You’re staring at a blank screen. It’s blinking at you. That little vertical line is mocking your entire career history because, honestly, trying to figure out how to write a good cv feels like trying to crack an encrypted code without the key. You’ve probably heard a million different pieces of advice. Keep it to one page. No, wait, two pages are fine. Use a photo. Don’t you dare use a photo. It's exhausting.
The truth is, the "perfect" CV doesn't exist. But a high-performing one absolutely does.
Most people treat their CV like a historical archive. They list every job they’ve had since they mowed lawns in high school. That’s a mistake. Your CV isn’t a biography; it’s a marketing brochure. It’s a sales pitch where the product is your time, your brain, and your sanity. If you want to grab the attention of a recruiter who is likely looking at your document for exactly six seconds—yes, that’s a real stat from eye-tracking studies—you need to stop thinking about what you did and start thinking about what you solved.
The Death of the Objective Statement
Stop writing "Hard-working professional seeking a challenging role in a dynamic environment." It’s filler. It’s fluff. It tells the hiring manager nothing except that you know how to use a cliché generator.
Instead, you need a Professional Summary. Think of this as your elevator pitch. If you were trapped in a lift with the CEO and had 20 seconds to explain why you’re worth $100k a year, what would you say? You’d probably mention that you increased sales by 20% or that you managed a team of fifteen through a massive merger. Put that right at the top. Use bold numbers.
Numbers are the international language of business. "Managed a budget" is boring. "Managed a $1.2 million annual spend and reduced waste by 15% through vendor renegotiation" is a story. It has a hero, a conflict, and a resolution. Recruiters love stories where they don't have to guess if you're good at your job.
How to Write a Good CV for the Robots (ATS)
We have to talk about the Applicant Tracking Systems. Most medium-to-large companies use software like Taleo, Greenhouse, or Workday to filter resumes before a human ever sees them. These systems aren't "evil," but they are literal. If the job description asks for "Project Management" and you wrote "Led various initiatives," the robot might miss the connection.
Don't overcomplicate the design. I know you want to use that cool Canva template with the progress bars for your "Photoshop skills" (by the way, never use those—what does 80% skill even mean?), but those graphics often scramble when an ATS tries to read them. Stick to a clean, reverse-chronological layout. Standard fonts. Clear headings.
Standard margins are your friend.
Actually, here’s a tip: take the job description and paste it into a word cloud generator. See which words pop up the most. If "Stakeholder Management" is huge and it's nowhere on your CV, you've got work to do. You aren't lying; you're just translating your experience into the language the company speaks.
The "So What?" Test
Every single bullet point on your CV should pass the "So What?" test.
- Point: "Responsible for customer service."
- So what? "I handled 50 calls a day."
- So what? "I maintained a 98% satisfaction rating."
The last one is the winner. If you can’t explain why a task mattered to the company’s bottom line or efficiency, it’s probably just taking up space. Laszlo Bock, the former Senior VP of People Operations at Google, famously advocates for the "X-Y-Z" formula. Basically, you accomplished [X] as measured by [Y], by doing [Z].
Example of the Formula in Action
Instead of saying you "improved website traffic," you would say: "Increased organic website traffic by 40% (X) over six months (Y) by implementing a new SEO content strategy and backlink outreach program (Z)."
It’s specific. It’s verifiable. It shows you understand the mechanics of your own success.
Experience vs. Education: The Great Debate
Where do you put your degree? If you’re a recent grad, it stays near the top. If you’ve been working for more than three years, move it to the bottom. Your experience is worth way more than your GPA at this stage.
And let's be real about "Skills" sections. Don't list Microsoft Word. It's 2026. Everyone knows how to use Word. Listing it is like listing "breathing" or "wearing pants." Focus on the hard skills that are actually scarce. Python? SQL? Advanced financial modeling? High-stakes negotiation? Those belong. Soft skills like "Communication" or "Team Player" should be demonstrated in your experience bullets, not listed as standalone items. Show, don't tell.
👉 See also: March 16, 2026: Why Most People Ignore This Massive Financial Pivot Point
Formatting That Doesn't Give Recruiters a Headache
White space is your best friend. A wall of text is a one-way ticket to the "No" pile. You want your CV to be "skimmable."
Use bullet points. Keep them to one or two lines each. Avoid "widows"—those annoying single words that hang out on a new line and waste vertical space. If you have a widow, edit the sentence to be tighter.
Regarding length: the "one-page rule" is mostly for entry-level folks. If you have 10+ years of relevant experience, two pages is perfectly acceptable. Just make sure the most important stuff is on page one. If page two is just a list of your hobbies and your primary school, delete it.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- Unprofessional email addresses: Please don't use "skaterboy92@gmail.com." Get a dedicated professional email.
- Physical addresses: You don't need to put your full street address anymore. City and State/Country are enough. It’s a privacy thing.
- References available upon request: This is outdated. They know you'll provide them if they ask. It just wastes a line.
- Photos: Unless you are an actor or a model, or you’re applying in a country where this is a legal standard (like Germany's Lebenslauf), leave the photo off. It opens the door for unconscious bias.
Dealing with Gaps and Career Pivots
Life happens. You might have a six-month gap because you traveled, or took care of a family member, or honestly, just got laid off during a tech crunch. Don't try to hide it by messing with the dates. Recruiters are like bloodhounds for date inconsistencies.
If you have a gap, just be honest. You can even include a one-line entry: "Career Break: Full-time caregiving for family member" or "Sabbatical: Independent travel through Southeast Asia." Most modern recruiters are human beings who understand that people have lives outside of spreadsheets.
For career changers, your "Transferable Skills" are everything. If you were a teacher and now you want to be a Project Manager, focus on the "instructional design," "stakeholder communication," and "schedule management" aspects of your teaching career. You aren't "just a teacher." You're a professional who managed 30 unmotivated "stakeholders" every day. That’s a project management masterclass.
The Final Polish
Proofread. Then proofread again. Then have a friend proofread it. Then read it out loud to yourself. Your brain is wired to "fix" typos when you read silently because it knows what you meant to write. Reading aloud forces you to see the "the the" or the "manger" instead of "manager."
Check your links. If you link to your LinkedIn profile or a portfolio, make sure they actually work. There is nothing more disappointing than clicking a portfolio link and getting a 404 error.
Understanding how to write a good cv is really about empathy. Put yourself in the shoes of a tired, overworked recruiter who has 400 applications to get through before lunch. Make their job easy. Give them the highlights. Use a clear hierarchy.
Actionable Steps to Improve Your CV Right Now
- Audit your bullet points. Go through your most recent job and apply the "So What?" test to every single line. If it’s just a task, turn it into an achievement with a number attached.
- Remove the junk. Delete your high school info, your "Objective" statement, and any skills that are considered basic computer literacy.
- Check your headers. Ensure your contact information is up to date and your LinkedIn profile is customized (e.g., linkedin.com/in/yourname instead of a string of random numbers).
- Keyword match. Open the job description of a role you actually want. Highlight the top 5 skills they mention. If those aren't prominent on the top half of your first page, rewrite your summary to include them.
- Standardize your dates. Use a consistent format like "MM/YYYY" or "Month Year." Inconsistency suggests a lack of attention to detail.
- Save as a PDF. Unless the application portal specifically asks for a Word doc, always send a PDF. It ensures your formatting stays exactly how you intended it, regardless of what device the recruiter is using.
Getting the interview is about proving you can solve a specific problem for a specific company. Your CV is the evidence. Keep it sharp, keep it honest, and for the love of everything, keep it brief. You’ve got the experience; now you just need to frame it so the rest of the world can see it clearly.