How to Write a CV: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Most people open a blank document and start typing. That is why most CVs read like job descriptions. Before you write a single line, spend 20 minutes gathering facts you can use as evidence.

• Job titles, employers, locations and exact start and end dates (month and year).
• Numbers from each role: budgets managed, people supervised, customers served, targets hit, time or money saved.
• Projects you are proud of, awards, promotions and positive feedback from managers or clients.
• Qualifications, licences, certifications and training courses with the year completed.
• Two or three job adverts you want to apply for — these tell you which words and skills matter.

There are three common CV structures. The right one depends on your work history.

If you are unsure, choose reverse-chronological. It is the format recruiters expect, and it is the easiest for applicant tracking systems (ATS) to read correctly.

Your header sits at the very top of page one. Keep it simple and make sure every detail is correct — a typo in your email address means a recruiter cannot reach you.

• Use a professional email address — ideally firstname.lastname@ — not a nickname.
• Include your phone number with the international dialling code if you are applying abroad.
• City and country are enough. A full street address is no longer needed in most countries.
• Add a LinkedIn URL or portfolio link if it supports your application.
• Only add a photo, date of birth or nationality where it is local practice (for example, parts of the Gulf and continental Europe). See our UAE CV guide and German CV guide.

The profile (also called a personal statement or professional summary) is the first text a recruiter reads. In three to four sentences it should answer: who are you, what are you good at, and what value do you bring to this employer?

The weak version could describe anyone. The strong version includes a job title, years of experience, a measurable result, relevant tools and a clear goal. For more examples, read our professional summary examples.

Work experience is the most important section for anyone who has had a job. List roles in reverse-chronological order. For each role include your job title, employer, location and dates, followed by three to six bullet points.

The difference between an average CV and a great one is whether the bullets describe duties or achievements. Use this simple formula: Action verb + what you did + measurable result.

List your highest qualification first. Include the qualification name, institution, location and year of completion. Grades are worth including if they are strong or if you graduated recently.

• Students and recent graduates: put education above work experience and add relevant modules, a final-year project or a dissertation title.
• Experienced professionals: move education below experience and keep it short — the degree, university and year are enough.
• Certifications: list professional certificates (such as PMP, ACCA, CompTIA or Google Analytics) in their own section if they are relevant to the role.

Your skills section helps both humans and ATS software see quickly that you match the job. Focus on hard skills — software, tools, languages, methods and technical abilities — and back up soft skills with evidence in your experience bullets instead of just listing them.

Read the job advert and mirror its exact wording. If the employer writes "stakeholder management", use that phrase rather than "working with people". Our CV skills guide has lists for dozens of roles.

• Use a single-column layout with clear standard headings: Profile, Experience, Education, Skills.
• Choose a readable font such as Calibri, Arial, Helvetica or Georgia at 10–12pt for body text.
• Keep margins between 1.5 cm and 2.5 cm and leave white space between sections.
• Avoid text boxes, tables for layout, images of text and icons in place of words — many ATS cannot read them.
• Save as PDF unless the employer asks for Word, and name the file clearly: Firstname-Lastname-CV.pdf.

Every template in the BuildCVFast template gallery follows these rules, so you can focus on content rather than formatting.

A tailored CV consistently beats a generic one. Before each application, spend ten minutes adjusting your profile, reordering bullets so the most relevant come first, and adding keywords from the advert.

1. 1Read the job advert and highlight required skills and repeated phrases.
2. 2Update your profile so it mentions the job title and two or three of those skills.
3. 3Move your most relevant achievements to the top of each role.
4. 4Proofread out loud, then ask a friend to check — or read it backwards line by line to spot typos.
5. 5Pair it with a short tailored cover letter.