Having trouble making your CV grab the attention of prospective employers?
Wondering how to give your CV that extra edge?
Adding some additional information to your CV is a great way to help you get noticed by recruiters, especially if you have little or no work experience.
In this article, I’ll tell you what additional information to add to your CV and how to do it, in a way that will get you more interviews.
Contents
Hobbies and interests
Hobbies and interests are any activities you do outside of work, that might be of interest to employers.
They can be useful to demonstrate skills and experience if you lack work experience or qualifications.
For example, the following hobbies can help to improve your CV:
- Writing a blog – This can demonstrate writing skills, creativity, self-motivation and expertise in a subject or industry.
- Captaining a sports team – This hobby shows that you are organised, proactive and have strong leadership qualities.
- Travel – Travel experiences can demonstrate confidence, people skills and cultural awareness.
To include your hobbies on your CV, write a bullet-pointed list of them, and describe the skills and knowledge you utilise within them. To make a really big impression, you could even include some achievements you have made within them.
Ensure that you only include hobbies that allow you to discuss skills that are relevant to your target jobs, and avoid common pastimes like watching television or socialising with friends (they won’t impress many recruiters!)
Certifications and licenses
A certificate is an official document stating you’ve completed training, a course, or a program that is provided by an official organisation within the industry.
They show recruiters that you are qualified to carry out your job and prove your dedication to continuous learning, making you a more attractive candidate to hiring managers.
For example, the following certificates and licenses can help boost your CV:
- A Project Management Professional (PMP) certification – This can demonstrate your ability to manage budgets, lead teams, and meet deadlines.
- A Google Ads qualification – This certification shows how you can handle budgets, optimise campaigns, and use data-driven marketing strategies.
- A Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license – This illustrates your experience in managing finances, accounting, and adhering to industry regulations.
To include certificates and licenses on your CV, put together a list of bullet points for each one detailing the certificate or license’s name, issuing body, and when you earned it.
Concentrate on certifications and licenses directly connected with your industry or the position you’re applying for. Avoid talking about commonplace, unrelated certifications that won’t add value to your job application. For example, if you’re applying for a developer position at a tech firm, don’t include a scuba diving certificate. This definitely won’t impress hiring managers!
Awards
An award is an official recognition of your work and accomplishments that could capture the attention of employers.
Awards can be useful to demonstrate expertise or accomplishments,
For example, the following awards can help bolster your CV:
- Team Player of the Month – This can highlight specific skills, such as your ability to work in a team and that you’re a clear communicator.
- Volunteer of the Year at a local animal shelter – Shows you’re compassionate, responsible, and dedicated to community service.
- First place in a cooking competition – Demonstrates you have bags of creativity and attention to detail and can shine in a competitive setting.
To include your awards on your CV, write a bullet-pointed list detailing the awards with dates. To make them really stand out, describe how they prove you have the skills for the job you are applying for by giving some details on what the award was given for.
Choose awards for your CV carefully. You want ones that directly link to your target jobs, not non-specific ones with no professional relevance. Recruiters won’t appreciate any that don’t relate to the job you’re applying for! So, if you’re applying for a data analyst position at a finance company, avoid including an award for “Best Home Garden” from a local gardening competition.
Volunteering
Volunteering is any unpaid work you’ve done for an organisation, cause or community.
Voluntary work strengthens your CV if you have limited employment or certifications, telling employers that you can work in a team and still have valuable workplace experience.
For example, the following voluntary work can help enhance your CV:
- Volunteering at a local church – If you volunteer at your local church, this communicates you can plan events and work well in a team.
- Voluntary work at a food bank – This voluntary work shows you have compassion and can work well in a team. It also shows you’re dedicated to addressing food uncertainty in your community.
- Teaching disadvantaged students – Highlights teamwork, administrative skills, and commitment to community support.
To include volunteering on your CV, use bullet points to break them up and list the company’s name, your role or duties, and how long you were involved.
If you want to make a really big impression, include some achievements you made within them.
Remember to tailor each position to reflect some of the key skills being asked for in your target jobs.
A quick tip: If you did voluntary work for an extended period, insert it as a standalone job rather than in the Additional Info section.
Testimonials
Testimonials are quotes from your previous colleagues or bosses that say good things about your work.
They demonstrate you’re as good as you say you are, as they’re a recommendation from a third party that validates your claims, giving hiring managers more trust in you. Normally, testimonials come from jobs.
For example, the following testimonials can help to improve your CV:
- Recommendation from a previous manager – Demonstrates a great work ethic, know-how in previous positions, and that you’re trustworthy.
- Client testimonial on project outcome – Highlights effective problem-solving, communication, and client satisfaction in generating results.
- Colleague’s endorsement for teamwork – Shows teamwork, flexibility, and that you can nurture positive working relationships with co-workers.
To include testimonials in your CV, write a bullet-pointed list stating the name of the person, company, position, and their relationship to you, along with their quote.
Adding testimonials provides tangible evidence of your achievements, making your CV more credible.
A quick tip: You don’t have to insert testimonials from directors and superiors for every job. Just somewhere you got a particularly impressive one from a renowned person in the industry.
Publications
Publications are books or articles you’ve written or research you’ve carried out within your field.
Publications improve your CV – they show you know your stuff, and that you have made contributions in your field.
