Categories CV

STANDARD CATEGORIES

• Personal details
• Education
• Work experience (and, or separately, internships)
• Ancillary activities
• Language skills
• Interests

OPTIONAL CATEGORIES

• Photo
• Personal profile/summary
• Computer skills
• References

Personal details
State the following: 

• Given name and family name (surname) 
• Current address
• Mobile phone number
• E-mail address
• Date and place of birth
• Nationality (optional)
• URL to your LinkedIn profile (optional)

It has become increasingly common to add a photo. Choose a business-like portrait, preferably with a neutral background. 

Education
State the name of your study programme(s), the institution and the location. 
Mention the most recent study programme first: 

• Name and type of study programme
• Relevant courses followed
• Relevant electives or minors
• Topic of your thesis 

Not all employers are familiar with your Bachelor or Master programme. By mentioning the relevant courses you took, the employer can gain an insight into your particular background and skills. 

Work experience

• State the exact job title, the name of the employer, the department (if applicable), and the location. 
• State briefly your duties and activities.
• Be clear and speak in terms of actions and result. 
• If you have done an internship that is relevant for this application, you can mention it here. 
• If you have a lot of work experience that is not relevant for this application, bundle it together under ‘diverse part-time positions’. There is no need to mention specific time-frames or employers. 

Internships
If you have done an internship that is relevant for your future job, you could consider making a separate category, to draw more attention to it. 

Extra curriculair activities 
Mention here any organisational or board membership activities and the periods in which these took place. This could include, for example, volunteer work, (board) membership of associations, committees, political parties, sports associations etc. 

List extra curriculair activities in the same way as work experience. 

Languages
If relevant for the position you are applying for, state your language skills. Mention each language and your level of proficiency in speaking and/or writing.

Computer skills
List the various, relevant computer programmes you can use. For example graphics or statistics programmes, applications and operating systems. 

Hobbies and interests
Stating your hobbies and interests can influence an employer’s first impression of the kind of person you are. They can also serve as an ice-breaker during interviews. Only mention hobbies you do regularly and can say something interesting about. 

Personal profile: Yes or no?
You can include a category detailing your personal profile and skills, for example your creativity, analytical abilities and flexible attitude. Provide examples that illustrate these qualities. 
You can instead choose to mention your relevant qualities in your cover letter, with a more detailed explanation of how you have demonstrated these abilities in the past. 

References
It is common practice to state ‘upon request’ under this section. If an employer does request references, this allows you time to inform your referees about your application and the qualities and experience the employer is looking for.