How To Write A CV In 2023: Template, Examples, and Tips

How To Write A CV

After picking the right format and template, a CV is broken down into five main sections:

1. Contact information header.
2. Personal profile.
3. Work experience.
4. Education.
5. Skills.

If you have other relevant qualifications, such as volunteer experience or certifications, you can include them in additional sections as well.

Contact information header

The first step to writing a CV is to fill out your contact information. It is important that your CV contact heading:

• Stands out: Your name will want to make enough impact so the reader associates you with your skills and experience.
• Easy to read: Have all the necessary information should a recruiter or hiring manager want to move forward with your job application.
• Doesn’t take up too much space: This is so the reader knows who you are and how to reach you without sacrificing any space that will go towards highlighting your qualifications.

The contact heading of a CV contains your:

• Full name.
• Phone number.
• Professional email address.
• Location (city and state/country).
• LinkedIn profile or other professional social media links (optional)

Here is an example of a CV contact information header:

Personal profile: CV summary or objective statement

The next step of your CV is to write your personal profile. This is a brief description, between one to three sentences long, that pitches you as the best candidate for the position.

There are two types of a CV personal profile:

• CV summary: A CV summary showcases specific skills and experience that make you qualified, such as a number of years in a certain industry or past achievements.
• CV objective statement: A CV objective statement focuses on why you are applying and will mention any current skills, education, or other experiences that qualify you.

Although both are acceptable, it is recommended that you write a CV summary if possible. This is because provides evidence to your qualifications, which is something many recruiters and hiring managers prefer to see.

However, if you are a recent graduate, changing careers, or simply lack experience, then a CV objective statement is a good way to demonstrate your enthusiasm for the job.

Work experience

In the work experience section of your CV, you will detail your job history and use your past as proof of why you are the best candidate for the position.

The work experience section of your CV is normally written in reverse chronological order, which means you start with your most recent position and work backward from there.

Under each experience, you will list:

• Job title or position.
• Name of employer.
• Location.
• Dates of employment.
• 3 to 6 bullet points of responsibilities and achievements.

You must stand out with your work experience. Therefore, there are three key points you want to consider:

• Use action verbs: Action verbs add strength to your words and make them easier to read. Avoid generic or cliche verbs. Instead, pick ones that empathize with your actions. Note that some of these verbs may be found in the job description.
• Include buzzwords from the job description: Recruiters and hiring managers are more interested in applicants who match the skills and experience found in the job description. Use these keywords to identify your qualifications clearly. This has the added benefit of making your CV friendly with applicant tracking systems (ATS) which will filter for candidates who meet pre-determined criteria, such as skills and experiences in the job description.
• Provide quantifiable achievements: Probably the best thing you can do for your CV work experience section is to demonstrate your value as a past and prospective employee. A recruiter or hiring manager will pay attention to you more if you can provide evidence that backs up your skills. Don’t just list your responsibilities, but show how your actions resulted in specific metrics that brought success.

When writing your work experience, do your best to provide clear, concise detail. You need to find the right balance between giving the reader enough context to understand your qualifications without cluttering your CV. Accomplish this by ensuring every bullet point contains relevant information.

Education

In the education section of your CV, you will want to write down your highest level of education. This could be a high school, undergraduate, or graduate degree.

Make sure to list the following:

• Name of the institution.
• Location (city, state/country).
• Type of degree.
• Area of focus.
• Years attended or graduated (optional)
• Honors (optional)
• Relevant coursework or projects (optional)
• GPA (if notable)

The education section should be quite brief for most applicants with several years of job experience. However, if you are a recent graduate, you may want to include any academic information that helps solidify your qualifications, such as relevant coursework.

Skills

Use this section of your CV to showcase your skills further. The job description of your application will likely include a combination of two types of skills:

• Hard skills: Hard skills are measurable and relate to specific tasks. They are generally technical and come with certain types of job experiences. Examples include knowledge of certain programming languages, project management software, or certified procedures.
• Soft skills: Soft skills reflect your interpersonal skills, including how you work with others and your work ethic. Soft skills are transferable between professions. Examples include communication, time management, and empathy.

When you choose which of your skills to list, focus on the ones that the job description asks for. List between six to ten skills that help you tailor your CV.

Additional information

Sometimes you may need to include additional sections to your CV to showcase your qualifications better. Such sections include:

• Awards.
• Certifications.
• Volunteer work.
• Research projects and publications.
• Conferences attended.
• Relevant hobbies.

Only add additional sections if you can justify their relevance. Otherwise, any information should be placed in the work experience section or skills section of your CV.