples

In addition to the samples above, here are a couple of complete personal statement examples to give you an idea of what yours should look like.

For a graduate, written in the third person:

A recent graduate with a first-class BSc degree in Mathematics, specialising in analytics and statistics. Holds commercial experience within the finance sector, thanks to an internship with a corporate UK business, and has resultantly developed technical skills in data science and data engineering. Has a proven ability to meet deadlines, prioritise, problem solve, and maintain high standards having balanced a part-time job alongside studies over the last three years. Now looking to secure a place on a graduate programme that will provide exposure to data science and career progression opportunities.

Addressing a recent redundancy, written in the first person:

I am a skilled and successful Product Engineer within the automotive industry, with an HND in mechanical engineering and seven years of experience in the sector. Having worked in a number of labs handling vehicle-based testing and mentoring development technicians, I am confident in managing teams in a hands-on environment and running new development projects from briefing to sign off. Currently looking for a role that complements my skill set and experience. Available immediately.

Writing your personal statement: common mistakes to avoid  

There are some common profile errors that you should avoid. Steer clear of these popular pitfalls to keep your personal statement as powerful as possible.

Buzzword overload

Are you an extremely self-motivated, ambitious professional with extensive experience and passion for a certain industry? We thought so.

Buzzwords are great, and you'll find them in abundance in job adverts. But it's best to sprinkle just a few through your personal statement as they don't particularly provide evidence of your skill or ability. It's much stronger to show the employer how you're self-motivated and ambitious with an example.

Using a generic personal statement

You might think that your personal statement can work for every application. For the most part, it will, because, in theory, the jobs you're applying for will be similar and match your skill set.

However, you must tweak and tailor your statement (and your entire CV) so that it targets the skills each vacancy requires. Otherwise, it won't be as impactful.

Including too much waffle

As you begin to plan and write the personal statement for your CV, you'll most likely find that you have a lot more to say than you originally thought. Be careful not to overwrite as you may be left with a statement that's clogged with too many adjectives and is clunky to read.

As a rule of thumb, highlight your best bits in your personal statement and save the details for your cover letter .

FAQs about your personal statement 

Now that we've shown you some examples of a personal statement on a CV, there's just one last thing to cover. Here are some frequently asked questions on the topic:

How long should a personal statement be?

When you're writing a personal statement for a CV, your word count should be between 50 and 200 words. Be sure not to waste any space with unnecessary waffle here. 

Does a personal statement have other names?

Yes! The personal statement on your CV may also be called a personal profile, a CV summary, or a professional summary. 

Does a CV (really) need a personal statement?

Yes, most CVs require a personal statement at the top of the page. Use our guide to help you write a summary that grabs the hiring manager's attention for the right reasons. 

Stand out with a winning personal statement

Writing a captivating personal statement on your CV is a quick way to hook potential employers. Make sure that your summary showcases what makes you unique and adds value to your application. 

Still unsure about your personal statement? Get in touch with one of our career experts by requesting a free CV critique today! 

Recommended reading: 

Professional email salutations that work (with examples)

Written communication: definition and examples

How long should a cover letter be and what should it include?

Related Articles:

How to list publications on a CV (with examples)

How to leverage ChatGPT for your job search in 2024

How to choose the best CV paper

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CV personal profile examples

A strong CV personal profile is vital if you want to land the best jobs on the market.

Sitting at the very top of your CV, your profile is the very first thing a recruiter will see, so it needs to hold their attention and encourage them to read on.

Get your it wrong, and your CV will be constantly skipped over – get it right, and you will get plenty of responses and interviews.

To help you create your own powerful CV personal profile, I’ve included  25 examples of really good CV profiles from a range of industries and experience levels, along with notes explaining why each one is effective.

CV templates 

Accounts & finance CV profile

What makes this CV profile effective?

In an accountant or finance -based role, employers need to know that they can trust a candidate to look after one of their most valuable assets… Money.

This profile instantly shows readers that the candidate has a recognised accounting qualification and explains the industries they have gained their experience across, along with a short summary of their best accounting skills such as forecasting and risk management.

It also explains the core benefits as to why someone would employ this person; to manage a business’s financial compliance obligations and minimise business-wide risk.

Quick tip:  To get a head start on creating your own interview-winning CV, use one of our professional  CV templates .

Administrator CV profile

What makes this personal profile effective?

In summary, this profile shows recruiters all of the essential skills and knowledge that a good administrator should have– and it gets the message across very quickly with no clichés. It contains a good overview of the environments this candidate has worked in, and shows how their administration skills have been applied to support the business functions of former employers and help them manage their information in particular.

Anybody reading this profile will be left with no doubt that they have just found a competent administrative professional.

Check out our full admin CV example and writing guide, or receptionist CV example .

Customer service CV profile

A good customer service agent should be personable and approachable, with a flair for product knowledge and sales – and this profile shows recruiters all of those things. The short sharp nature of this profile makes it a very easy read and quickly demonstrates the candidate’s length of experience in customer facing roles, along with their product and industry specialisms.

The profile goes on to detail this person’s retail skills, sales strengths and even brags a little without being too forward. Ultimately the profile demonstrates how this candidate could contribute to customer satisfaction and sales in a professional manner.

Check out our customer service CV example  , waiter/waitress CV example , best CV templates , CV UK format examples ,  care assistant CV , Support worker CV , warehouse operative CV or 10 good CV examples .

    Top tips for writing a CV profile

• Your CV profile is the first thing a recruiter or hiring manager will see when opening your CV, so it’s worth investing a lot of time and effort into it
• Give reader’s a high level overview of your skills and experience, and encourage them to read the rest of your CV
• Keep it short (5-8 lines) to ensure you get your message across quickly to time-strapped employers
• Avoid clichés such as “ Works well in a team ” or “ always goes the extra mile ” and focus on tangible industry specific content
• Give readers a reason to be interested in hiring you by describing the benefits you can bring to their company e.g. Will you boost their sales? Cut their spending? Take care of their customers?

Digital marketing CV personal profile

This profile wastes no time in showcasing this candidate’s full range of digital know-how (such as SEO , content, PPC, conversion optimisation) whilst being sure to highlight a specialism in eCommerce. Overall the profile does a great job of quickly telling recruiters how this person applies their interpersonal skills and knowledge to employer projects in order to boost traffic, leads and sales – crucial metrics in any digital marketing role.

See our digital marketing CV example .

Events manager CV profile

This event manager CV profile starts with a headline of the candidate’s experience within events management, detailing their expertise in administration, organisation , planning, and delivery – it also highlights their Prince2 certification which is extremely important for anybody in a project-based role.

This events manager is effective in showing their personal contribution involves all stages of the event from conception to completion, and the core skills section draws attention to highly sought after events attributes such as budget management, operations and corporate partnering.

Quick tip: Learn how to write a cover letter to ensure your CV gets opened.

Check out my video guide on how to write a CV profile:

Quick tip: A poorly written CV will fail to impress recruiters and employers. Use our quick-and-easy CV Builder to create a winning CV in minutes with professional templates and pre-written content for every industry.

Executive assistant CV profile

What makes this profile effective?

This profile gets straight to the point by giving an overview of the candidate’s in-demand executive assistant skills such as office management, and secretarial skills – it also highlights the range of industries they have gained experience in. The overarching theme of the profile is that this person ultimately provides a high level of support to colleagues and customers which is exactly what’s sought after in a good executive assistant .

