A recruiter spends about 6 to 10 seconds on a first look at a CV. In those seconds they decide one thing only: is this person worth a closer read? They do not read every word. They scan the job title, the last role, the skills and the layout, then move on.
That is why a good CV is not a life story. It is a short, clear sales page about you and what you can do for an employer. This guide shows you how to write a CV that gets shortlisted, section by section, with examples you can copy and make your own.
Contact Details
Put your name at the top in a large, clear font. Under it, add your phone number, a professional email address and your city. A link to your LinkedIn profile helps if it is up to date, and a link to a portfolio helps for creative and technical roles. Leave out your full home address, your age, your photo and your marital status. Employers do not need them and they take up space.
A Three Line Summary
Under your contact details, write a short summary of two or three lines. Say what you do, your strongest skill and what you want next. Here is an example: “Customer service assistant with 3 years of experience in busy retail stores. Skilled at solving complaints fast and keeping customers happy. Looking for a team leader role in a growing company.”
Change the last line for each job you apply for. A summary that matches the job shows the recruiter you read the ad, and it takes only a minute to adjust.
Skills
List 6 to 10 skills that match the job ad. Mix hard skills, like Excel, data entry, driving or a language, with soft skills, like communication, teamwork and time management. Put the most important skills first, and only list skills you can honestly show in an interview. If a job asks for a skill you are still learning, say so in the interview and show what you are doing to learn it. Our guide to high income skills can help you choose skills worth learning in the next few months.
Experience
List your jobs from the newest to the oldest. For each job, give the job title, the company name, the dates and three or four bullet points about what you did. Start each bullet with a strong verb: managed, built, improved, trained, sold, organized. Keep each bullet to one line if you can.
If you have no work experience yet, use the same section for internships, volunteer work, university projects and part time jobs. Experience does not have to be paid to count.
How to Write Strong Bullet Points
Weak bullets describe duties. Strong bullets show results. Compare these two: “Responsible for handling customer complaints” and “Resolved 30 customer complaints a week and cut repeat complaints by 20 percent in 6 months.” The second one is better because it has numbers and a result.
Add numbers wherever you can: how many people you served, how much money you saved, how fast you finished a task, or how big the team was. If you do not have exact numbers, use honest estimates and say so only if asked. Never invent numbers, because a good interviewer will check them.
Education
List your most recent education first: degree or diploma, school or university name, and year. Add your grades only if they are strong. If you are still studying, write the expected year of completion. Short courses and certificates go here too, especially if they match the job. Keep this section short for experienced workers, and longer for freshers.
Extra Sections
Add one or two extra sections only if they help the job. Languages with your level, for example “English, fluent” or “Spanish, basic”, are useful for many roles. Projects, volunteer work, awards and relevant hobbies also help, especially for freshers. Keep each extra section to two or three lines. If it does not make you a stronger candidate for this job, leave it out.
Keywords and Job Descriptions
Many employers use software to scan CVs before a person reads them. The software looks for keywords from the job ad. Read the ad carefully, note the exact words it uses for skills and tools, and use those same words in your CV where they are true. Do not copy whole sentences from the ad, and do not stuff your CV with keywords that do not match your real skills.
For example, if the job asks for “customer service” and “cash handling”, use those exact phrases in your experience bullets and your skills list. Small changes like this help your CV pass the first scan and reach a real recruiter.
Fresher CV Tips
No experience yet? Focus on projects, internships and courses. Describe one or two university or personal projects with what you built and what it taught you. List online courses with the provider name and the year. Add part time work, volunteer roles and any leadership in clubs or societies, because employers care about reliability and teamwork as much as job titles.
Keep the CV to one page as a fresher. A short, honest CV with real projects beats a long CV full of empty phrases. Ask a teacher or a working friend to read it once before you send it.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
These five mistakes send many good CVs to the bin.
- Long paragraphs: recruiters scan, they do not read essays. Keep bullets short and use white space.
- Lies: a fake job title or a skill you do not have will fail at the interview or in the first week.
- Spelling errors: one typo suggests carelessness. Read the CV aloud and ask someone else to check it too.
- One CV for every job: a CV that fits every job fits none of them. Adjust the summary and the skills each time.
- Messy layout: use one font, clear headings and the same date format everywhere. Save the file as a PDF with your name in the file name.
A Final Checklist Before Sending
Before you send your CV, run through this list. Is it one or two pages, with no long paragraphs? Does the summary match the job? Are all the dates and numbers correct? Have you spelled the company name right? Does the file name include your name? Have you sent it as a PDF? If the answer to all of these is yes, send it with confidence.
For more guides on skills and learning, browse the Education category on Global Mag Daily.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a CV be?
One page for freshers and most early career roles, and two pages at most for experienced workers. If you need a third page, cut weaker bullets first.
Should I include a photo on my CV?
In most countries, no. A photo can cause bias and it takes space from your skills and experience. Add a photo only if the job ad asks for one.
Do I need a different CV for each job?
Yes, at least a few small changes each time. Adjust the summary, move the most relevant skills to the top, and use the words from the job ad. The experience stays the same, but the focus changes.
Conclusion
A strong CV is short, honest and built for the job in front of you. Contact details, a clear summary, skills that match the ad, experience with numbers and a final check before sending: that is the whole recipe. Write your first version today, ask someone to read it, and send it. Every application is a step closer to the job you want.
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