CV Information and Documentation Specialist: Example and Template
This is what a convincing Swiss CV for Information and Documentation (I+D) specialists in libraries, archives and documentation centres looks like.
Currently 32 open Information and Documentation Specialist positions in Switzerland, across 9 cantons, 7 of them from the last 7 days. Eidgenössische Steuerverwaltung ESTV advertises the most.
CV example — two-page template
This template is editable straight away — or upload your existing CV and it is carried into this layout automatically.
What qualifications belong in the CV of an I+D specialist?
State the exact title of your qualification along with institution and year, because libraries, archives and documentation centres scrutinise education very closely.
The classic entry point is the three-year apprenticeship as an Information and Documentation Specialist EFZ. Write out the title in full and add the sector of your training company, i.e. library, archive or documentation centre. Anyone coming from a different profession should list the follow-up qualification under Article 32 BBV or the modules completed, so that HR can assess equivalence.
At tertiary level, the Bachelor of Science FH in Information Science from Fachhochschule Graubünden as well as university of applied sciences and university degrees with additional qualifications are common. For academic libraries, subject specialisation also counts: list your subject degree and the additional CAS or MAS in Information Science separately rather than mixing the two. Further education such as CAS Digital Long-Term Archiving, Records Management or Archival Science belongs in a separate certificates block with the year.
Professional authorisations carry more weight than general course confirmations. Therefore list GND editorial rights, RDA training according to the D-A-CH standard, Alma certifications or scopeArchiv user training explicitly. For positions in public administration, also mention knowledge of the Freedom of Information Act and the revised Data Protection Act, as these are used daily in reference services.
How should you structure work experience in an I+D CV?
For each position, describe the holdings, the system and your measurable impact instead of a general list of tasks.
Start each position with a context line: size of holdings in media units or linear metres, number of users, and the library or archive system used. A sentence such as 'Specialist library with 210'000 media units, 1'400 ongoing subscriptions, Alma and Primo VE' says more about your level than three lines of task description. Follow this with three to four bullet points containing figures.
Quantify what is actually counted in your daily work: titles catalogued per year, linear metres processed, number of research requests, pages digitised, turnaround time from order to lending readiness, number of training sessions and participants. Add project roles precisely, such as sub-project lead for data migration in the SLSP context or introduction of a GEVER system with a defined filing structure.
List positions in reverse chronological order and keep the CV gap-free. Internships, temporary placements, part-time positions and re-entries are common in Switzerland; state the workload in percent. If you switch between sectors, make transferability visible by naming standards and systems that apply in both worlds, such as metadata modelling, Dublin Core or retention periods.
How long should the CV be, and is a photo required?
Two pages are standard, and a professional photo is still common in Switzerland, though not required.
Keep the CV to two pages; a third page is only justifiable with a long list of publications or projects. Publications, talks and teaching assignments then belong in a separate list in the appendix, so the main pages remain readable. Use a simple structure with clear headings and save the dossier as a PDF with a meaningful file name.
A professional portrait photo in the top right corner is still common in Switzerland and is expected by many libraries and administrations. Omit it if the job posting specifies an anonymised process. Details on place of residence, citizenship or residence permit, and year of birth are customary; it is better to leave out religion, marital status and information about children.
Tailor the CV to the job posting: for a position in descriptive cataloguing, put RDA, MARC 21 and authority data first; for reference services, emphasise research skills and training; for an archive, emphasise ISAD(G), appraisal and digital transfer. Add language skills with CEFR levels, since French or Italian is often required in cantonal and federal positions, and mention that references are available on request.
Where Information and Documentation Specialist are hired in Switzerland
How the 32 open positions are spread across the cantons.
Figures as a table
| Canton | postings |
|---|---|
| Zürich | 3 |
| Freiburg | 3 |
| Solothurn | 2 |
| Bern | 1 |
| Schaffhausen | 1 |
| Genf | 1 |
| Basel-Stadt | 1 |
| Waadt | 1 |
Which languages the postings require
Of 27 postings that state a language — in brackets, those requiring professional level.
Figures as a table
| Language | postings |
|---|---|
| German | 22 (14) |
| English | 17 (15) |
| French | 11 (5) |
| Italian | 2 (1) |
Who hires Information and Documentation Specialist in Switzerland
Employers with the most open positions. Staffing agencies are excluded.
Figures as a table
| Employer | postings |
|---|---|
| Eidgenössische Steuerverwaltung ESTV | 2 |
| Barclays | 2 |
| Roche | 2 |
| Liebherr Group | 2 |
| International Trade Centre | 1 |
| Federal Roads Office FEDRO | 1 |
Full-time or part-time?