The core skills provide a snapshot of the candidate’s vital skills such as diary management and reception duties – giving readers a good idea of their suitability for EA roles within seconds of opening the CV ( curriculum vitae ) and giving them a good chance of landing job interviews .

Graduate CV profile (no experience)

This graduate candidate hasn’t quite completed their degree course yet, and doesn’t have any professional experience, but it hasn’t stopped them from writing a powerful personal profile. They start by stating their degree course, and making it clear that they are achieving high grades, whilst also mentioning their bilingual abilities and extra-curricular activities.  They compensate for their lack of experience by detailing their ambitions to pursue a career in law and detail some of the skills they are gaining through their studies and voluntary work. Some junior candidates prefer to use a slightly longer personal statement at the top of their CV – you can see this style in my CV personal statement writing guide .

Check out our school leaver CV example ,  Graduate CV example  and student CV .

HR CV Profile

This candidate kicks their CV off with a nice a simple outline of their length of HR experience, along with the industries they have experience in (FMCG, IT) and an indication to the size and calibre of company they are used to working with – this is exactly what a recruiter needs to know when opening an HR CV.

They then expand to provide detail on their specialisms within HR such as employment law and health & safety whilst showing readers what impact this has on the wider business and their stakeholders.

Basic CV template . – Online CV creator reviews.

IT manager CV profile

This IT manager CV profile does a great job of outlining not-only the candidate’s technical expertise, but also their ability to work closely with non-technical staff to drive change across employer business. They start by summarising their length of experience and particular expertise within IT infrastructure, whilst also demonstrating an industry specialism of educational employers.

They then delve a bit deeper to highlight specific technologies within infrastructure that recruiters will be looking for , and demonstrate key business skills such as solution implementation, relationship building and stakeholder management .

Managing director CV profile

As a senior candidate, it’s important to head your CV up with a profile that highlights your depth of experience, and quickly tell recruiters the kind of results you achieve for companies. This candidate provides a punchy explanation of their length of experience in business, combined with some core benefits they deliver for businesses, such as operational efficiency, customer experience and profitability.

They go on to detail their industry specialisms, relevant qualifications, and specific strategies they implement to drive business growth – giving readers a great overview of their abilities.

Note: a CV profile is also known as a summary or objective .

Marketing CV profile

This profile opens with a clear statement of the candidate’s marketing experience, and promptly tells readers the level they work at by giving an indication of typical campaign value – this will certainly catch the eye of a busy recruiter.

They give further high-level detail of the types of marketing campaigns they have led (online, print, social) and show the impact they deliver by highlighting results such as market share growth, lead generation and customer base growth.

Nurse CV profile

This profile provides a short sharp explanation of the candidate’s extensive experience within nursing with high-level detail of the types of care they can carry out, along with the environments they work within – this instantly gives readers a great idea of the roles this person is suitable for.

They expand to explain their passion for the role, which is important in a care-based role, and they also list the specific medical areas which they are competent in, which are key terms that recruiters will be looking for.

Procurement CV profile

By opening with a brief statement on key knowledge and abilities within procurement, such as purchasing, stock control and logistics, as well as detailing their industry specialisms – this candidate sets a great tone for the CV and quickly gives recruiters a snapshot of their offerings.

The profile further expands by explaining how the candidate’s actions add value to employer procurement by improving supplier relationships, reducing costs and improving supply chain efficiency.

Project manager CV profile

This candidate’s profile opens strongly by giving a brief overview of length of project management experience, important certifications (Prince2) and the types of projects they have led – when recruiters are searching for PMs, these are the details they want to know first .

In-demand project management skills such as budgeting, stakeholder management and contract negotiation are also highlighted whilst ultimately demonstrating that project delivery is paramount.

Check out our project manager example CV , architect , electrician CV  and engineer example CV

Sales CV profile

As a sales professional , it’s important that recruiters can quickly see your ability to communicate persuasively and deliver results for employers. To do this, this candidate quickly demonstrates their ability to hit targets, sell to senior figures, and grow revenue within their chosen sector.

This profile also highlights some essential sales skills that recruiters will expect to see, such as networking, lead generation, presenting and closing sales – essential features in any sales CV .

Supply chain CV profile

This person makes their experience length and core supply chain abilities known quickly to ensure that readers pay attention to the CV once they open it. They include some in-demand supply chain skills such as stock control, procurement, supplier negotiation, as well as giving an indication of the type of firms they have worked for.

Anybody who picks up this CV can promptly understand what this candidate’s high-level skills are, and what sort of role they could fit in to.

Teacher CV profile

When a recruiter or employer is looking to hire a teacher, they will firstly want to know, what age group does this person teach? What curriculum do they know? Where have they taught?

This profile answers those questions straight away and gives a good intro to the teacher’s skills set by including skills like classroom management, resource planning, and even showing that they contribute to wider school community activities.

Check out our teacher CV example ,  teaching assistant CV example  and academic CV example .

Teaching assistant CV profile

Why is this CV profile good?

In order to give recruiters an instant understanding of how this candidate could add value to any school, they have given a brief but powerful overview of the core factors that school staff would need from them.

This includes things like; how long they have been working in schools, the year groups they work with, the key classroom activities they can carry out, and above all, how they help students to learn and progress.

Chef CV profile

This chef’s CV profile provides readers with an easy-to-digest (no pun intended) summary of what this candidate can offer kitchens and restaurants. They not only cover their most valuable chef skills such as menu development and health & safety, but they also highlight they types of venues and food types the specialise in, so that recruiters can see the best places to match them to – these can of course be tailored to suit particular jobs, if you have wide-ranging experience.

Business analyst CV profile

This business analyst candidate ensures that recruiters do not skip past their CV by putting together a quick and impactful message in their profile which highlights their core BA skills, gives examples of the types and sizes of projects they have worked on, and also shows they are qualified to do the job.

Core qualities that BA employers will be looking for include; requirements gathering, quality assurance, workshops, Agile, Waterfall and UAT testing.

Support worker CV profile

As a support worker it’s crucial to swiftly prove to recruiters and employers that you have the right skills and knowledge to provide care in a professional and effective manner.

This candidate does exactly that, by summarising the type of people they have experience caring for, health issue knowledge, patient relationship and the types of organisations they have worked in. This gives readers enough relevant info to be enthused and continue to read the CV.

Estate agent CV profile

As an estate agent , you need to prove your abilities to deal with customers, negotiate prices, work towards targets, and sell properties. This candidate  by giving a high level snapshot of all their most essential estate agent qualities in just a few short lines.

They mention the the types of properties they have experience in selling, how they manage the house buying process, and round up by talking about the results they achieve for their employers.

This tells recruiters everything they need to know within the first few seconds of opening the CV.

Graphic designer CV profile

This graphic designer ensures that their CV is noticed by providing readers with enough information to know what type of graphic design software they can use, the type of work they can produce, and the kinds of organisations they can produce it for.

They do this by highlighting in-demand software skills such as PhotoShop and Sketchup, and giving an overview of the designs they create and who for.

Student CV profile

As a student or school leaver, you won’t have much experience, so this candidate has expanded upon their education , extra curricular activities and interests to give their profile plenty of substance.

