Your CV is usually the first thing an employer learns about you — and often the only thing standing between your application and the “no” pile. A recruiter typically spends just a few seconds on each one before deciding whether to keep reading, so those seconds have to count.
The good news is that writing a strong CV isn’t nearly as hard as it feels once you know what recruiters are actually looking for. This guide walks you through the whole thing step by step, from choosing a format to the final proofread, so you can put together a CV that gets you shortlisted — not skimmed and forgotten.
What is a CV?
A CV (short for curriculum vitae, Latin for “course of life”) is a document that summarises your work experience, education, and skills. You use it to apply for jobs, internships, scholarships, and other opportunities.
In much of Europe and the rest of the world, “CV” and “resume” mean roughly the same thing: a short, one- or two-page summary of your career. In the United States and Canada, a CV tends to be longer and more detailed — used mainly in academia and research, where you list publications, conferences, and grants. Whichever version you need, the writing principles below are the same.
How to write a CV, step by step
Here’s the process, broken into steps you can follow in order.
1. Choose the right format
Before you type a single word, decide how you’ll structure the page. There are three formats worth knowing:
- Reverse chronological — lists your work history newest job first. It’s the format most recruiters expect and the safest choice for the vast majority of applications.
- Functional (skills-based) — leads with what you can do rather than where you did it. Useful if you’re changing careers or covering a gap in your employment history, though some recruiters are wary of it because it hides dates.
- Combination — opens with a short skills summary, then backs it up with a full chronological history. A good middle ground if you have solid experience and want your key strengths to land first.
When in doubt, go reverse chronological. It reads cleanly and it’s what applicant tracking systems (the software that scans CVs before a human ever sees them) handle best.
2. Add your contact details
At the very top, make it easy for someone to reach you. Include your full name, a professional email address, your phone number, and your city. A link to your LinkedIn profile or an online portfolio helps too, if it’s relevant to the role.
One small thing that trips people up: use a grown-up email address. firstname.lastname@gmail.com looks the part; the nickname you picked when you were fifteen does not.
3. Write a short personal summary
Just under your contact details, add two or three sentences that sum up who you are professionally — your role, your experience, and what you’re looking for. Think of it as your elevator pitch. For example: “Marketing coordinator with four years’ experience running social campaigns for retail brands, looking to move into a content-lead role.” Keep it specific, and tweak it for each job you apply to.
4. List your work experience
This is the section recruiters read most closely. List each job newest first, and for each one include:
- Your job title
- The company name and location
- The dates you worked there
- A few bullet points on what you did — and, more importantly, what you achieved
Here’s the part most people get wrong: they describe duties instead of results. Anyone in your role “was responsible for managing a team.” What sets you apart is the outcome. “Led a team of five and cut order-processing time by 30%” tells a far better story. Wherever you can, put a number on it.
5. Add your education
List your qualifications, again newest first. Include the degree or certificate, the institution, and the dates. Early in your career, education can sit near the top; once you have a few years of experience behind you, it usually moves below your work history.
6. Highlight your skills
Add a short, scannable list of your most relevant skills. Mix hard skills (specific, teachable things like Excel, Python, or a second language) with a few soft skills (communication, teamwork, problem-solving). Prioritise the ones the job advert actually asks for — that’s also how you get past the keyword filters in an ATS.
7. Include extra sections if they help
Depending on the role, you might add certifications, languages, volunteer work, publications, or notable projects. Only include what strengthens your case for this job — a CV isn’t an autobiography, and clutter dilutes the good stuff.
8. Proofread — then proofread again
A single typo can undo an otherwise excellent CV. Read it out loud, run it through a spell-checker, and then hand it to a friend, because you’ll always miss your own mistakes. Fresh eyes catch what tired ones don’t.
9. Tailor it to every job
The single biggest upgrade you can make is to stop sending the same CV everywhere. Reread the job advert, pick out the skills and keywords it emphasises, and make sure your CV reflects them. It takes ten minutes per application and dramatically improves your hit rate. If you keep a master CV, you can copy it and trim each version to fit.
How to actually make your CV
Once you know what goes in it, you have two practical ways to build the document itself.
Option 1: Use an online CV builder
The fastest route is a free online CV builder like GetYourCV. You pick a design, fill in your details with the help of guided prompts, and the tool handles the layout, spacing, and formatting for you. You can switch templates, reorder sections, and download a print-ready PDF in minutes — no design skills required, and no fighting with margins in a word processor.
Option 2: Start from a Word template
If you’d rather work in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, a ready-made template saves you from building a layout from scratch. Grab one of our free CV templates for Word, then:
- Open the template in Word (or upload it to Google Docs).
- Replace the placeholder text with your own details.
- Adjust the fonts and spacing to taste, but keep it clean and consistent.
- Save the final version as a PDF — it’s the format most employers and ATS expect.
- Proofread one last time before you send it.
Prefer to browse designs by style first? Have a look through our full library of professional CV templates and pick whichever fits your industry.
A few things recruiters wish you knew
- Keep it short. One page early on, two at most later. Nobody reads a five-page CV.
- Make it easy to scan. Clear headings, consistent spacing, and bullet points beat dense paragraphs every time.
- Be honest. Stretching the truth tends to surface at the interview stage — or worse, after you’re hired.
- Match the standard for where you’re applying. Photo-or-no-photo, page length, and section conventions vary by country. If you’re applying abroad, check the local norm first — the official Europass guide from the European Union is a reliable reference for European standards.
For more detail on what belongs in each section, the UK’s National Careers Service keeps a clear, regularly updated breakdown.
Ready to write yours?
Writing a good CV comes down to three things: choose a clean format, lead with achievements rather than duties, and tailor it to each role. Get those right and you’re already ahead of most applicants.
When you’re ready to put it together, you don’t have to start from a blank page. Pick a design you like, fill in your details, and download a polished PDF for free — that’s exactly what GetYourCV is built to do.