You’ve probably heard a dozen different "rules" about how to write a proper CV by now. Keep it to one page. No, two pages. Use a photo. Never use a photo. Honestly? Most of that advice is dated, recycled garbage that ignores how modern hiring actually works. If you're out there firing off the same PDF to every job posting on LinkedIn and wondering why you’re getting ghosted, the problem isn't your experience. It's the document.
A CV isn't a biography. It's a sales pitch.
Most people treat their CV like a historical record of every boring task they’ve ever performed since 2014. Recruiters don’t care that you "monitored emails" or "attended weekly meetings." They want to know if you can solve the specific, painful problem they have right now. If you can't prove that in about six seconds—the average time a human recruiter spends on an initial screen—you’re out.
The Myth of the "Standard" Format
There is no such thing as a perfect, universal template. If you’re looking for a secret "hack" to bypass the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), I’ve got bad news: the ATS isn't a monster you need to slay. It’s a filing cabinet. It reads text. It likes clear headings. It hates weird graphics, tables within tables, and non-standard fonts that look like a wedding invitation.
People obsess over the "look" of their CV. They spend hours in Canva picking out a teal-and-grey aesthetic that looks great but functions poorly. Real talk? A boring, well-structured Word document usually beats a flashy design every single time because it's readable for both humans and machines.
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The Death of the Career Objective
Stop writing "Hardworking professional seeking a challenging role in a growth-oriented company."
Everyone is hardworking. Everyone wants a "challenging role." It’s filler. It’s the linguistic equivalent of white noise. Instead, replace that dusty objective with a Professional Summary. This is your three-sentence elevator pitch. It should name your role, your years of experience, and your biggest "win."
Example: "Senior Project Manager with 8+ years in fintech, specializing in scaling cross-functional teams from 10 to 50+ members. Reduced operational overhead by 22% through Lean implementation at Stripe."
See the difference? That's not a wish list; it’s a track record.
Why Impact Trumps Responsibilities
This is where 90% of candidates fail. They list responsibilities.
- Managed a team of five.
- Responsible for monthly reporting.
- Liaised with stakeholders.
This tells me what you were supposed to do, not what you actually did. To understand how to write a proper CV, you have to shift your mindset toward impact. Use the Google XYZ formula: "Accomplished [X] as measured by [Y], by doing [Z]."
Laszlo Bock, former Senior VP of People Operations at Google, has championed this for years. It works because it provides context. If you say you "sold software," that means nothing. If you say you "surpassed annual sales targets by 150% ($2.2M) by pioneering a new outbound lead generation strategy in the EMEA market," you’ve suddenly become a person worth interviewing.
Numbers are the universal language of business. Even if you don't work in sales or finance, you have numbers. How many people did you train? What was the budget? How much time did you save the company by automating that one annoying spreadsheet? If you can’t quantify it, qualify it. Mention the specific tools you used or the complexity of the project.
The Secret Language of Keywords
Keywords aren't just for SEO specialists. They are the bridge between your experience and a recruiter's needs.
Go look at three job descriptions for roles you want. Not just the one you're applying for—look at several. You’ll start to see patterns. Are they asking for "Agile methodology" or "Scrum"? Do they want "Stakeholder Management" or "Client Relations"?
Don't lie. But do translate. If you call yourself a "Customer Success Hero" but the entire industry calls it an "Account Manager," change your title on the CV. Use the language the recruiter is typing into their search bar. This isn't "gaming the system." It's being helpful. You're making it easy for them to find you.
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Structure Matters (More Than You Think)
A proper CV follows a logical flow.
- Contact Info: Name, phone, email (make it professional), LinkedIn URL, and city/state. You don't need your full street address anymore. We're not sending you a postcard.
- Professional Summary: Your 30-second pitch.
- Core Competencies/Skills: A quick-scan section of hard skills (Python, SEO, Financial Modeling). Skip the soft skills like "Communication" or "Team Player"—prove those in your experience section instead.
- Professional Experience: Reverse chronological order. Always. Nobody cares about your internship in 2008 if you've been a Director for the last five years.
- Education: At the bottom, unless you’re a recent grad.
The Two-Page "Rule" and When to Break It
Should it be one page? If you have less than 5-7 years of experience, probably. If you've been working for 20 years and have a list of publications or major projects, two pages is fine. Occasionally, for academic or high-level executive roles (CVs rather than Resumes in the strict US sense), it might even be three.
But here’s the reality: if the first page doesn't grab them, the second page doesn't exist.
Don't shrink your font to 8pt just to fit it on one page. It makes you look desperate and it's physically painful to read. Use 10pt or 11pt for the body and 14-16pt for headings. White space is your friend. It gives the reader's eyes a place to rest.
Red Flags That Get You Rejected
- Typos: In 2026, with all the AI and spellcheck tools available, a typo suggests you don't care about the details.
- Irrelevant Hobbies: Unless your hobby is directly related to the job or is genuinely world-class (e.g., "Olympic Archer"), leave it off. No one cares that you like hiking. Everyone likes hiking.
- Old Tech: Listing "Microsoft Word" as a skill is like listing "Ability to use a telephone." It’s assumed. Unless you’re a power user of Excel (macros, VBA, complex pivots), don't waste the space.
- The "Wall of Text": Paragraphs longer than four lines in your experience section will be skipped. Use bullet points. Vary their length. Keep them punchy.
The Nuance of the Global Market
If you're applying for a role in the UK or Europe, a "CV" is the standard. It’s more detailed. In the US, it’s a "Resume," which is usually more condensed. However, the terms are becoming increasingly interchangeable in global tech.
One thing that hasn't changed? The need for a "tailored" approach. Sending 100 generic CVs is a waste of your time. Sending five highly tailored CVs where you’ve researched the company’s recent challenges and reflected them in your summary is how you actually get hired.
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Visit the company’s "About Us" page. Look at their blog. Are they talking about "Sustainability"? Are they pivoting to "AI-driven logistics"? Find a way to weave those themes into your bullet points.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Draft
Learning how to write a proper CV is an iterative process. You don't just "finish" it. You refine it.
- The "So What?" Test: Read every bullet point on your current CV. Ask yourself, "So what?" If the bullet point doesn't explain how your action helped the company make money, save money, or save time, delete it or rewrite it.
- Reverse-Engineer the Job: Highlight the top three requirements in a job posting. If your CV doesn't explicitly address those three things in the top half of the first page, you’re losing.
- Kill the Fluff: Delete words like "passionate," "innovative," "motivated," and "synergy." Replace them with "built," "delivered," "negotiated," and "fixed."
- Proofread via Text-to-Speech: Have your computer read your CV out loud to you. You will hear the clunky sentences and missing words that your eyes have become blind to.
- Save as a PDF: Unless specifically asked for a .doc file, always send a PDF. It preserves your formatting across all devices. Name the file properly:
Firstname_Lastname_JobTitle_CV.pdf. Don't call itCV_Draft_3_FINAL_2.pdf.
Your CV is a living document. It should evolve as you do. Stop treating it like a chore and start treating it like the marketing asset it is. When you focus on the value you provide rather than the tasks you performed, you'll find that recruiters start reaching out to you, rather than the other way around.