By highlighting their passion for the industry they are trying to break into and demonstrating plenty of transferable and workplace skills, such as mathematics and communication. They also prove their enthusiasm by listing some of their voluntary work and school club involvement.

Architect CV profile

This architect makes sure that their CV is not skipped over, by creating an eye-catching profile that quickly explains why their CV is worth reading, by summarising all of their most in-demand talents.

As an architect, this includes attributes such, what areas of architecture do they specialise in? (both in education and experience) What kind of building projects have they worked on? (size, scale, type). What is their software knowledge? How do they work with others to deliver results for employers and clients?

6 tips for writing your CV profile

When writing your own CV , dedicate plenty of time and effort to your CV profile, as it can often make or break your CV.

Here are my top 6 tips for creating a winning CV profile that will get you noticed by the best employers

Tailor to your target jobs

The key to getting your CV noticed by recruiters, is giving them what they are looking for – it’s that simple.

To do this, you just need to pack your CV profile with the skills and knowledge that you have, which most closely match what they want to see in a candidate.

Do this by searching for your target job titles on one of the major job sites , and making a list of the skills knowledge and experience that regularly appear in the job descriptions .

Once you have a list of these in-demand requirements, simply try to fit as many of them as possible into your CV profile as you can – or close variations if you don’t have perfectly matching skills.

Keep it short and sharp

Recruiters often see hundreds of job applications and CVs in a day, so they don’t always have much time to read your CV on first receiving it.

For this reason, you need to keep your CV profile brief, so it can be skim read quickly, and the most important points are easy to spot.

Avoid CV cliches

You may well be a “team player” or maybe you “go the extra mile”.

These qualities, such as teamwork , are important, but recruiters are not searching for them at this stage of the application… Plus they are generic to all jobs.

They are looking for profession specific skills like software knowledge, languages, qualifications, length of experience within a particular industry etc.

So stick to the hard facts and skills in your CV profile.

Sell yourself

Your CV profile is no time to be modest.

You need to tell employers why it’s worth investing their time in reading your CV.

So sell yourself by describing your highest levels of achievement and even include some action verbs , facts and figures to show the kind of results you can achieve.

See also: Resume summary examples Australia

What to Include in a CV [in 2024] | 11+ Essential Sections

The very first thing you need to do when making a CV is to decide which sections to include…

And that’s easier said than done - you probably have a ton of questions on what to include & where:

Should I put my education before or after work experience?

Do I include a hobbies & interests section, and will the hiring manager even care?

In this article, we’re going to answer all your questions on what to include in a CV!

• What Sections to Include In Your CV

How to Structure Your CV

How to format your cv contents.

• 9 Things NOT To Include in Your CV

So, let’s get started.

What to Include in a CV

First thing’s first, the traditional CV should include the following sections:

• Contact Information
• Resume Summary or Resume Objective
• Work Experience

In that exact order.

Once you’ve included these sections in your CV (and still didn’t manage to completely fill in your CV), you can also include some of the optional sections such as:

• Hobbies & Interests
• Certifications
• Publications (If you’re a writer or academic)
• Volunteering Experience
• Extracurricular Activities

The optional sections are especially helpful if you’re a recent graduate with no work experience . 

Sections like extracurricular activities or projects allow you to show that even though you don’t have practical work experience, you do have some experience working in a team and getting things done.

In most cases, you’d want to structure your CV as follows:

• Resume Summary or Objective
• Optional Sections (If you have the space for it)

Or, to visualize this:

If you’re a recent graduate with no work experience, you’d put education on top of work experience (or eliminate work experience entirely):

• (Optional) Work Experience
• (Optional Extracurricular Activities
• (Optional) Projects
• (Optional) Volunteering Experience

Finally, if you’re making a career change CV , you’d organize your CV as follows:

• Skill Summary
• Optional Sections

To learn how to create a skill summary, check out our combination resume guide.

What to Include in A CV - FAQ

Still have some questions on what to include in your CV? We’ll answer them here!

1. Should I include my hobbies & interests?

It really depends. Including a Hobbies and Interests section is very hit or miss. Some HR professionals love this section because it shows the person behind the CV as a human being, not a work history.

On the other hand, other HRs believe the interview is where you get to know a candidate better, not through a Hobbies section.

Here’s our take on it:

• Include a Hobbies and Interests section if you have some space you need to be filled. While this effort won’t win you the job on its own, it might help you establish rapport with your interviewer.
• If you don’t have any space in your CV, though, just skip listing your hobbies & interests. Your work experience and other sections are far more important in comparison.

2. Should I put references on my CV?

Nope, it’s just going to take up valuable space.

Only include references if it’s directly asked for in the job description.

Otherwise, it’s just assumed that references are available on request. If the recruiter wants a reference, they’ll ask you for it.

3. Which resume format should I pick?

In 99% of the cases, we’d recommend going with a reverse-chronological resume format :

• It’s extremely popular, and all recruiters are familiar with it (and even prefer it!).
• It’s ATS-friendly . You can rest assured that most applicant tracking systems out there will be able to read your resume.

4. Should I use a CV template?

Yep - using a CV template will make the process of creating a CV quicker and easier. 

You won’t have to spend hours formatting your CV manually - all you’ll have to do is arrange the structure to your liking, and add your information!

Want to use a CV template recruiters will LOVE? Pick one below!

Now that we’ve covered all the essentials about what to include in your CV (and how to structure it), let’s talk about CV contents.

In this section, we’ll teach you how to format your CV entries for all the sections we just covered, starting with:

#1. Contact Information

The contact information section goes on top of your CV:

And includes the following information:

• Email Address
• Location. Just the city - don’t include an exact address.
• Phone Number
• (Optional) Social Media Profiles (LinkedIn, Behance, GitHub)
• (Optional) Personal Website

We recommend not including a photo in the US, UK, and Ireland , as that can lead to discrimination, but for other countries, you can check the following guide .

Make sure to use a professional email address , something like [Name] + [Last Name] @gmail.com. E.g. [email protected]

Don’t use a work email address - that’s just disrespectful for your current employer.

And finally, only include social media profiles that are relevant. E.g. include your Twitter if you’re a social media manager (and how you manage your personal Twitter is a direct indicator of how good you are at your job).

#2. CV Summary or CV Objective

The CV summary or objective sits on top of your CV, right under your contact information:

Both CV summary and objective act as an introduction to your CV, and it’s usually the first thing that a recruiter reads. If the summary/objective is relevant for the role, they’ll read the rest of your resume. Otherwise, they’ll just stop here.

Here’s how the two (summary and objective) differ:

CV Summary - 3-4 sentence summary of your work history. A well-written CV summary includes:

[Professional Title] + [Years of Experience] + [Top 1-2 Achievements] + [Most Relevant Skill(s)]

For Example:

• Project manager with 10+ years of experience using agile and waterfall methodologies to take projects from start to finish. Managed over 3 separate IT projects from start to finish at last position at Company X. Basic knowledge of several programming languages, including React, C++, NodeJS, and Java.

CV Objective - This one’s pretty much the same thing as a CV summary, but with a focus on your goals and educational background instead of work history.

Usually, CV objectives are used by university students (with no work experience) or career changes (no experience in the field).

