How to write a CV in 8 steps
Updated
A CV (curriculum vitae) is a one- to two-page summary of your experience, education and skills that you send when applying for a job. To write a good one, start with your contact details and a short personal statement, list your work history in reverse chronological order, then add education and skills, and tailor every line to the job advert. The steps below follow the format most employers in the UK, Ireland, Australia and other CV-using countries expect.
The 8 steps at a glance
- Read the job advert and note the skills and keywords it repeats.
- Choose a clean, single-column layout that applicant tracking systems (ATS) can read.
- Add your contact details: name, phone, email, town/city and, if relevant, a LinkedIn URL.
- Write a 3–4 line personal statement aimed at this role.
- List your work experience, newest first, with results rather than duties.
- Add education and relevant qualifications or certifications.
- Add a focused skills section that mirrors the advert's wording where it is true for you.
- Proofread, keep it to two A4 pages at most and save it as a PDF unless the employer asks for Word.
Contact details: what to include and what to leave out
Put your full name at the top as the heading — you do not need to write "Curriculum Vitae". Underneath, give one phone number, a professional email address and your location (town or city is enough).
In the UK and Ireland, employers do not expect a photo, date of birth, marital status or nationality on a CV, and leaving them out avoids questions about age or other personal characteristics. Some countries outside the English-speaking world still expect a photo; when you apply there, follow local practice. More on this in CV vs resume.
Personal statement (profile)
The personal statement is a short paragraph under your contact details that answers three questions: who you are professionally, what you are good at, and what you want next. Keep it to three or four lines and rewrite it for each application.
Fictional example — replace every detail with your own.
Work experience: show results, not just duties
List each job with the job title, employer, location and dates (month and year). Under each role, add three to six bullet points. Start each bullet with an action verb and, wherever you can, include a number: money saved, customers served, time reduced, targets met.
If you have little experience, include part-time jobs, volunteering, placements and course projects. Our guide to skills for a CV shows how to turn these into evidence.
| Weak bullet | Stronger bullet |
|---|---|
| Responsible for social media | Grew Instagram followers from 2,000 to 9,500 in 12 months with a weekly content plan |
| Helped customers | Handled 60+ customer queries a day with a 94% satisfaction score |
| Did stock control | Cut stock discrepancies by half by introducing weekly cycle counts |
Education and qualifications
Put education after experience unless you are a student or recent graduate. Give the qualification, institution and dates; add your grade or classification if it helps. Older school results can be summarised in one line once you have a degree or several years of work.
Skills, languages and extras
- Group skills into two or three short lines (for example: Software, Languages, Certifications).
- Name tools exactly as the advert does: "Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, XLOOKUP)" is better than "computer skills".
- For languages, use a recognised scale such as CEFR (A1–C2) or plain levels like "fluent" and "conversational".
- Hobbies are optional; include them only if they add something relevant to the job.
Length, layout and file format
Most UK employers expect a CV of no more than two A4 pages; one page is fine for students and early-career roles. Academic and medical CVs are the main exception. See how long should a CV be for details.
Use one clear font at 10–12 pt, consistent headings and plenty of white space. Avoid text boxes, tables for the main content and images, because some applicant tracking systems cannot read them — our ATS-friendly CV guide explains why.
Common mistakes that get CVs rejected
- Sending the same CV to every job without tailoring it.
- Spelling and grammar errors — read it aloud and ask someone else to check.
- Listing duties without results.
- Unexplained gaps; one honest line ("Career break: caring for a family member") is enough.
- An unprofessional email address or a file name like "cv_final_FINAL2.pdf" — use "Firstname-Lastname-CV.pdf".
Build it faster
You can write your CV in any editor, but a CV builder keeps the layout consistent and gives you an ATS-friendly version automatically. Pair your CV with a tailored cover letter.