CV and BiodataCV sections: every heading and what goes under it
Nobody uses every section. Choose the headings your field expects, put them in the order your reader cares about, and leave out any that would be empty.
How to use this page
A CV is built from standard sections. Readers in each field expect certain ones and look for them in a familiar place. The table lists the sections in common use, what each contains, and who needs it. After the table are suggested orders for four kinds of CV.
| Section | What goes in it | Who needs it |
|---|---|---|
| Contact details | Name, present designation and institution, postal address for correspondence, phone, email, profile link | Everyone |
| Profile or summary | Four to six lines: field, level, strengths, scope | Senior professionals; optional for academics |
| Research interests | Three to six topics or a short paragraph | Academics, researchers, PhD applicants |
| Education | Degrees with subject, university, year, grade; thesis title and supervisor for research degrees | Everyone |
| Eligibility and professional qualifications | Eligibility tests, professional examinations, registrations and licences with number and date | Teachers, doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers |
| Appointments or career history | Posts held with employer, nature of post and exact dates | Everyone with work history |
| Key achievements | Four to six results with figures, from the whole career | Senior professionals |
| Publications | Books, journal articles, chapters, proceedings, patents, each in full citation form | Academics, researchers, doctors; others if they have any |
| Conference presentations and invited talks | Title, event, organiser, place, date; mark invited talks | Academics, researchers, doctors |
| Research projects and grants | Title, funder, period, role, status | Academics, scientists |
| Teaching experience | Courses taught, level, years; course design; examinerships | Teachers |
| Research supervision | Scholars guided: awarded and ongoing, with titles | University teachers |
| Clinical experience | Postings by department and duration; procedures and case volumes where customary | Doctors, nurses, allied health |
| Technical skills | Laboratory techniques, instruments, software, programming languages | Scientists, engineers, analysts |
| Awards, fellowships and honours | Name of award, awarding body, year | Anyone who has them |
| Training, workshops and courses attended | Title, organiser, dates | Teachers (orientation and refresher courses), professionals |
| Academic and professional service | Committees, boards of studies, editorial and reviewing work, conferences organised | Academics, senior professionals |
| Board and advisory roles | Directorships, advisory boards, with dates | Senior professionals |
| Memberships | Professional bodies and learned societies, with grade and year | Professionals, academics |
| Extension and outreach | Community work, popular lectures, media, consultancy | Academics, where the institution values it |
| Languages | Each language with level: read, write, speak | Everyone, especially for work abroad |
| Personal details | Only what the institution or country expects: date of birth, nationality | Where a form or custom asks |
| Referees | Two or three names with designation, institution, email and phone, given with their consent | Academic and research applications |
Suggested orders
Academic or research CV
Contact details; education; eligibility tests; appointments; research interests; publications; conference presentations; projects and grants; teaching; research supervision; awards; academic service; courses attended; memberships; referees. Details on the academic CV page.
Doctor's CV
Contact details and registration; education and training; present post; clinical experience by posting; procedures and skills; publications and presentations; teaching; audits and quality projects; courses and conferences; memberships; referees. See the doctor's CV sample.
Senior professional CV
Contact line; title line; profile; key achievements; career history; board roles; education and professional qualifications; other. Details on the senior professional CV page.
Student applying for higher study
Contact details; education; research experience and projects; publications and presentations if any; internships and work; skills; awards and scholarships; activities; referees. Details on the study abroad CV page.
Naming and consistency
- Use the plain, expected name for each heading. A committee looking for "Publications" should not have to recognise it under "Scholarly output".
- Keep the same order of details inside every entry of a section.
- Use one date form and one citation style throughout.
- Number long lists.
- Leave out empty sections; do not write "Nil".
What does not belong in any section
Opinions about yourself, unexplained abbreviations, family history, salary, and anything you would not want checked. Identity numbers such as Aadhaar or PAN are never part of a CV; give them only on official forms.
Questions people ask
Which sections are essential in every CV?
Contact details, education and appointments or career history. The rest depend on your field.
Should I include empty sections with "Nil"?
No. Leave out any section for which you have nothing to list, unless a prescribed form requires every heading.
Where do referees go?
At the end, in academic and research CVs. Senior professional CVs usually omit them.
More CV guides
Sample CVs
General guidance. This page gives general suggestions, reviewed in November 2026. If an institution, employer or country gives its own form, format or instruction, follow that. Every person, institution and publication in our examples is invented. Nothing here is legal, immigration or professional advice.