If you have work experience, though, you’re much better off using a CV summary.

In a CV objective, you mention:

[Your Current Situation] + [Desired Role] + [Relevant Educational Background] + [Relevant Skills]

• Recent Communications graduate seeking to start my career with the role of secretary at XYZ Inc. Strong at time-management, writing, and multitasking. Some management and coordination experience through practical university projects, where I led a team of students to organize several events on university campus.

#3. Work Experience

The next thing on your CV is the Work Experience section.

Format this section as follows:

• Position Name
• Company Name
• Responsibility & Achievement Bullets (6-8 bullets tops)

When possible, try to stick with achievements over responsibilities, as they allow you to stand out from the competition.

• Hit and exceeded department KPIs by 20% for the year 2019.
• Managed sales at Company X.

The first example shows that you didn’t just work the job - you excelled at it. The second, however, just means that you did sales (just like all the other applicants for the job).

In addition, use data and metrics to backup your achievements.

If you say that you increased company sales by 20%, the recruiter knows you’re a high-achiever. 

If you say you just “increased sales,” though, they don't know whether the number is 0.5% or 20%.

Marketing Manager

09/2019 - Present

• Managed a Google Ads advertising budget of over $15,000 per month, achieving a ROI of 62%.
• Created high-quality content on the topics of careers & resumes.
• Conducted partner outreach, sending out 200+ emails, and onboarding 32 partner companies.
• Created web copy for 5+ landing pages, managing to increase conversions site-wide by 1.2%.

#4. Education

Format your Education section as follows:

• Type of Degree & Name
• University Name

Optionally, you can also include information like:

• Your GPA (as long as something impressive)
• Top Academic Achievements
• Courses Taken

However, we only recommend doing this if your academic achievements are very important for the position you’re applying for (or if you don’t have much work experience).

B.A. in Computer Science

University of Copenhagen

2016 - 2020

GPA: 3.9/4.0

Courses Taken:

• Discrete Structures
• Cybersecurity 
• Computer Forensics 101

Listing your Skills section on your CV is relatively straightforward - all you have to do is list your top skills, and give them a proficiency level.

For example:

Here are some of our top tips on how to get your Skills section right:

• Make sure to mention the skills listed in the job description.
• Be realistic about your skill level. If you exaggerate a specific skill-set and get hired, you’ll eventually find yourself in very awkward situations.
• Focus more on hard skills than soft skills. After all, soft skills aren’t something you can show with your CV. Recruiters usually look for hard skills on the CV to make sure you’re a good skill-fit, and then analyze your soft skills during the interview.

#6. Optional Sections

Here’s how you can format the optional sections on your CV:

• Hobbies & Interests. Just list out your hobbies.
• Languages. List the languages you know with the appropriate skill level (e.g. beginner, intermediate, etc.).
• Certifications. Mention the name of the certification, optionally the institute you received it from, and the date.
• Publications (If you’re a writer or academic). Include the name of your article, the publication name, and a link.
• Training. Mention the training provider, program name, and a description.
• Awards. Mention the name of the award and the date you received it.
• Volunteering Experience, Projects, and Extracurricular Activities. For these items, just format them like you would format your work experience.

Need more guidance? Head over to our step-by-step guide on how to write a CV !

8 Things Not To Include In Your CV

Now that we’ve covered all the DOs of CV-making, let’s talk about the DON’Ts. Here are the things you should NOT include in your CV:

• Exact address. While popular back in the day, you don’t need to include your address in your CV. The recruiter is not going to pop by for a quick coffee.
• Date of Birth. It might lead to discrimination based on age.
• Irrelevant Social Media Profiles. E.g. If you're applying for a job as an accountant, you don’t need to mention your Behance profile (a social media website for graphic designers).
• Short-Term Jobs. If you’ve worked at the company for less than 1-2 months for whatever reason, don’t include it (unless it’s a temporary position). Even if you had a good reason for quitting the job early, it might look like you got fired or you’re a job hopper.
• Irrelevant Skills or Experiences. Only applying for the role of a software engineer, you shouldn’t talk about how much of a cooking pro you are. Only mention skills and experiences that allow you to excel at the job you’re applying for.
• Fluff. “I’m a great critical thinker,” “I have good teamwork skills,” “I’m super organized…” what do these 3 sentences have in common? It’s simple: none of them actually say anything useful. In your CV, only mention the skills or experiences you can back up with examples, otherwise, it won’t count.
• Images, Graphs, or Pie Charts. Avoid turning your resume into an infographic. Applicant tracking systems can’t read images and will automatically discard your CV.
• Too Much Work History. The recruiter doesn’t need to know what you did 25 years ago. With your work experience section, list only the last 10 years of work history.

Key Takeaways

Now, let’s do a quick recap of the most important things we’ve mentioned in this article.

In your CV, make sure to include:

• The essentials. This includes contact information, resume summary or objective, work experience, education, and skills.
• The optional sections, including extracurricular activities, projects, awards, training, certifications, hobbies and interests, volunteering experience, and others.
• Relevant information. Only mention the skills and experiences that allow you to excel at the job you’re applying for.
• Numbers and metrics. By backing up your experiences with data, you’re more likely to stand out from your competition.

Suggested Reading:

• 101+ Achievements to List On Your CV [In 2024]
• How to Write a Cover Letter | Beginner's Guide
• The Ultimate Guide to Job Hunt - Land Your Next Job in 2024

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• Resume and Cover Letter
• How to Make a Resume:...

How to Make a Resume: Beginner's Writing Guide with Examples

30 min read · Updated on May 22, 2024

Your dream job is one resume away!

Your resume is arguably the most important financial document you'll ever own. And before you think, “Yeah – right” let's consider for a moment. Without a resume, you don't get the job, so you can't pay bills, support a family, go to the big game, have that weekend trip, or plan for retirement. Your resume is the doorway to your future, so let's make sure it's perfect.

Part of making it perfect is remembering that it's a targeted career marketing document – not a chronicle of your life. So, how do you write a resume? In this beginner's writing guide, we'll show you how to make a resume and provide examples of what each section should look like. 

Grab a cup of coffee and strap in, because you're about to learn everything you need to know about how to make a new resume!

Table of contents:

The purpose of a resume

Avoid rejection by the ATS

What is your career target?

Build your personal brand, what should your resume look like, how to make a resume – the layout.

How long does it take to put together a resume?

A major resume no-no: typos

How to make your resume more professional

Theory in practice – resume examples

The most basic purpose of a resume is to sell your skills , achievements , and qualifications to prospective employers. This one document can financially make or break you. Let's take a quick look at what being unemployed costs you per day (assuming a five-day workweek):

If you make $40,000 per year, you lose about $155 every day that you're out of work

If you make $50,000 per year, you lose about $190 every day that you're out of work

If you make $75,000 per year, you lose about $288 every day that you're out of work

If you make $100,000 per year, you lose about $385 every day that you're out of work

Clearly, finding out how to make a resume for a job is critical so that you can properly sell your skills, qualifications, experiences, and achievements to prospective employers. 

The job market is tough and highly competitive; you have to stand out in a sea of qualified candidates by creating a compelling narrative that tells a story of value, keeping in mind that your resume is supposed to do a few things for you:

Introduce you to a new company

Underscore how your experiences and education are relevant

Showcase how your skills and competencies will benefit the new company's team

Win interviews

Avoid rejection by the ATS 

What do you know about applicant tracking systems? Job seeking can be compared to throwing your resume into a black hole. You can go through 100 listings on any job search website and complete the online application with zero results. 

