How to Write a CV for a Job (Writing Help & 20+ Tips)

 


So you’re looking for a new job.

Seems thrilling, innit? Such plenty of exciting opportunities to grasp and all it takes to seize one is to send a good CV.

Picture this:

You’ve found this dream job. You know you’d be a perfect fit. You send your CV and you breathlessly wait for the call-back. But it never happens.

Sound familiar? Yeah, it does for most of us. But how’s that possible?

Why, I happen to know the answer to that:

Your CV has never been read. It wasn’t good enough.

Take heart, this nightmare scenario isn’t unfolding ever again. That’s cause you’re about to learn a surefire way to transform your run-of-the-mill CV into a fab one.

Read this guide and you’ll see:

• A CV sample better than 9 out of 10 other CVs.
• How to write a curriculum vitae even if you have no experience.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a perfect CV.
• How to describe your experience on a CV to get any job you want.

Here's a free CV example made using our resume and CV creator.

Make Sure that You Know When to Use a CV

Let’s start with the basics to make CV writing easy:

What is a CV?

In its full form, CV stands for curriculum vitae (latin for: course of life). In the US, Canada, and Australia, a CV is a document you use for academic purposes. The US academic CV outlines every detail of your scholarly career. In other countries, CV is an equivalent of an American resume. You use it when you apply for jobs.

Because this document is named differently across different countries, a lot of folks keep asking:

What is the difference between a CV and a resume?

Let’s get this straight, once and for all:

In the hiring industry, nowadays there’s almost no formal difference between a CV and a resume. It’s the same thing that Brits call a CV and Americans—a resume.

Just like they do with chips and french fries, football and soccer, or Queen Elizabeth and Queen Bey.

So, if you're applying to a European company, you should create a CV. But if you're applying to a US-based employer, you should make a resume.

2

Pick the Best CV Format

Here’s a disturbing thought:

Every time you’re looking for a job, you compete against 250 other candidates on average.

Yes, you read that right.

Imagine you are the recruiter and you have to review 250 job applications. Do you thoroughly read all of them? Nah, of course you don’t.

Recruiters spend only 6 seconds scanning each CV. So the very first impression is key. If you submit a neat, properly organised document, you’ll convince the recruiters to spend more time on your CV.

A poorly formatted CV, on the other hand, will get you discarded in the first-round review.

Here’s how to format a CV the right way.

Start with creating a CV outline divided into the following sections:

Sample CV Format

1. CV Header with Contact Information
2. Personal Profile: CV Objective or CV Summary
3. Work Experience
4. Education
5. Skills
6. Additional Sections