Writing a strong CV (Curriculum Vitae) is one of the most important steps in getting job interviews. Below is a clear, practical guide on how to write a CV that recruiters actually read and respond to.

# 1. CV vs Resume: What’s the Difference?

  • CV: Often longer, more detailed, used for academic, research, or some international roles. Can be 2+ pages.
  • Resume (in US/Canada): Short, targeted summary (usually 1 page) tailored to a specific job.

Many people use CV and resume interchangeably. If you’re applying outside academia, assume recruiters expect a concise, tailored 1–2 page document.

For more background, you can compare definitions and regional differences on:

# 2. Standard CV Structure (Recommended Layout)

A clear, modern CV usually follows this order:

  1. Header (Contact information)
  2. Professional Summary (or Profile)
  3. Key Skills / Core Competencies
  4. Work Experience (most recent first)
  5. Education
  6. Optional sections:
    • Certifications & Training
    • Projects
    • Publications (for academic/research roles)
    • Awards & Achievements
    • Languages
    • Technical Skills
    • Volunteer Experience / Extracurriculars

# 3. Header: Professional Contact Details

Place at the top:

  • Full Name (larger font, bold)
  • Location (City, Country; street address is optional)
  • Phone number (with country code if international)
  • Professional email (e.g. firstname.lastname@...)
  • LinkedIn profile (short URL is best)
  • Portfolio / GitHub / personal website (if relevant)

Example:

Jane Smith
Product Manager
Berlin, Germany | +49 123 456789 | jane.smith@email.com
linkedin.com/in/jane-smith | janesmithportfolio.com

Avoid adding:

  • Date of birth
  • Full home address
  • Marital status, photo, or personal details (unless required by local norms)

# 4. Professional Summary: 3–5 Lines That Sell You

This is not an objective like “I am looking for a job…”.
Instead, it’s a short, targeted pitch that answers:

  • Who are you professionally?
  • What are your top strengths?
  • What impact have you had?
  • What roles/industries are you suited for?

Example for a Marketing Professional:

Results-driven Digital Marketing Specialist with 5+ years of experience in B2C e‑commerce. Proven track record of increasing organic traffic by 120% and improving paid campaign ROAS by 35%. Skilled in SEO, Google Ads, Meta Ads, email marketing, and conversion rate optimization. Looking to leverage data-driven marketing skills to grow customer acquisition for fast-paced consumer brands.

Tips:

  • Tailor this section to each job description.
  • Use keywords from the job ad so you pass ATS (Applicant Tracking System) scans.

For keyword research, see:

# 5. Key Skills / Core Competencies

This helps both humans and ATS quickly match you to the role.

# How to pick your skills

  1. Read 5–10 job ads for your target role.
  2. List recurring skills (technical + soft).
  3. Add 8–15 of the most relevant ones to your CV.

Example for a Software Developer:

  • Programming: Java, Python, JavaScript, TypeScript
  • Frameworks: Spring Boot, React, Node.js
  • Databases: PostgreSQL, MongoDB
  • DevOps: Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD (GitHub Actions, Jenkins)
  • Practices: TDD, Agile/Scrum, code review, system design

Avoid long, generic lists (e.g., “motivated, hard-working, honest…”). Focus on what is measurable or observable.

# 6. Work Experience: Show Impact, Not Just Duties

This is the core of your CV. Use reverse chronological order (most recent first).

For each role include:

  • Job Title
  • Company name, location
  • Start and end dates (Month Year – Month Year or “Present”)
  • 3–7 bullet points focusing on results, not responsibilities

# Formula for bullet points

Action verb + what you did + tools/skills + measurable result

Example (weak vs strong):

  • Weak: “Responsible for managing social media accounts.”
  • Strong: “Managed social media content across Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, increasing follower base by 65% and engagement rate from 2.1% to 5.8% in 12 months.”

Example section:

Digital Marketing Specialist
Acme Retail, London, UK | Jan 2021 – Present

- Planned and executed multi-channel campaigns (email, social, search), increasing online revenue by 28% YoY.
- Optimized Google Ads and Meta Ads campaigns (budget €25K/month), improving average ROAS from 2.8 to 4.1 within 6 months.
- Implemented SEO strategy (on‑page optimization, internal linking, content briefs) that boosted organic sessions by 120% in 9 months.
- Built automated email flows (welcome series, cart recovery) in Klaviyo, increasing email-driven revenue from 8% to 19% of total online sales.

# If you have little or no experience

Include:

  • Internships
  • Freelance work
  • University or personal projects
  • Volunteer roles

Treat them like jobs: use bullet points and results.

Example (student project):

Developed a full-stack task management web app using React, Node.js, and MongoDB, enabling real-time collaboration for teams of up to 50 users; achieved 98% uptime during 3‑month pilot in university innovation lab.

# 7. Education: Show Relevant Studies and Achievements

List in reverse chronological order:

  • Degree name (e.g., BSc in Computer Science)
  • University name and location
  • Graduation date (or expected)
  • Optional: GPA (if strong and recent), key modules, thesis, honors

Example:

BSc in Computer Science
University of Manchester, UK | 2019 – 2022
- Graduated with First Class Honours (GPA: 3.8/4.0)
- Relevant modules: Data Structures & Algorithms, Databases, Machine Learning, Web Development
- Final project: Built an ML-based recommendation engine for e-commerce (Python, scikit-learn)

If you’re early in your career, education can be placed above work experience.

