CV Structure Tips

The layout of your CV can almost be as important as its content. Keeping your CV concise and to the point is a difficult task. Selecting a comprehensive structure and format will help you to achieve this.

Normally, these subheadings appear in a CV or Resume

• Personal Statement / Career Aim (optional)

• Education & Qualifications

• Work Experience / Career History / Employment History

• Key Skills / Other Skills / Additional Information (optional)

• Professional Training / Professional Development (optional)

• Interests / Activities / Positions of Responsibility

• References / Referees

It is suggested to include the following main areas within your CV:

• Name/Contact Details

  Display a permanent address, home phone, email and mobile.

• Personal Details

  Include your Date of Birth, Nationality and Marital status. (Can be placed at the beginning or end of the document.)

• Personal Profile

  Highly recommended to grab the reader's attention, it is a key selling point. Ideally this should be punchy and precise.

• Academic Qualifications

  Recommend you list higher education only if already working. Include details on your final year project, i.e. dissertation, thesis. List any other major projects, field studies, training courses etc. (Can be placed after Work Experience.)

• Work Experience

  List in reverse chronological order. Include dates, job title/position and company name. As well as writing a brief overview of your job, try and incorporate your responsibilities and achievements.

• Computing Skills

  List all geosciences and general software applications used, hardware, operating systems, databases, etc. For each one you might want to list your level of proficiency.

• Key Skills

  Industry Knowledge, Technical, Commercial, Managerial, Analytical, Languages.

• Additional Professional Training

  In-house / up-skilling training courses, membership of trade / professional bodies.

• Personal Interests

  A short description of any activities, achievements, and hobbies. keep this limited but consider what it says about you... eg. are you a team player or an individual?

• Referees

  This section is optional. You may list two or three referees relevant to your career. You may also state "References available on request".