Should I include my dissertation on my CV?

Hello guys! I recently finished my undergrad bsc course and I am preparing my CV. I was wondering if I should include my thesis, as I managed to get 83% final grade. I thought it might look good.

It only looks good if the title is relevant to the employer. Does the employer take grades into account and does the employer value the subject of your dissertation? If so, put it on like this


2016-19 University of Wherever, BSc (Hons) Subject (2.1)
Dissertation "Does weaving baskets underwater improve their longevity?"

Hello and thank you for responding. I am not sure if they do, since I am starting this September my masters and planning to apply on their graduate programmes. None of the companies I am looking for (maybe big 4) mentions academic performance or to provide with transcripts.

I want a marketing career and my dissertation I did was marketing related

You can't credibly write a CV without the job advert in front of you and all the experiences you need to put in, so I'm not sure I understand what you are doing.If you are starting a Masters in Sep, then hit the uni Careers Service hard in the first term and find out exactly what each employer is asking for and write your CV accordingly. You will need to write a CV tailored to each application, so some might want to know about the dissertation, some might not - or you might have something more important to put down.

My plan was to do a general CV and tailor that one for each application. However, there is no where on the employers' websites details about what they are looking for on the applicants CVs

My plan was to do a general CV and tailor that one for each application. However, there is no where on the employers' websites details about what they are looking for on the applicants CVs

Errr... yes there is! Read the job advert, it tells you what they want, often in a lot of detail, sounds like you need to practice reading job adverts. All the company staff that visit your Un i will also tell you.

Most employers and recruiters will be looking to match the content of your CV with the specific role or job description they're advertising for, so it's often helpful to select any phrases, buzzwords or jargon used on the job descrption which makes you a good match for the job.

Unless it's an extremely brief, vague, wooly job description which tells you absolutely nothing about the job, I would nearly always expect there's going to be a general description about the kinds of tasks, roles and responsibilities you'd be expected to learn and take part in for the job, as well as specific skills needed for the job (e.g. in the case of most STEM jobs, there'll probably be a few hints about specific mathematical, engineering or technical skills, or maybe skills related to research, etc.).

Or alternatively, maybe the job would describe "softer" skills such as describing human interaction, ability to give presentations, analytical skills, abiity to work with data and produce an interpretation or report, written/verbal communication skills, etc.

Even in the case where the job description has very little information, it's a good idea to contact the employer or recruiter to find out more about the job to decide whether it's a good fit for you.

Thank you for responding! Most employers talk about communication skills, analytical skills, and team player. As I explained to the other user, my experience is limited and tried to cover what employers are looking for with my University opportunities

It helps if you were more polite to inexperienced people (just saying). To be clear, I just finished my Undergraduate, how much experience do you think I have in order to tailor it to each employer? All I did was being member of some societies and contributed there and 1 internship back home, and enlisted my achievements there. I do get that each application must be tailored to the employer's needs, but since my experience is limited how much I can tailor it. Besides, my question had to do with the Education, which I assumed it was more of a standard one.

Even if you have no work experience whatsoever (although even any "generic" workplace experience is still useful - e.g. customer service experience working in retail), all the skills you've learned at university matter, and 3 years should give you loads to draw from; also think towards your personal time and hobbies, or even back to A-Levels if necessary. Any part-time or summer jobs/placements are also useful.

Take time to think carefully about how you've spent those 3 years. For example:
- What kind of analytical, research, problem solving and critical thinking skills did you learn and apply for your dissertation/final year project?
- Did any of your modules involve group coursework? If so, think about how that demonstrates your ability to work in a team.
- Did any of your modules require you to analyse a lot of data or information to produce a report or visualisations?
- Have any of your modules required you to put forward arguments, and use evidence and reasoning to support those arguments?
- What specific methodologies did you learn related to analytical and research skills?
- How have you motivated yourself to learn?
- Have you been required to stand up and give any presentations involving powerpoint slides, discussions, Q+A, etc?
- How did you manage your your workload, study time and deadlines at university? What about managing your personal finances? etc.
- Are there any examples in your personal life where you've needed to show some leadership or personal responsibility?
- What about software tools? e.g. Did you ever need to use MS Excel or something similar for data visualisation in graphs/tables?
- Are there any examples where you've needed to use your creative/design skills? Again, which tools?

Also, since you're looking at marketing, consider your personal experience on social media, how well you're able to connect with people and (positively) grab their attention, since that's a rather obvious way in which most companies now like to promote themselves.