# 8. Additional Sections That Strengthen Your CV

# 8.1 Certifications & Training

Include only relevant ones:

  • Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate
  • AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
  • PMP (Project Management Professional)
  • IELTS / TOEFL (with scores, if language skills matter)

You can reference official sites for credibility, e.g.:

# 8.2 Projects

Particularly important for:

  • Students
  • Career changers
  • Tech/creative roles

Include 2–6 key projects:

  • Name of project + short description
  • Technologies/methods used
  • Outcome or what you achieved

For inspiration, see:

# 8.3 Publications & Conferences (Academic CVs)

  • Journal articles (with full citation)
  • Conference presentations
  • Research posters
  • Grants and fellowships

You may want to follow formatting styles like APA or IEEE, e.g.:

# 8.4 Languages

List your level honestly:

  • Native
  • Fluent / C1
  • Advanced / B2
  • Intermediate / B1
  • Basic / A2/A1

Reference: CEFR language levels

# 8.5 Volunteer Experience

Excellent for showing soft skills and leadership:

Volunteer Coordinator, Local Food Bank – Led a team of 12 volunteers, improving distribution efficiency by 30% and organizing monthly fundraising events that raised €15K+ annually.

# 9. CV Formatting: Make It Easy to Read

# Length

  • 0–5 years experience: 1 page (max 2 if truly needed)
  • 5+ years experience: 2 pages are acceptable
  • Academic CVs can be longer, but still structured and clean

# Layout & Design

  • Use a simple, clean structure (no heavy graphics or columns that confuse ATS).
  • Font: Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, or similar, 10–12 pt.
  • Use consistent headings, bullet points, and spacing.
  • Save as PDF unless the job ad specifies otherwise.

You can explore templates on:

# 10. Tailoring Your CV to Each Job

This is critical for ATS and recruiters.

  1. Analyze the job description
    • Highlight keywords for skills, tools, experience, and responsibilities.
  2. Match your CV language
    • Use the same terminology where truthful (e.g., “CRM (Salesforce)” if the ad mentions Salesforce).
  3. Reorder bullet points
    • Put the most relevant achievements at top for each job.
  4. Adjust your summary
    • Mention the specific role/industry you’re targeting.

Tools that can help:

  • Jobscan – compares your CV to a job description
  • Grammarly – grammar and clarity checks

# 11. Common CV Mistakes to Avoid

  • Spelling and grammar errors
  • Using one generic CV for every job
  • Including irrelevant details (old part-time jobs that add no value)
  • Overly long paragraphs instead of clear bullet points
  • Unprofessional email addresses
  • Listing duties only, without results or metrics
  • Lying or exaggerating (easy to spot in interviews)

# 12. Simple CV Template (Copy & Adapt)

Below is a basic, ATS-friendly template you can adapt.

[Your Full Name]
[Job Title or Target Role]
[City, Country] | [Phone] | [Email]
[LinkedIn] | [Portfolio / GitHub] (if applicable)

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Short 3–5 line overview of your experience, strengths, key skills, and the type of roles you’re targeting. Include relevant keywords and one or two measurable achievements if possible.

KEY SKILLS
- Skill / Technology / Tool
- Skill / Technology / Tool
- Skill / Technology / Tool
- (8–15 items total, tailored to the job)

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Job Title
Company Name, City, Country | Month Year – Month Year
- Action + what you did + how + result (with numbers where possible)
- Action + what you did + how + result
- Action + what you did + how + result

Job Title
Company Name, City, Country | Month Year – Month Year
- Bullet point
- Bullet point
- Bullet point

EDUCATION
Degree, Major
University Name, City, Country | Month Year – Month Year
- Key modules / thesis (optional)
- GPA / Honors (optional)

CERTIFICATIONS (Optional)
- Certification Name – Issuing Organization | Year
- Certification Name – Issuing Organization | Year

PROJECTS (Optional)
Project Title | Role | Year
- Short 1–2 line description of what you built/did, technologies used, and impact/result.

LANGUAGES (Optional)
- Language – Level
- Language – Level

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE (Optional)
Role
Organization, City, Country | Month Year – Month Year
- Bullet point describing responsibility and impact.

# 13. How to Write a CV With No Experience

If you’re a student, recent graduate, or career changer:

  1. Lead with a strong summary focusing on:
    • Education
    • Relevant skills
    • Motivation and domain exposure (courses, bootcamps, self-study)
  2. Use a Projects section to prove skills.
  3. Highlight transferable skills from:
    • Part-time jobs
    • Volunteering
    • Student organizations
    • Personal initiatives
  4. Keep it to 1 page and very focused on your target role.

Good resources for early-career CVs:

# 14. Final Checklist Before Sending Your CV

Before you submit:

  • Is the CV tailored to this specific job?
  • Are there no spelling or grammar mistakes?
  • Are your top 5 strengths obvious in 5 seconds?
  • Are there numbers/metrics for impact in each role?
  • Is the layout clean, with consistent fonts and spacing?
  • Is the file name professional? (e.g., Jane-Smith-CV-Product-Manager.pdf)

# 15. Next Steps: Go Beyond the CV

A strong CV is only part of job search success. Also focus on:

If you tell me your target role (e.g., “junior data analyst”, “senior project manager”, “front-end developer”) and experience level, I can help you draft a custom CV summary and a bullet-point set tailored to that job.