For example, the below publications can help to enhance your CV:
- Published industry article – Shows knowledge and expertise in a field, proving how you can provide valuable insights and thought leadership.
- Authoring a comprehensive e-book – Illustrates thorough subject matter expertise and that you’re dedicated to research. It also demonstrates that you can present complicated info well.
- Regular column in a specific magazine – Demonstrates consistent writing expertise, imagination, and a profound understanding of a certain topic or niche.
To include publications on your CV, write a bullet-pointed list of them, and note down the titles, publication dates, plus the names of magazines, websites or journals (if necessary).
A quick tip: If you’re going for a creative position, publications can also highlight your writing competence. Incorporate a link to your work, so that recruiters can check it out.
Foreign languages
Foreign languages are any languages you can speak or write as well as your native tongue, such as French or Spanish.
They can be helpful, as they show you have cultural awareness and can connect with diverse co-workers and customers.
For example, the below foreign languages can help bolster your CV:
- Fluent in French – Demonstrates that you can speak well, adapt to various cultures, and collaborate with clients or teams across the world.
- Proficient in Spanish – It means you can work in Spanish-speaking markets.
- Intermediate Mandarin Chinese – Proves you can interact with Chinese-speaking customers and have a wider skill set.
To include foreign languages on your CV, write a bullet-pointed list of them. Mention the languages and your proficiency level, for example, French – Intermediate. This makes it clear to employers how well you can speak the language, which will be invaluable to numerous positions.
3 additional information examples on a CV
Next, let’s run through some comprehensive additional information examples on a CV tailored for varied career stages.
Whether you’re a junior candidate with not much previous experience, a veteran applicant, or looking for a career change, check out these three example Additional information sections for some guidance on creating your own.
Experienced candidate
If you’re an experienced candidate, the additional information section is invaluable for displaying applicable qualifications, industry awards, or work-related associations.
This section can strengthen your experience even more, providing a balanced picture of your credentials and potentially distinguishing you from other well-qualified job seekers.
Junior with no experience
If you’re a junior applicant with no previous experience, the additional information section provides an opportunity to list extracurricular activities, related skills, or coursework.
This can help make up for the lack of professional experience and demonstrate a keen approach to developing your skills so that your CV is more enticing to hiring managers.
Career changer
As a career changer, in this section, you can highlight appropriate coursework, transferable abilities, and any qualifications or education that exhibit your dedication to your career transition.
Maybe you’re an accountant moving into writing, and you’ve had finance-related content published in a finance magazine – that’s something you should definitely add here.
Or perhaps you maintain a blog on financing tips. If so, now’s your chance to shout about it. You want to include anything in this section that demonstrates your writing skills and abilities – that you’re a writer, not just an accountant.
What is additional information on a CV?
Additional information on a CV is those extra details about yourself that aren’t included in your education and employment.
This includes things like hobbies, interests, awards, voluntary work, or language skills.
This section sits at the bottom of your CV and showcases your abilities, character, and experiences that may not be mentioned elsewhere.
Its main aim is to make you stand out as an all-round applicant and is particularly useful if you don’t have much experience to talk about.
How to write additional information on a CV
If you’re looking to add additional info to your CV, here’s how you’d do it.
Create an Additional Information section
To create an Additional Information section on your CV, insert a new section at the bottom with a bold heading.
Here, you can list relevant skills, awards, certificates, languages or any other credentials you haven’t mentioned elsewhere.
Use bullet points for clarity and make sure it complements your general CV presentation.
Add important additional info to your CV profile
Your CV profile is the introductory paragraph at the top of your CV, and it’s your chance to grab a recruiter’s attention from the get-go. It’s the first thing they see.
So, if you have helpful additional information that is particularly relevant to your target jobs, it’s worth mentioning it in this section to ensure it gets seen.
Let’s say you want to apply for a marketing position, and you don’t have much experience in this field.
But you’ve done some unpaid work for a marketing firm, and you write about marketing in your own blog.
These are both hugely relevant factors for marketing employers, showing them you have skills in the field and that you are passionate about it.
’So include mentions of these gems in your CV profile, to make sure that recruiters spot them easily and are encouraged to read more of your CV.
Additional information on a CV to avoid
Avoid including any of these pieces of information in this section, as they’re usually unrelated to your professional qualification and may detract from the focus of your CV.
- Unrelated hobbies: If they don’t relate to the job or fail to prove appropriate skills, don’t include hobbies. For example, saying you enjoy knitting won’t get you that job as a software developer.
- Personal details: If they aren’t associated with the job, such as your gender, marital status, or religion (unless explicitly needed in specific countries), avoid including them.
- Non-specific interests: Ineffective if it’s commonplace among applicants, such as “watching movies” or “reading horror novels”.
- Excessively personal info: You should never divulge too much personal info on your CV, like family problems or health ailments.
- Imprecise info: Unproductive and damaging if you stipulate untrue or embellished information. Doing so may harm your integrity and endanger your employment prospects.
The takeaway
Combining vital additional information into your CV can be a valuable tool for creating a lasting impression on prospective employers.
Don’t undervalue the significance of this often-overlooked section. It may be the linchpin in supplying your CV with a competitive advantage, possibly opening doors to your next career breakthrough.