Ever had that happen? It's okay, it happens to everyone at some point or another! 

The problem is that you're probably not putting the correct keywords into your resume. When you hit “Submit” on an online application, it isn't magically emailed to the hiring manager. 

Oh, no! 

It goes through a computer system that scans your resume for specific keywords that can be found in the job description posted by the company. And, just so you know, approximately 90% of companies use ATS scans , including everything from mom-and-pop shops to Fortune 500 companies. 

The companies use these programs because they just don't have time for a human to go through all the resumes they receive. Depending on the job opening, a company can get between  250 and 500 applicants . Can you imagine being the person who has to sift through all those resumes? 

Here is where the ATS steps in. It's designed to weed through candidates to narrow the applicant pool, so that the human hiring manager has a more reasonable resume load to go through. It ranks the remaining candidates in order based on how much of a match they are for the position that's open. 

Being overlooked by the ATS is one of the number one reasons job seekers get ghosted by companies.

Once your resume makes it through the ATS and gets into the hands of a hiring manager, don't think they're going to sit down and read each one. Who has that kind of time? You should expect that the first round of resume sorting will consist of them flipping through the stack to pick the ones that stand out within about 6 seconds of glancing at them. 

PRO TIP: Put your resume on a table, stand up, and look at it from a little distance. Is it eye-catching? Can you tell the position you're seeking just by glancing at it? Set a timer if you have to, but no more than 10 seconds.

Speaking of eye-catching, don't make the same mistake as a lot of your rival job seekers by being too generic with your resume. It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that being non-specific will open doors to more opportunities. The problem is that the hiring manager won't be able to tell exactly where you'll fit within their organization. 

The first step in winning an interview is being sure that your resume actually makes it into the hands of a human being at the company you apply to. Start by defining what you want to do.

So the first, and most important, step in crafting the perfect resume is to narrow down your target career path. The more specific you are with this first step, the more response you'll receive from hiring managers because they'll be able to tell exactly how you fit within their organization. There are four areas to focus on as you begin to chart your career path:

Industry: Do you want to work in private sector, nonprofit, government, or public roles?

Geography: This one is more in-depth than choosing rural vs urban. It also includes whether you want to work in a dynamic or static environment.

Company size: You may not think it, but having an idea about whether you want to work in a small company or one with thousands of employees is important. 

Role: Saving the best for last, you have to know what position you want.

On the surface, it may seem like these things are only important for the job search aspect of landing a new position, but you have to know what voice to write your resume in, too. Part of that is knowing your audience. When you understand your audience, you can build a personal brand that resonates with what they're looking for in a new staff member.

Now that you've gotten your target career path nailed down, the next step is to brand you. Think of yourself as a product and your resume is the packaging. Companies spend a lot of time on their branding and packaging - you have to do the same thing.

The best place to start is with a  career assessment . Taking one of these tests can help you to identify your strengths, what sets you apart from others, and key themes of your professional identity. Just like Nike and Coca-Cola have timeless taglines and catchphrases that succinctly define what they have to offer to consumers, your personal brand has to tell a concise, yet compelling, story. This is where your resume comes in.

Your resume isn't just a piece of paper you give to a hiring manager or upload to a website that says, “I'm interested in this job.” Your resume is a personal marketing tool. You shape that tool with words that describe your experiences and achievements, to impress and grab the attention of the hiring manager. 

Unlike Nike's “Just Do It” phrase, your personal brand isn't something you build and forget. It is fluid and should be revisited and refined as you gain new skills, experiences, and achievements. Weave the elements of your brand into every section of your resume.

There is a common misconception that entry-level resumes look different than executive resumes. The reality is that the only difference is how much content is available to write about. 

Obviously, someone who has little to no experience will have a  short resume  – generally one page. 

When you start to get up to 10 years of experience, then you've earned the second page, so go ahead and use it. 

It's not incremental though

Just because you have 20 years of experience doesn't mean you can have a three-page resume. As you work through how to make a resume, remember that a three-page resume should be avoided, unless you have a lot of career extras like publications, research, patents, publications, or public speaking engagements to talk about. 

Other than the number of pages, your resume should use the same format and layout no matter if you're applying to a job as someone fresh out of college or seeking to be the CEO of a company. 

Chronological resume 

The  reverse-chronological  is the most popular, traditional, and well-known resume format. Its focus is placed on achievements from your career history and is defined by listing your work history starting with your current or most recent job and working backward 10-15 years. 

Employers like this type of resume because it tells them what, when, and where you worked. It's best to use this if your work history is steady and shows growth and development. If you're looking to make a career change, have had frequent job changes, or if you're seeking your first job, this may not be the best format to use.

Pro Tip: You could also get lost in the ATS if your  resume is over-designed . Many resume writers will tell you that you need to stand out in the sea of sameness by adding some personality to your resume through design. While that's true, you need to avoid heavily formatted resumes which are often rejected by computer scanners as being illegible.

Functional resume 

This resume type focuses more on skills and experiences rather than on your work history. It's more of a “what you know and how you apply that knowledge” than a simple list of where you got the knowledge. It plays down gaps in work history and makes frequent job changes less noticeable. If it isn't done properly, though, it can be confusing for the hiring manager to read and understand. There's also a bit of a stigma behind it, because employers know that job seekers use this style to downplay job-hopping. So, the first thing they do when they get a functional resume is check employment dates. If you can avoid using this style, it's best to do so.

Combination resume 

There is another resume format that focuses on skills first and then experience last. It's the combination resume, which is sometimes called a hybrid resume. This is the most complex resume type and the best resume for mid-career professionals who are transitioning into another career or for people who have special skills and a strong track record of accomplishments. These types of resumes do take a long time to read and some hiring managers won't take the time unless they're looking to fill a hard-to-fill position.

Curriculum Vitae

Curriculum Vitae (CV) is Latin and means “course of life.” It's a little different from a resume, but some positions require a CV over a resume. The first thing you would notice is that a CV is significantly longer than a resume.  A resume is a self-branding document meant to portray your experience and achievements in a concise and easy-to-read format. A CV goes much further into the depth of your education and accomplishments (think publications, awards, and honors) and even has a section for you to include "Areas of Interest."

The best way to describe a CV is that it's a career biography. The biggest significant difference is that a CV is arranged chronologically in a way that gives a complete overview of your full working career. It also doesn't change based on the career or position for which you're applying.

Layout 

To make things easier for the hiring manager to digest the content of your resume, it should be laid out in a specific way to ensure that the right information is in the right place. 

Hiring managers don't  READ  resumes. They skim through until they find something that piques their interest and then they stop to read

Contact information

Title 

Professional summary , core competencies, experience , education and credentials , awards, certificates, and volunteer work .

Since the reverse-chronological resume is the one that the majority of people will use to apply for jobs, and because it's the format that hiring managers want to see, we'll focus this article on showing you how to make a resume using that style. 

Current contact information 

Location | Phone | Email | LinkedIn | Portfolio (if applicable)

You can be creative and use bold font in your  contact information  and even put a border under it to separate it from the body of your resume. 

