How to Write a CV: The Complete Guide With Examples (2026)

Writing a CV is the first real step in any job search. Yet most people treat it as an afterthought — copying an old template, listing duties instead of achievements, and sending the same document to every employer. This guide changes that. ## How to Write a CV A CV (Curriculum Vitae) is a structured document that presents your professional experience, education, and skills to potential employers. Unlike a cover letter, which tells a story, a CV organizes facts for quick scanning. **The 6-step process:** 1. **Start with your contact details** — Full name, phone number, professional email, LinkedIn URL, and city. No full address, no photo (in the UK/US), no date of birth. 2. **Write a personal statement** — 3-4 sentences summarizing who you are, what you bring, and what you're looking for. This replaces the outdated "Objective" section. 3. **List your work experience in reverse chronological order** — Most recent job first. For each role: job title, company name, dates, and 3-5 bullet points focusing on achievements with measurable results. 4. **Add your education** — Degree, institution, graduation year. Include relevant coursework or honours only if you're a recent graduate. 5. **Include a skills section** — Technical skills, languages, certifications. Match keywords from the job description. 6. **Proofread ruthlessly** — One typo can eliminate you. Read it backwards, use spell check, and have someone else review it. **Length rules:** - Entry-level / graduate: 1 page - Mid-career (5-15 years): 2 pages - Senior / academic: 2-3 pages ## CV Writing Tips The difference between a CV that gets interviews and one that gets ignored often comes down to small details. **Tip 1: Lead with impact, not responsibilities.** Don't write "Responsible for managing social media." Write "Grew Instagram following from 2,000 to 15,000 in 6 months, driving 40% increase in website traffic." **Tip 2: Tailor every CV.** Read the job description carefully. Mirror their language. If they say "stakeholder management," use that exact phrase — not "working with people." **Tip 3: Use action verbs.** Start every bullet point with a strong verb: Led, Built, Increased, Reduced, Designed, Implemented, Launched, Negotiated, Streamlined, Delivered. **Tip 4: Quantify everything possible.** Numbers catch the eye: revenue generated, team size managed, percentage improvements, projects delivered, budget controlled. **Tip 5: Keep formatting consistent.** Same font throughout, same date format, same bullet style. Inconsistency signals carelessness. **Tip 6: Optimize for ATS.** 75% of CVs are filtered by software before a human sees them. Use standard section headings, avoid tables and text boxes, and include keywords from the job posting. ## Professional CV Writing A professional CV goes beyond listing jobs — it tells a coherent career story where each role builds on the last. **What separates professional CVs from amateur ones:** - **Strategic ordering:** Your strongest selling points come first. If your education is more impressive than your experience, lead with education. If you have strong certifications, create a prominent section for them. - **Consistent narrative:** Each role should logically connect to the next. If you changed industries, your personal statement should explain the transition and highlight transferable skills. - **Industry-specific language:** A CV for finance should use different terminology than one for creative industries. Research how professionals in your target field describe their work. - **Achievement density:** Professional CVs average 2-3 quantified achievements per role. If you can't quantify, describe the scope: "Managed vendor relationships across 3 countries" or "Trained 25 new hires on compliance procedures." - **White space:** Professional CVs are not walls of text. Generous margins, clear section breaks, and breathing room between entries make the document scannable and pleasant to read. ## How to Make a CV Making a CV involves choosing the right format, gathering your information, and structuring it for maximum impact. **Step 1: Choose your format** - **Chronological** (most common): Lists work experience from newest to oldest. Best for candidates with a clear career progression. - **Functional** (skills-based): Organizes by skill categories rather than timeline. Best for career changers or those with employment gaps. - **Combination:** Starts with a skills summary, followed by chronological work history. Best for experienced professionals targeting a specific role. **Step 2: Gather your information** Before writing, collect: - Exact job titles, company names, and employment dates - Key achievements with numbers (revenue, percentages, team sizes) - Education details including grades if relevant - Certifications, courses, and professional development - Technical skills and tools you're proficient in - Languages and proficiency levels **Step 3: Write your first draft** Don't try to be perfect. Get everything on paper first, then edit ruthlessly. Most CVs improve dramatically between the first and third draft. **Step 4: Get feedback** Ask someone in your target industry to review your CV. Their perspective on what matters and what doesn't is worth more than any template. ## CV Writing Guide This section serves as your quick-reference checklist — a condensed guide you can return to every time you update your CV. **The Do List:** - Use a clean, professional font (Calibri, Arial, Garamond, Helvetica) - Save as PDF for submissions (preserves formatting) - Name the file professionally: FirstName-LastName-CV.pdf - Include LinkedIn URL (make sure your profile is complete) - Update your CV every 3-6 months, even when not job searching **The Don't List:** - Don't use "I" — write in implied first person ("Led team of 5" not "I led a team of 5") - Don't include references on the CV (say "Available upon request" or omit entirely) - Don't use generic objectives ("Seeking a challenging role...") - Don't include every job you've ever had — focus on the last 10-15 years - Don't use colours or graphics unless you're in a creative field - Don't lie — background checks will catch fabrications ## Best CV Writing Service While professional CV writing services exist, understanding what they do helps you decide whether to invest or DIY. **What professional CV writers actually do:** - Interview you about your career highlights and goals - Rewrite your experience using achievement-focused language - Optimize for ATS with industry-specific keywords - Format for visual impact and readability - Provide multiple versions for different target roles **When it's worth paying:** - Senior executive roles (director+) where the stakes justify the investment - Career transitions where you need help reframing your experience - If you've been rejected repeatedly and can't identify why - International applications where local conventions matter **When to save your money:** - Entry-level roles where a clean template and strong content are sufficient - If you're a strong writer who can implement the tips in this guide - If you have access to AI-powered CV tools like SUAR that give personalized feedback **Average costs:** - Basic CV rewrite: $100-200 / £80-150 - Professional service with consultation: $300-500 / £200-400 - Executive-level service: $500-1,500 / £400-1,000+ > SUAR's AI CV Scanner analyzes your CV against real ATS algorithms and gives you specific, actionable feedback — at a fraction of the cost of professional writing services. ## CV Writing for Beginners If you've never written a CV before, the process can feel overwhelming. Here's a simplified approach that works. **Start with what you have.** Even if you've never had a formal job, you have experiences worth listing: - Part-time or seasonal work - Internships and work placements - Volunteer work and community involvement - University projects and group assignments - Freelance or self-initiated projects - Relevant coursework and certifications **The beginner's CV structure:** 1. **Contact Information** 2. **Personal Statement** — Focus on your enthusiasm, relevant skills, and career direction 3. **Education** — Lead with this since it's likely your strongest section 4. **Experience** — Include all relevant experience, paid or unpaid 5. **Skills** — Technical skills, software, languages 6. **Interests** — Only if genuinely relevant to the role (e.g., "competitive debate" for a sales role) **Common beginner mistakes to avoid:** - Listing every module from your degree (pick the 3-4 most relevant) - Using a fancy template that confuses ATS software - Writing a full page about one cafe job (keep it to 3-4 bullet points) - Forgetting to include soft skills developed through non-work experiences ## CV With No Experience Having no professional experience doesn't mean having nothing to offer. Here's how to build a compelling CV when your work history is thin. **Reframe your perspective.** Employers hiring for entry-level roles know you lack experience. They're looking for potential, attitude, and transferable skills. **What to emphasize:** - **Academic achievements:** Dissertation topics, research projects, high grades in relevant subjects - **Extracurricular leadership:** Society president, team captain, event organizer - **Technical skills:** Software, programming languages, tools learned through coursework or self-study - **Soft skills with evidence:** Communication (led presentations), teamwork (group projects), problem-solving (hackathons) - **Online learning:** Coursera certificates, LinkedIn Learning, Google certifications **Power phrases for no-experience CVs:** - "Developed proficiency in [skill] through [specific activity]" - "Demonstrated [quality] by [specific example]" - "Selected for [opportunity] from [number] of applicants" - "Collaborated with [team size] peers to deliver [project/result]" **The volunteer strategy:** If you genuinely have no experience of any kind, volunteer for 2-4 weeks in your target field. This gives you a legitimate entry on your CV and often leads to references or paid opportunities. ## CV Writing Examples Here are three complete personal statement examples for different career levels: **Graduate / Entry-Level:** "Recent Business Administration graduate from the University of Manchester with a First-Class degree and a specialization in digital marketing. Completed a 3-month internship at a London agency where I managed social media accounts for 4 SME clients, increasing average engagement by 28%. Seeking a junior marketing role where I can apply my analytical skills and creative thinking to drive measurable results." **Mid-Career Professional:** "Operations Manager with 8 years of experience in logistics and supply chain management across the UK and EMEA. Track record of reducing operational costs by 15-22% through process optimization and vendor renegotiation. Led a team of 12 through a warehouse management system migration that improved order accuracy from 94% to 99.2%. Looking to bring my operational expertise to a high-growth company scaling its distribution network." **Senior / Executive:** "Chief Technology Officer with 15+ years leading engineering teams at SaaS companies from Series A through IPO. Built and scaled engineering organizations from 8 to 120+ engineers across 4 countries. Most recently led the technical transformation at [Company], migrating a monolithic architecture to microservices while maintaining 99.99% uptime and reducing infrastructure costs by 35%. Seeking a CTO role at a growth-stage company where technical excellence drives competitive advantage." --- *Build your CV with SUAR's AI-powered creator. Get instant feedback, ATS optimization, and professional formatting — tailored to your target role and market.*