CV Best Practices — Write a CV That Gets You Hired

Essential Sections of a Strong CV

Every effective CV shares the same core building blocks. Include all of them — in this order.

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Personal Information

Full name, professional email address, phone number, city (not full address), and a link to your LinkedIn profile or portfolio. Keep it clean — no photo unless the local norm requires it.

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Professional Summary

A 2–4 sentence statement tailored to the role you're applying for. Highlight your years of experience, key strengths, and the value you bring. Avoid generic phrases like "hard-working team player".

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Work Experience

List roles in reverse chronological order. For each position include job title, company name, dates (month/year), and 3–5 bullet points describing achievements with measurable outcomes.

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Education

Degree, institution, and graduation year. Add relevant coursework, honours, or a thesis title only if directly relevant. Place education before experience only if you are a recent graduate.

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Skills

Group skills into clear categories (e.g. Technical, Languages, Tools). List only skills you can defend in an interview. Proficiency levels are optional but helpful for languages.

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Optional Extras

Certifications, publications, volunteer work, or professional memberships. Add these only when they strengthen your candidacy. Keep each entry brief — one line is often enough.

Formatting & Design Tips

Recruiters spend on average 7 seconds on an initial CV scan. Make every second count.

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Stick to one or two pages One page for fewer than 7 years of experience; two pages maximum for senior professionals. Never add content just to fill space.
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Use a professional, readable font Calibri, Helvetica, Georgia, or similar at 10–12pt for body text. Keep font usage consistent throughout — one font for headings, one for body.
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Maintain consistent margins and spacing 1.5–2 cm margins on all sides. Adequate white space between sections improves readability and signals attention to detail.
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Use action verbs and quantify results Begin each bullet point with a strong verb: Led, Delivered, Reduced, Increased. Follow with a measurable outcome wherever possible — e.g. "Reduced onboarding time by 30%."
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Save and submit as PDF PDF preserves your formatting across all devices and operating systems. Name the file clearly: FirstName_LastName_CV.pdf.
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Tailor for each application Mirror keywords from the job description. Applicant tracking systems (ATS) score CVs before a human ever reads them. A tailored CV consistently outperforms a generic one.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

These errors are responsible for the majority of CV rejections at the screening stage.

Generic objective statement

Saying "I am looking for a challenging role" tells a recruiter nothing. Replace with a tailored summary that speaks directly to the position.

Including every job you've ever had

Irrelevant or very early career roles dilute the impact of your stronger experience. Focus on the last 10–15 years or the most relevant roles.

Spelling and grammar errors

Even a single typo signals carelessness. Proofread carefully, use spell-check, and ask a trusted colleague to review your CV before sending.

Unexplained employment gaps

Brief, honest notes about gaps (e.g. "Career break — parental leave" or "Freelance projects") are far better than silence that invites speculation.

Using a personal email address

Addresses like "partylover92@..." undermine professionalism. Create a clean firstname.lastname@domain.com address for job applications.

Listing duties instead of achievements

"Responsible for sales" describes a job description, not your contribution. Show the impact: "Grew regional sales by 22% YoY through targeted account management."

Write a CV That Gets You Hired