How the positions are advertised.
Figures as a table
| Workload | postings |
|---|---|
| Vollzeit / plein temps | 28 |
The CV in full
To read through and reuse.
Nadine Bärtschi
Information and Documentation Specialist EFZ, BSc FH Information Science, MAS Information Science
Information specialist with eleven years of experience in an academic library, a city archive and an industrial documentation centre. Focus areas are metadata quality according to RDA and MARC 21, research services in specialist databases, and records management according to ISO 15489. Led the migration of 210'000 titles to Alma/swisscovery and built an open-access repository with 3'800 publications.
What sets me apart
Production-quality metadata: Catalogues according to RDA with the D-A-CH application guidelines in MARC 21, maintains authority records in the GND, and checks data quality with MarcEdit reports rather than by feel.
Research with methodology: Creates reproducible search strings for Embase, Scopus, SciFinder and Espacenet, including search protocol, PRISMA flow and documentation of hit counts for audits.
Bridge between library and archive: Masters both library cataloguing rules and archival standards ISAD(G) and ISAAR(CPF), as well as the transfer of digital records as SIP according to eCH-0160.
Negotiation and cost control: Negotiates e-journal and database licenses, analyses COUNTER R5 usage statistics, and justifies cancellations based on cost per download rather than gut feeling.
Key achievements
Reduced license portfolio costs by CHF 85'000. Analysis of 27 licenses with COUNTER R5 data, renegotiation of 9 contracts and consortium membership for 4 databases - with unchanged title holdings and 6 percent more full-text access.
Reduced cataloguing error rate from 4.2 to 0.8 percent. Introduction of an RDA checklist, monthly quality reports in MarcEdit and a four-eyes principle for initial cataloguing of 6'500 title records per year.
Increased open-access rate from 31 to 58 percent. Built the DSpace repository with 3'800 publications, automated DOI and ORCID linking, and 24 consultation appointments per semester for researchers.
Experience
Information and Records Management Specialist — Valnova Pharma AG, Bern, since 03/2021
Scientific information service and GxP-compliant document control for 240 researchers and Regulatory Affairs.
- Conducted 320 systematic literature and patent searches per year and reduced average turnaround time from 5 to 2 working days
- Introduced a records management concept according to ISO 15489 with 42 retention classes, reducing active filing volume by 38 percent
- Renegotiated 27 e-journal and database licenses, achieving annual savings of CHF 85'000
- Trained 180 employees in search strategy and Zotero, course rating 4.6 out of 5
Academic Librarian, Metadata and Acquisitions — Hochschule Aareland, Library, 08/2017 - 02/2021
Specialist library with 210'000 media units, 1'400 ongoing subscriptions and 4'200 students.
- Completed migration of 210'000 title records and 96'000 item records to Alma/Primo VE within the SLSP project, on schedule
- Catalogued 6'500 titles per year according to RDA in MARC 21, reducing error rate from 4.2 to 0.8 percent
- Built the DSpace repository with 3'800 publications, increasing the open-access rate from 31 to 58 percent
- Designed and delivered 46 information literacy courses per year for around 900 students
Information and Documentation Specialist EFZ, Archive — Stadtarchiv Rothbach, 09/2013 - 07/2017
Municipal archive with 2'900 linear metres of holdings and a public reading room.
- Processed 480 linear metres of holdings in 12'000 description units according to ISAD(G) in scopeArchiv
- Led a digitisation project covering 65'000 pages including OCR and online publication, increasing use of online holdings by 140 percent
- Handled 1'200 access requests per year, including review of protection periods and 35 access requests under the Freedom of Information Act
- Established a transfer process for digital records as SIP according to eCH-0160 with three administrative departments
Education
Master of Advanced Studies (MAS), Information Science — Fachhochschule Graubünden, Chur · 2021
Bachelor of Science FH, Information Science (part-time) — Fachhochschule Graubünden, Chur · 2017
Federal Diploma of Vocational Education and Training EFZ, Information and Documentation Specialist — Berufsfachschule Mittelland, Bern · 2012
CAS Digital Long-Term Archiving (OAIS according to ISO 14721), FH Graubünden · 2022 · GND editorial rights and RDA application training D-A-CH · 2019 · Ex Libris Alma Certified Administrator (Resource Management) · 2020 · Records Management according to ISO 15489, continuing education Bibliosuisse · 2023