Employers may read dozens of applications for one job. Learn how to build a CV step by step, from collecting your evidence to checking the final file, so that the reader wants to meet you.
An employer may receive dozens, or even hundreds, of applications for a single job. Your CV is usually the first thing that person reads, and often the only thing, before deciding who to invite for an interview. A strong CV does not list everything you have ever done. It gives a busy reader clear evidence, in a few pages, that you can do this particular job. This guide shows you how to build that kind of CV step by step, from collecting your evidence to checking the final file.
A CV has one job: to win an interview. Collect your evidence first, choose a simple format, and begin each bullet point with an action verb that shows a result. Adjust the CV for every job advert, keep it to one or two pages, and check every line. Never include anything untrue.
These words are often mixed up, so it helps to define them. A CV (short for curriculum vitae, Latin for "course of life") is a short written summary of your education, work experience, skills and achievements. A resume is the same kind of document. In some countries "CV" is the normal word for any job application document, while in others "resume" is the normal word and "CV" means a longer document for academic or research jobs. The safest approach is to read the employer's instructions and follow their word and their length limits.
| Document | What it is | When you use it |
|---|---|---|
| CV / resume | A structured summary of your background and achievements | Almost every job application |
| Cover letter | A short letter that explains why you want this job and why you suit it | Together with your CV, when the employer asks for one or allows one |
| Application form | A form created by the employer, with fixed questions | When the employer wants every candidate to answer the same questions |
| Personal statement | A longer piece of writing about your motivation and goals | University or scholarship applications |
The CV gives the facts. The cover letter explains the story behind them. Because the two work as a pair, they should agree with each other: the same dates, the same job titles and the same skills.
Employers read CVs to answer a few practical questions. Can this person do the job? Is there evidence for it? Will they be reliable? Is the document easy and quick to read? Many recruiters scan a CV rapidly before deciding whether to read further, so your most useful information should be easy to find near the top of the first page.
Many people open a blank page and immediately get stuck. A better way is to collect your material first. Take a sheet of paper, or open a notes file, and write down everything under these headings: jobs, part-time work and internships; school, college or university projects; volunteering and community activities; clubs, sports and leadership roles; courses, certificates and training; languages and computer skills; and awards or praise you received.
Then turn each item into evidence using a simple three-part method. Write the challenge (what needed to be done), your action (what you personally did), and the result (what changed because of it). Some people call this the CAR method. A related method used in interviews is STAR: situation, task, action, result. Both lead you to the same place: a fact with a result attached to it.
Challenge: the school library records were kept on paper and books were often lost. Action: I created a simple spreadsheet and trained three classmates to use it. Result: the library found 40 missing books in one term. Later, this becomes one strong CV line: "Created a spreadsheet record for the school library and trained three volunteers, helping to locate 40 missing books in one term."
Do not worry about length at this stage. Your evidence bank will be longer than your CV, and that is useful: it lets you choose the best evidence for each job, instead of using the same material every time.
There are three common ways to organise a CV. The right choice depends on your experience and the job.
| Format | How it is organised | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Reverse-chronological | Most recent job or study first, then going backwards in time | Most applicants, especially with a steady history |
| Skills-based (functional) | Grouped by skills, with a short work history below | Career changers, or people with gaps in their history |
| Combined | A skills summary first, then a reverse-chronological history | People with strong skills and clear experience |
The reverse-chronological format is the most widely used because the reader can see your latest and most relevant experience at once. Some employers and software systems also find it easier to read. If you are a student or recent graduate, put your education first and add projects, volunteering and part-time work. When you have several years of experience, move your education below your work history.
Include your full name, a phone number, a professional email address and, if you wish, your town or city and a link to a professional profile. Use an email address based on your name, such as firstname.lastname, and avoid nicknames or jokes. Do not write your passwords, bank details or identity card number. A full street address is usually unnecessary and, for your own safety, many applicants give only the town or city.
This is a short summary of two to four lines at the top of the page. It should say who you are, what your strongest skills are, and what kind of job you want. It should also be written for the job, not copied from an online sample.
| Weak profile | Strong profile |
|---|---|
| Hard-working person looking for a good job in a good company where I can learn and grow. | Organised business graduate with experience in customer service and record keeping. Skilled in spreadsheets and scheduling. Seeking an office assistant role where accurate work and clear communication are valued. |
The weak profile could be written by anybody and applied to any job. The strong profile gives the reader specific facts and shows the exact job the candidate wants.
