What to Include in Your CV (with Advice from Recruiters Who’ve Seen It All)

What to Include in Your CV

Writing a standout CV means more than filling out a template. Whether you're applying for a construction site manager role, a paralegal position, or an engineering contract overseas, your CV needs to effectively highlight your skills and value quickly.

Here's exactly what to include, how to format it, and what hiring managers in technical and professional fields actually want to see.

Personal Statement

What it is: A short, confident introduction that tells employers who you are, what you bring, and what kind of role you're aiming for.

Length and tone: Keep it around 3 to 5 lines. Make it tailored, clear, and relevant to the job.

"A quantity surveyor once opened with: 'MRICS-qualified with experience on UK infrastructure projects over £50M. Skilled in NEC contracts, stakeholder management, and commercial risk reporting.' I knew exactly where they'd fit."

Avoid phrases like "hard-working team player." Focus on specific strengths or tools you've used, such as legal case systems or construction compliance knowledge.

For more practical tips on shaping this section, see Things To Do To Improve Your CV (Rhino Recruitment).

Professional Experience

Structure it clearly: List roles in reverse order. Include job title, employer, location, and dates. Under each, include 3 to 6 bullet points showing what you delivered.

Use action and outcome:

Start each point with a verb

Add numbers where possible

Keep it focused on results

"An engineering maintenance lead rewrote their CV to include: 'Introduced predictive maintenance using SAP PM, reducing unscheduled downtime by 38%.' That update helped them land multiple interviews in a week."

Focus on the last 10 to 15 years unless an older role is particularly relevant (source: TopCV).

Certifications

Include additional qualifications that enhance your application, particularly those commonly required in your industry.

Examples:

Legal: AML Compliance, CILEX modules

Construction: CSCS, SMSTS, CPCS

Engineering: CompEx, AutoCAD, Six Sigma

Manufacturing: IOSH, NVQs, ISO training

HR/Recruitment: CIPD, REC Accreditation

International: Export compliance, sector-specific licenses

Format clearly:

Certification name

Awarding body

Year earned

Optional: expiry or short description

"A legal assistant once listed outdated training from 2012. We advised refreshing the module or removing it. Replacing it with current GDPR training gave their CV more credibility."

Professional Memberships

Memberships demonstrate that you're invested in your career and up-to-date with best practices.

Examples:

Legal: The Law Society, CILEX

Construction: CIOB, RICS

Engineering: IMechE, IET

Project Management: APM, PMI

HR: CIPD

Recruitment: APSCo, REC

"A site engineer listed their ICE membership and added that they'd contributed to a CPD working group. That helped them stand out in a highly technical shortlist."

Use a clean format: name, level (e.g., Associate Member), and year of joining.

Education

List your education in reverse order, focusing on what matters most for the role.

Include:

Degree or diploma

Institution

Years attended

Classification (2:1, First, Merit)

Relevant modules or dissertation (early career only)

"A mechanical engineering graduate added their final year project: 'Designing fail-safe pressure valves for aerospace use.' It was exactly what the employer needed."

Systems Skills

This section is often overlooked but can make or break your application, especially in technical roles.

Tailor it to the job ad. Examples include:

Legal: LexisNexis, LEAP, Clio

Engineering: AutoCAD, SolidWorks, MATLAB

Manufacturing: SAP, SCADA, Oracle

Project Management: Primavera P6, Microsoft Project

Data/Reporting: Power BI, SQL

CRM: Salesforce, Bullhorn

"A candidate listed 'Excel', that was it. Another wrote, 'Excel (PivotTables, Macros, production dashboards)' — same tool, totally different impact."

Languages

If you're fluent in more than one language, don't leave it off, especially if you're targeting international roles. As many people here have done at least an introductory Welsh course in school, mention it in your CV it could help you stand out.

How to show it:

Native, Fluent, Conversational

CEFR levels (e.g. German – C1)

"A bilingual mechanical engineer noted C2 Spanish and C1 English. They got picked for a long-term project in Spain before the job was even advertised."

Hobbies

Include hobbies only if they support your professional image or add transferable value.

Good examples:

Leading a football team (teamwork, leadership)

Volunteering in law clinics (community insight)

Restoring classic cars (hands-on skills, patience)

"One candidate listed 'rebuilt a 1980s motorcycle from scratch'. For a mechanical fitter role, that was the detail that grabbed attention."

Avoid generic lists like "reading and socialising."

References Available on Request

Still widely used in the UK. It keeps your CV tidy without oversharing contact details.

"Unless the job asks for names up front — like some legal or public sector roles — this phrase is all you need. Referees are usually only checked at the offer stage."

(source: StandOut CV)

CV Template

A strong CV should be structured in a reverse-chronological format and free from tables, graphics, or quirky fonts. Keep it clean, readable, and relevant.

Include sections for:

Contact info

Personal statement

Skills and systems

Work experience

Education

Certifications

Languages or hobbies

References

Final Thoughts

If your CV feels too generic, too long, or too template-driven, there's a chance it's being overlooked. AI-written CVs often fall into this trap too, and employers are noticing. Find out why in AI-Written CVs Could Cost You the Job – Here's What to Do Instead (Rhino Recruitment).

A strong CV tells your professional story clearly, honestly, and with evidence. It doesn't beg for attention; it earns it.

Make every section count. Keep it relevant. And don't be afraid to rewrite until it reflects the very best of what you offer.