• Name: Be sure to list your name the same across all professional documents (e.g., resume, cover letter, thank you note, LinkedIn profile). Don't get hung up with whether to use your legal name (i.e. the name on your birth certificate or driver's license). Write your name in the manner you want people to address you. Also, if you use any abbreviated credentials after your name (e.g. Jane Smith, MD), remember to include them on all professional documents.  You can also include any shortened versions of your name in quotations (e.g. Christopher "Chris" Smith). Just make sure to list it the same way everywhere you put your name.
• Address: It is no longer customary to include your full address on your resume. There have been instances of discrimination against job seekers based on their address. As far as your address is concerned, all you need is the City, State, and Zip Code. A lot of people leave off the Zip Code; however, hiring managers can query the ATS for all resumes within a radius of a Zip Code. If you exclude the Zip Code or put something like, "Greater New York Metro Area," your resume won't be included in the query.
• Phone and email: Put the telephone number and email address where you can easily be reached. Also, be sure that your email address is professional. Using something like [email protected] just won't cut it. The best idea is to use some form of your name. If you're paranoid about having your name in your email address, then you can use some form of the type of position you seek, like [email protected].
• LinkedIn URL: You don't have to spell out the entire URL on the contact line. You can put the words “LinkedIn URL” and hyperlink those words. Before you include your LinkedIn URL, be sure that your LinkedIn profile is optimized for the career you want - because you can bet if they have access to it, the hiring manager will look at it. 
• Portfolio: If you're applying for a position like Graphic Designer or Software Designer, you may have a portfolio of work that you want to make available to someone reviewing your application for employment. Include a hyperlink to the portfolio in your contact information. 
• Headshot / photo: There is no reason to include a  headshot on your resume . Actually, it's seen as taboo and could be the thing that gets your resume rejected, because the hiring manager might assume you think you can get the job based on your looks. However, there are some exceptions, like if you're applying to be a model or actor. 

Do you want a hiring manager to be able to tell immediately what type of candidate you are? Put a title at the top of your resume. Center the text on the line, put it in bold font, and put a blank space above and below. The white space and the small amount of words will help it to jump off the page and immediately be noticed. It will also be the first step in helping you stand out in the sea of sameness.

Also, be sure the title on your resume mirrors the title on the job description that you're applying to, but add a bit of panache to it so that it's not too boring. For example, instead of writing “Financial Services Associate,” write “Client-Centric Financial Services Associate Dedicated to Customer Engagement and Revenue Growth.” Just remember to keep it on one line. 

The very next thing on the page should always be your Professional Summary. But how do you write a summary for a resume?

It's a three to five-sentence statement about you. Where you've been in your career, where you're going, and how you'll use your experience to get there. 

While the professional summary is sometimes referred to as the resume objective , you must remember that the days of writing a  resume objective are dead . Never, ever include an objective on your resume. They are a waste of space and don't relay any information that markets you as the best candidate for an open position. 

Let's take a look at an example of each:

Sales Representative seeking a challenging position that will use my skills and provide opportunities for growth in a dynamic and rewarding company. 

As you can see, the objective is very inward-facing and only talks about what you want out of your career. It provides no value to the hiring manager and eliminates any possibility for them to be able to tell what you bring to the table for them. 

Professional Summary:

Ambitious sales professional offering 10+ years' experience in customer retention and aggressive revenue growth. Conquers goals and quotas through a keen awareness of the human buying motive that allows for quickly overcoming objections. Used historical data and consumer trends to reach new customers and grow territory by 24%. Innate ability to work independently or as a member of a cross-functional team.

The best use of resume space is to write a summary of your career. The effectiveness of this summary comes from the fusing of three things:

Relevant keywords – customer retention, revenue growth, and quotas 

Hard and soft skills – overcoming objections and working independently

An achievement – 24% territory growth

With this professional summary, the hiring manager will be able to tell in an instant what you have to offer their team. 

Even though the skills section of your resume is small, it packs a powerful punch! The skills you list in this section highlight your key abilities and show potential employers what you bring to the table. 

It should contain approximately 12 ATS-friendly keywords and phrases that align with the keywords in the job description. Meaning, this is a fluid section that will need to be  tailored to every job  that you apply to. Technically speaking, your entire resume should be customized to align with each job description. That's one thing that will help you get past the ATS. 

Be sure to include a good mix of  hard and soft skills  because prospective employers not only want to know that you can perform the tasks related to your job (hard skills), but they also want to gain a clear understanding of how you'll fit within the culture of the company (soft skills). 

Tips for building your Core Competencies section:

Include skills that are relevant to the job that you're applying to

Avoid creating a laundry list of everything you know how to do – be selective so that the section is more impactful

Group similar competencies together using categories – technical skills, soft skills, and languages

Prioritize your top skills based on their relevance to the job you want

Update frequently

Be consistent with the formatting

Here is a sample Core Competencies list that contains both hard and soft skills:

Core Competencies

Project Management | Data Analysis | Cross-Functional Collaboration | Digital Marketing Strategy | Python Programming | Customer Relationship Management (CRM) | Negotiation | Team Leadership | Business Development | Financial Modeling | Articulate Communication

This section is meant to show how your career history lends itself to the skills you have that make you the perfect candidate for a given job. There are some general rules of thumb on how to make a resume with a great professional experience section:

Don't go further back than 10 to 15 years

Use no more than 3 to 5 bullets per work listing

Incorporate at least 5 measurable achievements per 10 years of experience (the more the better)

Use stacking for companies where you held more than one role

10-15 Years

The 10-15 years of experience is the most relevant – you can list more than that, but avoid using bullet points for roles over 10 years old. Begin by listing your most recent position first and work your way backward to your oldest position, within that 10-15-year range. If you have 30 years of experience, you can use achievements or skills you learned during that time as talking points during the interview. Listing those older experiences on your resume will only dilute the content.

As you write out your bullet points, keep two words in mind: “so what?” The hiring manager is going to be thinking it, you might as well be thinking it, too. Every time you write something on your resume, think, “So what? Why am I writing this? What value will it bring to my new employer? Will this be THE THING that lands me an interview?"

Achievements

Remove “Responsible for…” from your resume-writing vocabulary. That's because it's crucial that you talk about what you achieved, instead of just what your responsibilities were. Let's face it, there are a lot of things that people are “responsible for” that never get done. So, be sure to talk about things you actually accomplished, as that will be the proof the hiring manager needs to take the next step and call you for an interview.

1. Use numbers whenever possible

The best way to call attention to your career accomplishments is to use numbers. Numbers add credibility to your claims and provide a clear picture of what you bring to the table. 

Don't write this:

• Conducted cold calls to expand client base

Write this instead:

• Increased sales by 15% by making approximately 20 cold calls per day to expand the client base

The latter makes an unmistakable assertion that you had a positive impact, not only in your role but on the company as a whole. You can take it a step further and talk about things like problem-solving skills and how you addressed challenges to lead to team success. These types of  soft skills are highly valued by employers  and could be the thing that lands you an interview.

PRO TIP: Use the  CAR method  for building achievement statements into your resume.

2. Use action words to convey accomplishment

A lot of people make the mistake of copying bullet points from the job descriptions of the roles they've held. This practice makes you sound detached from achievements and focuses more on responsibilities. Using passive language is too generic and doesn't allow a hiring manager to see what you'll be able to accomplish in the new role. 