For each job, give the job title, the employer, the place (town or city) and the dates (month and year). Underneath, write three to five bullet points, with the most important or most relevant point first. Older and less relevant jobs can have fewer points. If you have no formal jobs yet, use the heading "Experience" and include internships, volunteering and projects.
List your qualification, the institution, and the dates or year of completion. Add relevant subjects, a final project, or an award if it supports your application. Include short courses and professional certificates in a separate "Training" or "Certificates" section, so they are easy to find.
Hard skills are specific abilities that can be taught and tested, such as typing speed, a computer program, a language or a technical method. Soft skills are personal qualities such as teamwork, communication and time management. Hard skills can be listed simply. For soft skills, do not just write the word "teamwork". Prove it through a bullet point elsewhere in the CV, such as leading a group project.
Languages can be described honestly with simple levels, such as native, fluent, intermediate or basic. Add other sections only if they help the application, for example volunteering, publications, awards or professional memberships.
A referee is a person who can speak about your work or character, such as a former manager or a teacher. List two, with their name, role and contact details, or write "References available on request". Always ask for permission before you list anyone, and tell them about the job so they can prepare.
The experience section is where most CVs succeed or fail. Weak CVs list duties ("responsible for..."). Strong CVs show achievements. Use this formula for each point:
Action verb + what you did + result or number
An action verb is a strong verb in the past tense that shows what you did. Choose the verb that best matches the skill you want to show.
| Skill to show | Useful action verbs |
|---|---|
| Leadership | led, managed, coordinated, supervised, organised |
| Communication | presented, explained, negotiated, wrote, trained |
| Problem solving | resolved, improved, reduced, redesigned, solved |
| Technical skill | built, programmed, installed, tested, analysed |
| Organisation | scheduled, recorded, planned, prepared, updated |
| Weak | Strong |
|---|---|
| Responsible for customers | Served up to 60 customers a day and resolved complaints politely and quickly |
| Worked on a school project | Led a team of four students to design a recycling project and presented it to 200 pupils |
| Good with people | Trained 12 new volunteers in customer service |
| Did the accounts | Recorded daily sales in a spreadsheet and corrected errors before the weekly report |
Where you can, use numbers: how many people, how much money, how much time, how many items. Numbers make an achievement real. If you do not know an exact figure, use an honest estimate and the word "approximately". Never invent a number, because employers can ask about it at the interview or check it with a referee.
The following example is for an imaginary applicant, Jordan Lee, who is applying for an office assistant job. Notice the structure, the verbs and the numbers. This is a model of the shape of a good CV, not text to copy.
JORDAN LEE
Phone: 000 000 0000 · Email: jordan.lee@example.com · Town or city only
Profile
Organised business graduate with experience in customer service and record keeping. Skilled in spreadsheets and scheduling. Seeking an office assistant role where accurate work and clear communication are valued.
Experience
Sales Assistant, City Stationery Shop (June 2024 to present)
• Served up to 60 customers a day and resolved complaints politely and quickly.
• Reduced waiting time at the counter from 10 to 6 minutes by reorganising stock and the till area.
• Recorded daily sales in a spreadsheet and checked totals for the weekly report.
Volunteer Administrator, Community Library (January 2023 to May 2024)
• Created a spreadsheet record of 1,200 books and trained three volunteers to use it.
• Helped to locate 40 missing books in one term.
Education
Diploma in Business Studies, City College (2021 to 2023)
Skills
Spreadsheets (formulas, charts) · Scheduling · Typing at 50 words per minute · English (fluent), Spanish (intermediate)
References
Available on request.
This sample is short enough to fit on one page. It starts with a targeted profile, gives results in the bullet points, and keeps the formatting simple and consistent.
Write in a clear, formal and positive style. Use the past tense for jobs and tasks you have finished and the present tense for your current job. Leave out the word "I" at the start of each line. This keeps each statement short and focused on actions and results, and it is the normal convention in CVs. Prefer short sentences and common words over long or rare ones: the reader wants to understand you quickly.
