Always Include

Required

• Name - First and last only. No initials. Mr. or Mrs. Miss, etc is okay if you have an androgynous name like Pat or Terry.
• Address - Spell it right. Abbreviate the state to two letters, but spell out Street, Boulevard, Apartment, etc.
• Phone - Always include. You won't get written for an interview, you will be called. Use your work number if you can, but if you're worried about your current employer, put it in your cover letter with a small note to use discretion.
• Objective - Employment goal, employment objective, Job Objective are all fine. Keyword is vagueness. Don't pigeonhole yourself. You want the CV to appeal to as many employers in your field as you can.
• Employment Dates - Always use them. You can be as specific or nonspecific as you want to e.g., 2/18/95 to 6/23/96, or February 1995 to June 1996, or even 1995 to 1996. Use years only to help cover up short periods of unemployment.

  Optional

• Summary - Use with caution, some see these as redundant. Use it right after the Objective if you decide you need it. If done well, it can tie the CV together and relate skills and experiences together that by themselves would seem unrelated.
• Personal Interests - Can be used with care, team sports, and activities that take intelligence are great, however fishing, barbecuing, pool, and video games don't score many points.
• Personal Paragraphs - You're taking a chance on this one, so if you do it, do it well.

  Common Categories

  There are lots of ways to package your information, use these for some ideas.