What a good CV or resume should do
A CV should help a recruiter understand, quickly, what work you can do and what evidence supports that claim. The best structure depends on the country, sector and role. A resume is often shorter in some markets, while a CV may include a broader academic or professional record in others. Follow the employer's instructions first.
Recommended structure
- Contact details: name, professional email, phone and a relevant portfolio or LinkedIn link. Include location at a level that is useful for the vacancy.
- Professional summary: two to four lines that name your relevant experience, strengths and target role. Avoid unsupported adjectives.
- Skills: list relevant skills and tools that you can discuss confidently in an interview.
- Work experience: reverse chronological order, with employer, title, location and dates.
- Education and certifications: show the qualification, institution and completion year. Explain equivalents only when accurate.
- Additional information: languages, selected projects, licences or work authorization only where relevant and appropriate.
Turn duties into evidence
A duty says what the role involved; an achievement explains what you contributed. A useful pattern is action + task + method or context + verified result. For example, “Resolved user account and printer issues for office staff using a ticketing workflow” is more informative than “Responsible for IT”. If you have a reliable metric, add it; if not, describe the scope accurately rather than inventing a percentage.
Example: make a bullet more specific
Too general: “Worked with Excel.”
More useful: “Maintained an Excel stock register, checked entries against receipts and flagged items approaching reorder level.”
Use this only if it describes work you actually performed. Never copy an example as a claim about yourself.
Tailor your CV to the vacancy
Read the responsibilities and essential criteria. Move relevant experience higher, use the employer's terminology where it accurately describes your skills, and remove unrelated detail that crowds out stronger evidence. Do not keyword-stuff or claim proficiency with a tool you have only seen once. A recruiter may ask you to demonstrate any listed skill.
Formatting and file checks
- Use consistent headings, dates, bullet styles and spacing.
- Choose readable fonts and sufficient contrast; avoid dense blocks of text.
- Keep important information in the document body rather than relying on graphics or text boxes that may not parse correctly.
- Use a clear filename and submit the file type requested by the employer.
- Open the final PDF and check page breaks, links, spelling and contact details.
Should you include a photo, date of birth or nationality?
Conventions vary by country and employer. Do not assume that a personal detail is required simply because a template includes it. Follow local norms and the employer's instructions, and avoid unnecessary sensitive information. For applications across borders, confirm whether qualifications need translation, recognition or a particular format.
Free editable CV template
Start with our free CV / resume starter template (Word). Replace all prompts, tailor the document to the vacancy, verify every claim and export to PDF if requested. The template is a starting point rather than a guarantee of an interview.
Common CV mistakes
Frequent problems include spelling errors, inconsistent dates, unexplained employment gaps, long lists of generic duties, unsupported skill claims, an irrelevant objective statement and sending the same document to every employer. Ask someone to proofread the final version and make sure the first half of page one communicates your strongest fit.