Our customers have been hired at: *Foot Note
Table of Contents
Get started with MyPerfectResume today!
- Build a resume on any device
- Pick an ATS-friendly template
- Tailor with AI copy suggestions
To write a strong CV, organize your qualifications into clear sections, tailor your content to the role, and highlight the experience and achievements most relevant to the opportunity.
A well-structured CV can help hiring managers quickly identify your qualifications and make it easier for applicant tracking systems (ATS) to recognize relevant information.
In this guide, you’ll learn the purpose of a CV, how it differs from a resume, how to write each section effectively, and how to format and structure your document for clarity and impact.
What Is a Curriculum Vitae?
A curriculum vitae (CV) is a detailed account of your professional experience and academic background. The term comes from Latin and means “course of life.”
CVs provide a detailed overview of your qualifications and measurable achievements for employers and organizations. They’re primarily used for:
- Job applications: CVs are often required when applying for academic, research, or medical positions that require a comprehensive record of qualifications.
- Academic and research positions: CVs are commonly used for faculty roles, research positions, graduate programs, and other academic opportunities where publications, research, teaching experience, and professional accomplishments are important.
- Grant and fellowship applications: CVs are used to demonstrate qualifications when applying for funding opportunities, such as grants, scholarships, or fellowships.
- Professional networking: CVs showcase your expertise when shared with colleagues, mentors, or other professionals in your field.
- Career advancement: CVs can be used as a tool for career planning and advancement, helping you track professional growth and set career goals.
Elevate Your Professional Presence With a CV
What Is the Difference Between a Resume & a CV?
A CV is a detailed, career-long document used mainly in academic and research settings, while a resume is a shorter, targeted document used for most nonacademic job applications.
Here are some of the key differences between CVs vs resumes:
- Length: Resumes are usually one to two pages long and focus on your most relevant work experience and skills for a specific job. CVs are typically longer and provide a more comprehensive overview of your entire career.
- Purpose: CVs are primarily used in academic, research, and scientific fields. Resumes are used for job applications in most other industries, such as business, marketing, technology, and nonacademic sectors.
- Content: CVs include detailed information about your academic and professional experience, including research, publications, and presentations. Resumes include select professional experience, education, and skills tailored to a specific role.
- Customization: CVs may retain more of your complete academic and professional history than resumes, but you should still tailor the content and emphasis to the role or application.
- Location: In most European countries, job seekers use a CV instead of a resume for job applications. A U.S. resume is used for most roles outside of academia, while a CV is typically reserved for academic, research, or international job applications.
Standard CV Layout
The standard CV layout is a clear, logical structure that helps employers quickly find key information. The section breakdown below shows how to organize your CV so your experience, education, and skills are easy to scan and professionally presented.
How to Write a CV for a Job Application
Writing a CV for a job application involves organizing your education, work experience, skills, and accomplishments into a clear, professional document. A strong CV is tailored to the role, easy for hiring managers to scan, and optimized for ATS.
Follow these steps to create your own:
SteP 1
Gather Your Information
Preparation is the foundation of a strong CV. Before you begin, gather your information, such as work history, job-relevant skills, and educational background.
Scan the job description for required skills, certifications, job titles, and keywords to include naturally throughout your CV. Matching your language to the posting helps ATS recognize your qualifications and makes it easier for hiring managers to quickly see that you’re a strong fit for the role. Use the employer’s terminology where it accurately describes your experience.
Make a note of all required qualifications and “nice-to-have” skills, then compile the following details:
- Education: Institutions attended, degrees earned, honors, awards, and thesis or dissertation titles
- Professional experience: Job titles, company names, locations, dates of employment, responsibilities, and key achievements
- Publications and presentations: Titles of papers, names of journals or conferences, and presentation dates
- Relevant skills: Software proficiency, languages, soft skills, and technical skills relevant to your field
- Research experience: Project titles, institutions, dates, and important contributions or skills gained
- Certifications and licenses: Relevant certifications or licenses and the dates they were obtained
- Professional affiliations: Memberships in relevant professional organizations or societies
- Awards and honors: Scholarships, grants, fellowships, and other significant recognitions
If you’re applying for multiple positions, create a master CV with your full experience, then customize each version by emphasizing the qualifications most relevant to each role. You can use our CV Maker to create a CV with professional templates, guided prompts, and professionally written content suggestions tailored to your industry or target role.
Step 2
Choose a Professional CV Template
Choose a CV template with clear headings, consistent formatting, and a simple layout that highlights your qualifications without distracting design elements.
Using a template is one of the easiest ways to ensure your CV is properly structured and ATS-friendly. See our ATS-friendly resume guide for additional formatting tips.
