How to Write a Great Job Description for Your CV

A CV job description section, or work history section, is the part of your CV that details your work for previous employers. This section should be a series of role descriptions, complete with employment dates, presented in reverse-chronological order, with the current or most recent experience first. For experienced job seekers, this section is one of the most important parts of any job application because it shows hiring managers that they have the experience and skills needed. Well-written job descriptions should give recruiters all of the basic information that they need to make a decision about the application that they are reading.

Whether you are job hunting for a project management role or an administrative assistant job, the job descriptions you include in your professional resume are of the utmost interest to prospective employers. As well as telling hiring managers what they need to know about your work history and skill set, your CV job descriptions can act as proof of your interpersonal skills and ability to communicate.

Just as important, however, is the way that CV job descriptions impact the applicant tracking systems (ATS) that many hiring teams now use. These ATS systems assess and filter job applications by scanning for keywords. These keywords can be skills, accomplishments, job titles or even specific action words (e.g. “managed,” “led,” or “created”). If your CV doesn’t contain the right keywords, your job search could be long and frustrating. The job description you provide in your CV offers the perfect opportunity to hit specific keywords.

When you start a new job search, you should adjust your CV to suit each job posting that you apply for. Customizing your CV job descriptions to highlight the specific facets which are most relevant to an application will make it easier to pass through ATS and catch a hiring manager’s attention. When you write job descriptions for your previous roles, you should include the following information:

• Dates of employment
• Job title
• Company name
• Description of role, duties, and key experiences

You should present each job description in reverse-chronological order and provide a few sentences that illustrate your key hard and soft skills, as well as any notable achievements during your years of experience. When you start to write an individual job description, there are four key tips you should keep in mind:

1. Be confident

It can be tempting to be humble when you write your CV, but this is exactly what you should not do. While you should be honest, you should also be positive and upfront. Focus on your strengths to make a good case for why you should be hired.

2. Use specific metrics

When you discuss your achievements, be as specific as possible and use metrics like percentages where you can. For example, say “Improved sales in 2021 by 15%” rather than “I increased sales in 2021.”

3. Use action verbs

If you want to really stand out from the crowd, use active language to take ownership of your experiences and key achievements. Rather than using passive language like “I was responsible for” or “I was tasked with,” say “Created a system,” “Managed a team,” or “Developed a method.”

4. Be concise

Remember to keep your job descriptions concise. Your CV should be no more than two pages long. Recruiters will be able to ask questions at a job interview.