It's better to use action language to show that you're an achiever rather than a doer. Here are some examples of action words you can use on your resume: 

Worked with others: Advised, Aided, Assisted, Chaired, Coached, Collaborated with, Consulted with, Helped, Instructed, Interacted with, Mentored, Motivated, Supported

Communicated: Addressed, Advertised, Answered, Briefed, Corresponded with, Debated, Explained, Facilitated, Informed, Interpreted, Interviewed, Persuaded, Responded to

Analyzed data: Assessed, Appraised, Audited, Calculated, Computed, Estimated, Evaluated, Forecast, Inspected, Measured, Researched, Surveyed, Tested

Operated equipment: Installed, Maintained, Programmed, Ran, Serviced, Used

Worked with money or contracts: Administered, Appropriated, Authorized, Balanced, Controlled, Directed, Enforced, Financed, Funded, Governed, Invested, Monitored, Oversaw, Purchased

Organized something: Arranged, Assembled, Catalogued, Compiled, Coordinated, Itemized, Routed, Scheduled, Stocked, Tracked

Created: Composed, Customized, Designed, Directed, Established, Founded, Illustrated, Originated, Shaped

Researched: Analyzed, Collected, Criticized, Detected, Diagnosed, Evaluated, Tested

How to make your professional experience section: The formula

There's a formula for writing your professional experience section in a way that focuses on achievements. You'll start by asking yourself these questions about every job you've had:

What was the name of the company?

What was the title of your role?

What dates were you employed? (*Hint: use the MM/YYYY format for your dates)

What did you do every day? (*Example: Leveraged management skills to direct operations of 5 separate but concurrent projects by delegating tasks to staff based on employee acumen and monitoring / controlling budgets)

What is one thing you did at the company that you're really proud of?

What is another thing you're really proud of?

What is one more thing you did that you're really proud of?

When you put all of that together, it should look like this:

Company Name | MM/YYYY to Present

Position Title

Balanced competing priorities on multiple and concurrent projects and program management initiatives using data-driven strategies in Agile environments. Managed key accounts, onboarded new accounts, and oversaw organizational process adoption for nursing facilities, emergency departments, and pharmacies.

Developed $2M Provider Incentive Program that increased community provider partnerships

Saved $800K by using Six Sigma skills to implement DMAIC approach

Coached and mentored 2 direct reports, creating an open environment of communication that facilitated future-facing decision-making

Many people will create separate sections for education history and certifications. That's not necessary. You can include all of it in one section. You can also include extras like  relevant coursework , projects, and achievements. These extras can be truly beneficial for your application if you have little to no work experience. 

There are some general rules of thumb for the education section: 

Spell out acronyms (BS, MS, PhD) and school abbreviations

It is no longer customary to include graduation dates unless you're still in school or graduated within the last year

Never include high school, unless you're still in high school - listing high school doesn't say “ I finished high school, ” it says, “ I didn't go to college .” 

List your degree first and then your school, unless you've obtained multiple degrees at the same institution. 

Here's what a regular education section looks like:

EDUCATION AND CREDENTIALS

Master of Business Administration (MBA) | ABC University

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) | XYZ University

Six Sigma Black Belt | Council for Six Sigma Certification

If you don't have a lot of experience and need to include some relevant coursework or major projects to inject relevant keywords into your resume, then this is what that would look like:

Relevant coursework:  Marketing, Operations Management, Accounting, Corporate Finance

Capstone project:  Let a team of 4 to execute a market analysis project to expand the Brooms and Handles company into new regions. Used market and consumer analysis data to identify gaps and achieve a 15% projected revenue increase and a 20% increase in customer satisfaction within the pilot program. 

You can include educational information about a degree program even if it's still in progress. Here's what that would look like:

Expected completion:  05/2024

Capstone project:  Let a team of 4 to execute a market analysis project to expand the Brooms and Handles company into new regions. Used market and consumer analysis data to identify gaps and achieve a 15% projected revenue increase and a 20% increase in customer satisfaction within the pilot program.

It is important to list what you do outside of work and school. It helps to demonstrate that you're a well-rounded person. 

Were you the president of a fraternity or sorority? 

Did you get involved with showing new students around campus? 

Have you headed a sales team that produced top awards? 

Were you an employee of the month? 

Do you speak multiple languages?

Did you volunteer for an organization?

Did you perform some major research that ended up being published?

All of these extras allow prospective employers a sneak peek into your life outside of work. They can also go a long way to breaking the ice during an interview, especially if something you do outside work is important or interesting to the hiring manager. 

Keep in mind to list only those volunteer positions, projects, or affiliations that are related to your career goals. 

How long does it take to make a resume?

If you're going to use the resume wizard that MS Word has, you can slap your information together in a day or two. It will get to employers. The bad thing is that it probably won't get a whole lot of attention. 

The "just right resume" can take weeks, because of how much background work goes into it. You'll write it, rewrite it, and write it again, and may even have multiple versions. Ultimately, the exact amount of time that goes into putting your resume together depends on your level of experience, how complex your history is, and the specificity of the job you're applying to. 

Entry-level resumes take the least amount of time, simply because there's less information to include

Mid-level resumes take a few days because of the amount of detail in your work history

Executive resumes, or those for specialized positions, can take weeks - especially if you have to do some digging to come up with accomplishments from your previous positions

Updating an existing resume that's well-maintained can be done in just a few hours

While the time spent can seem like a lot, if you're truly marketing yourself for that “just right” position, do you want your resume to say “This was thrown together in a couple of hours using a template” OR do you want it to say “I know this document is important and a significant amount of time was spent on it to make it perfect?”

The first and foremost thing that will get your resume tossed in the garbage can are typos. The number of resumes with errors that are turned in every day to employers across the globe is so astounding that it bears discussing. 

You must proofread your resume!

The major problem with typos and grammatical boo-boos is that your eyes will read what you intended to type. So, after you've read through your resume a few times and think it's perfect, get a friend to read it. Make sure the friend is one of those brutally honest types. It's better to get it back marked all over with bright red ink so you can fix it before you send it out, than to send it out and then realize there's a mistake in it.

How to make your resume seem more professional

Lazy words: Do you see words like "etc" or “other duties as required” on your resume? Delete them immediately. If you take shortcuts in the language of your resume, hiring managers will wonder if you'll be taking shortcuts at work. 

Cookie cutter resumes: Your resume has to stand out. Because of that, you should avoid throwing something together that you find a sample of online. Make it yours, make it represent you. Many people rely on the resume wizard that comes loaded with MS Word and, while that is a good tool to use to help you remember the sections to include, it shouldn't be the end-all-and-be-all of your resume design. 

Specificity: You've had three jobs in the last 10 years and you've listed every detail of everything you've done during your tenure at those jobs. That makes you a Jack (or Jackie) of all trades, but a master of nothing. You have to be specific to the job for which you're applying. What value do you bring to that employer for that job? What achievements can you highlight?

Tailoring: Considering the rampant use of ATS by companies big and small, you have to take the time to customize your resume so that it gets past those scanners. Remember to use relevant keywords from the job descriptions throughout your resume. 