If English is your second language, you can write an excellent CV without complicated English. Use simple, correct sentences, copy the vocabulary from the job advert where it is true for you, and avoid idioms or fashionable phrases you are not sure about. Choose one spelling style and use it from beginning to end. Then ask a teacher, friend or family member to read the CV, because spelling and grammar mistakes can make a good applicant look careless.
| Feature | Recommended |
|---|---|
| Length | One to two pages for most students and early-career applicants |
| Font | A plain, readable font at about 10 to 12 points |
| Margins and spacing | Even margins, clear headings and space between sections |
| Style | The same date style, the same tense and the same bullet style from top to bottom |
| Colours and graphics | Few or none; use bold for headings and job titles |
| Photograph and personal details | Customs differ by country and employer, so follow the advert and local practice |
| File type | PDF unless the employer asks for another type |
| File name | A clear name such as Firstname-Lastname-CV.pdf |
A PDF keeps your layout the same on every phone and computer, while a word-processor file can look different when it is opened on another device. After you save the file, open it and read it again as the employer will see it.
Many employers use an applicant tracking system (ATS): software that receives applications, stores them and helps recruiters search by keyword. Not every system works in the same way, but a few habits help both the software and the human reader.
Do not copy a long list of keywords that you cannot support. A CV filled with words that are not true for you may pass a search, but it will fail at the interview.
Tailoring means adjusting your CV so that it fits one specific job. It takes ten to twenty minutes and is often the most valuable step in the whole process. Follow this method:
Two people apply for the same office assistant job. One sends the same general CV to every employer. The other reads the advert, sees that it asks for "scheduling" and "using spreadsheets", and rewrites two bullet points to show exactly that experience. The second CV is far easier for the employer to match to the job, and it takes the candidate only a short time to adjust.
First job. Lead with education, then projects, volunteering, part-time work and skills. Employers know that a first-time applicant has little paid experience, so they look for responsibility, learning and reliability.
Changing career. Use a skills-based or combined format. Show how your existing skills, such as communication, planning and problem solving, apply to the new field, and mention any training you have done for it.
Gaps in your history. Be honest and brief. A short note such as "career break to study" or "caring for a family member" is better than hiding the dates. Then show any skills or courses you gained in that time.
Many short jobs. Group similar short roles under one heading, for example "Temporary and seasonal work, 2022 to 2024", and highlight the skills that they have in common.
Applying abroad. Customs for photographs, personal details, length and layout differ from one country and employer to another. Read the advert, look at official career advice for that country, and follow what the employer asks.
A CV must be true. Inventing a qualification, extending a date or claiming a skill you do not have can lead to losing an offer, or even a job you already hold, when it is discovered. You can present facts in the best honest light, but you cannot change them.
Protect your privacy too. Share only the contact details that an employer needs, never your passwords, bank information or identity numbers, and be careful about posting your full CV on public websites. Check that the public profiles you list, such as a professional networking page, look appropriate to an employer.
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Sending the same CV to every employer | Tailor the profile and top bullet points for each job |
| Listing duties instead of achievements | Use action verb + task + result |
| Spelling or grammar mistakes | Read it slowly, use a spell-checker and ask someone else to check |
| An unprofessional email address | Create one based on your name |
| Inconsistent dates, fonts or bullets | Choose one style and apply it everywhere |
| Too long or crowded | Keep to one or two pages and cut the least relevant items |
| Vague words such as "hard-working" with no proof | Show the quality through a specific example |
| Listing referees without asking | Ask permission and tell them about the job |
| False or exaggerated claims | Include only facts that you can prove |
| A confusing file name or file type | Use a clear PDF name unless the employer asks for something else |
Before you send your CV, read it once more from the top, and tick off each of these:
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Action verb | A strong past-tense verb, such as "led" or "reduced", that begins a bullet point |
| ATS | Applicant tracking system: software that stores and searches job applications |
| CAR method | Challenge, action, result: a way to turn an experience into evidence |
| Hard skill | A specific ability that can be taught and tested |
| Referee | A person who can speak about your work or character |
| Soft skill | A personal quality such as teamwork or communication |
| Tailoring | Adjusting your CV to fit one specific job advert |
A CV is not a list of everything you have done. It is an argument that you are the right person for one particular job, supported by evidence. Collect your evidence, choose a clear format, turn your experience into action-verb statements with results, tailor the document for each advert, and check every line before you send it. If you do this, your CV will do its one job: to earn you the interview. The next step is to prepare for that interview, which is the subject of another article in this series.
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