PRO TIP: You can check to see how to make your resume better! Have it checked against an ATS and get a free, personalized, and  professional resume review . 

Theory in practice – 10 resume examples

It's one thing to have someone tell you how to make a resume, it's another thing to see an example – proof that all of this information can come together in a practical way that makes sense. 

1. Software Engineer resume example

Click here for an example of a Software Engineer resume.

2. Data Scientist resume example

Click here for an example of a Data Scientist resume.

3. Cybersecurity resume example

Click here for an example of a cybersecurity resume.

4. Digital Marketing Manager resume example

Click here for an example of a Digital Marketing Manager resume.

5. Nurse Practitioner resume example

Click here for an example of a Nurse Practitioner resume. 

6. Finance Director resume example

Click here for an example of a Finance Director resume. 

7. Attorney resume example

Click here for an example of a Attorney resume.

8. Administrative Office Assistant resume example

Click here for an example of an Administrative Office Assistant resume. 

9. Information Technology Expert resume example

Click here for an example of an Information Technology Expert resume. 

10. Chief Executive Officer resume example

Click here for an example of a CEO resume. 

Now you know how to make a resume for your next job!

It may seem like it takes a lot of work to make a good resume, but if you've followed along this far there are a few things that should be ingrained in you that will help you write a professional resume:

Know what you want to do – be specific

Make your resume with the right format 

Use a standard layout, whether you are writing your first resume or 50th

Use action words to make your resume stand out

Quantify your achievements to prove that you have what it takes to succeed in a new role

Tailor your new resume to each job

Double and triple-check for errors, typos, and grammar mistakes

If you're still unsure how to make a perfect resume, TopResume has you covered. Our team of  professional resume writers  has the know-how and experience to write a resume for you that will win interviews.

Recommended reading: 

Resume Tricks That Don't Work

What Does Your Resume Really Say About You?

Bad Resume Advice You Should Completely Ignore

Related Articles:

Do Hiring Managers Actually Read Cover Letters?

How to Create a Resume With No Education

Why You Lose When You Lie on Your Resume: Learning From Mina Chang

See how your resume stacks up.

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Reinventing search with a new AI-powered Microsoft Bing and Edge, your copilot for the web

Feb 7, 2023 | Yusuf Mehdi - Corporate Vice President & Consumer Chief Marketing Officer

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To empower people to unlock the joy of discovery, feel the wonder of creation and better harness the world’s knowledge, today we’re improving how the world benefits from the web by reinventing the tools billions of people use every day, the search engine and the browser.

Today, we’re launching an all new, AI-powered Bing search engine and Edge browser, available in preview now at Bing.com , to deliver better search, more complete answers, a new chat experience and the ability to generate content. We think of these tools as an AI copilot for the web.

“AI will fundamentally change every software category, starting with the largest category of all – search,” said Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO, Microsoft. “Today, we’re launching Bing and Edge powered by AI copilot and chat, to help people get more from search and the web.”

There are 10 billion search queries a day, but we estimate half of them go unanswered. That’s because people are using search to do things it wasn’t originally designed to do. It’s great for finding a website, but for more complex questions or tasks too often it falls short.

The new Bing and Edge – Your copilot for the web

We have brought together search, browsing and chat into one unified experience you can invoke from anywhere on the web, delivering:

• Better search. The new Bing gives you an improved version of the familiar search experience, providing more relevant results for simple things like sports scores, stock prices and weather, along with a new sidebar that shows more comprehensive answers if you want them.
• Complete answers. Bing reviews results from across the web to find and summarize the answer you’re looking for. For example, you can get detailed instructions for how to substitute eggs for another ingredient in a cake you are baking right in that moment, without scrolling through multiple results.
• A new chat experience. For more complex searches – such as for planning a detailed trip itinerary or researching what TV to buy – the new Bing offers new, interactive chat. The chat experience empowers you to refine your search until you get the complete answer you are looking for by asking for more details, clarity and ideas – with links available so you can immediately act on your decisions.
• A creative spark. There are times when you need more than an answer – you need inspiration. The new Bing can generate the content to help you. It can help you write an email, create a 5-day itinerary for a dream vacation to Hawaii, with links to book your travel and accommodations, prep for a job interview or create a quiz for trivia night. The new Bing also cites all its sources, so you’re able to see links to the web content it references.
• New Microsoft Edge experience. We’ve updated the Edge browser with new AI capabilities and a new look, and we’ve added two new functionalities: Chat and compose. With the Edge Sidebar, you can ask for a summary of a lengthy financial report to get the key takeaways – and then use the chat function to ask for a comparison to a competing company’s financials and automatically put it in a table. You can also ask Edge to help you compose content, such as a LinkedIn post, by giving it a few prompts to get you started. After that, you can ask it to help you update the tone, format and length of the post. Edge can understand the web page you’re on and adapts accordingly.

My anniversary is coming up in September, help me plan a trip somewhere fun in Europe, leaving from London.

Will the Ikea Klippan loveseat fit into my 2019 Honda Odyssey?

Reinventing search with AI

The new Bing experience is a culmination of four technical breakthroughs:

• Next-generation OpenAI model . We’re excited to announce the new Bing is running on a new, next-generation OpenAI large language model that is more powerful than ChatGPT and customized specifically for search. It takes key learnings and advancements from ChatGPT and GPT-3.5 – and it is even faster, more accurate and more capable.
• Microsoft Prometheus model . We have developed a proprietary way of working with the OpenAI model that allows us to best leverage its power. We call this collection of capabilities and techniques the Prometheus model. This combination gives you more relevant, timely and targeted results, with improved safety.
• Applying AI to core search algorithm . We’ve also applied the AI model to our core Bing search ranking engine, which led to the largest jump in relevance in two decades. With this AI model, even basic search queries are more accurate and more relevant.
• New user experience . We’re reimagining how you interact with search, browser and chat by pulling them into a unified experience. This will unlock a completely new way to interact with the web.

These groundbreaking new search experiences are possible because Microsoft has committed to building Azure into an AI supercomputer for the world, and OpenAI has used this infrastructure to train the breakthrough models that are now being optimized for Bing.

Microsoft and OpenAI – innovating together, responsibly

Together with OpenAI, we’ve also been intentional in implementing safeguards to defend against harmful content. Our teams are working to address issues such as misinformation and disinformation, content blocking, data safety and preventing the promotion of harmful or discriminatory content in line with our AI principles .

The work we are doing with OpenAI builds on our company’s yearslong effort to ensure that our AI systems are responsible by design. We will continue to apply the full strength of our responsible AI ecosystem – including researchers, engineers and policy experts – to develop new approaches to mitigate risk.

Live today in limited preview, expanding to millions soon

The new Bing is available today in a limited preview on desktop, and everyone can visit Bing.com today to try sample queries and sign up for the waitlist. We’re going to scale the preview to millions in the coming weeks. A mobile experience will also be in preview soon.

We’re excited to put the new Bing and Edge into the real world to get the critical feedback required to improve our models as we scale.

Related links:

Amy Hood, Microsoft executive vice president and chief financial officer, will host a conference call with investors at 2:30 p.m. PT.

Brad Smith, Microsoft vice chair and president: Meeting the moment: advancing the future through responsible AI

Learn more about advertising on the new Bing

More information about the announcement

Tags: AI , Bing , Microsoft Edge

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