Our expertly crafted templates organize your CV for maximum readability and allow you to customize it for different roles. You can also rearrange sections to match your industry, job title, and job requirements.
A professional template also helps maintain consistent spacing, readable fonts, proper margins, and an organized layout that’s easy for employers to scan.
Step 3
Add Your Contact Information
No matter how you format your CV, include your contact information at the top so hiring managers can easily reach you.
You can format your CV header the same way you’d format your resume header. Include the following information:
- Full name
- Phone number
- Professional email address
- City and state/province
- Professional profile, website, or portfolio link
Step 4
Include a Professional Summary
Add a professional summary consisting of two to four sentences that highlight your experience, specialized expertise, and most relevant accomplishments using language that reflects the job description whenever appropriate.
Here’s an example CV summary statement:
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Experienced physics professor with 10+ years of teaching and research experience in condensed matter physics. Published 20+ peer-reviewed articles, secured $2 million in research funding, and mentored undergraduate and graduate students. Specializes in experimental materials research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and scientific communication.
From there, you can organize your CV sections in the order that best highlights your qualifications for the role, as long as you include skills, education, and work experience.
Step 5
Showcase Relevant Skills
Place your CV skills section directly under your professional summary so employers can quickly identify your core qualifications.
Include five to 10 hard skills and soft skills that accurately reflect your qualifications. Prioritize the technical skills, certifications, and competencies mentioned in the job description, then balance them with relevant interpersonal skills.
Examples of strong interpersonal skills to include are:
- Resilience
- Communication
- Conflict resolution
- Leadership
- Adaptability
- Flexibility
- Collaboration
- Active listening
- Cultural competence
- Creativity
You can use our AI-powered skills generator to find job-relevant skills for your CV:
AI Resume Skills Generator
Step 6
Add Your Work Experience
Place your professional experience section where it best highlights your qualifications for the role.
List current and past jobs in reverse-chronological order, starting with your most recent position. If you’re unsure how to organize your work history, see our guide to the chronological resume format for additional tips and examples.
For each role, include three to five key accomplishments along with:
- Company name
- Company location
- Dates of employment
- Job title
Employers value measurable results. Whenever possible, quantify your accomplishments with numbers, percentages, publications, grants, presentations, or other outcomes that demonstrate your impact.
Use powerful action verbs throughout your CV to emphasize your impact in past roles. Examples include:
Action Verbs for CVs
- Mediate
- Articulate
- Interface
- Convince
- Negotiate
- Critique
- Arbitrate
- Counsel
- Motivate
- Mentor
- Collaborate
- Resolve
- Inspire
- Encourage
- Listen
- Assist
- Help
- Relate
- Analyze
- Liaise
- Translate
- Guide
- Interact
- Express
- Correspond
- Determine
- Evaluate
- Formulate
- Interpret
- Measure
- Predict
- Survey
- Establish
- Optimize
- Summarize
- Examine
What If You Have Little or No Work Experience?
If you’re writing your first CV or changing careers, don’t worry if your work history is limited. You can emphasize internships, volunteer work, research projects, coursework, leadership roles, publications, or transferable skills to demonstrate your qualifications. Pair these experiences with a strong professional summary that highlights your strengths, career goals, and relevant skills.
Even if your experience comes from the classroom or community rather than a traditional job, show how your projects, coursework, leadership, or volunteer work demonstrate skills you can bring to the role.
Step 7
Create Your Education Section
In your CV education section, include the name of the institution, the degree earned, and your graduation date. If you have multiple degrees or attended more than one institution, list them in reverse-chronological order, starting with the most recent.
You can place your education section in different parts of your CV depending on your experience level and field. For example:
- If you’re a recent graduate with limited professional experience, placing your education section before your work history can better highlight your strongest qualifications.
- If you’re a medical doctor with several years of experience, you might place your education section after your skills and work history.
- If you’re applying for your first assistant professor position, it makes more sense to show your education credentials before anything else.
Include your GPA if it’s relevant or requested, along with any academic honors, awards, grants, scholarships, or fellowships.
Here’s an example education section for a corporate lawyer:
EDUCATION
Juris Doctor | University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley, CA
Master of Business Administration | Northwestern University | Chicago, IL
Bachelor of Arts in English | University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ
See how to list education on a resume for sample education sections and tips from career advice experts.
Step 8
Add Optional CV Sections
You can add additional sections, such as certifications or awards, to demonstrate the breadth of your experience and qualifications. Consider adding one or more of the following sections if they’re relevant to your background.
Certifications
Not all professions require certifications or licenses, but if you have them, include a certifications section on your CV and list them in reverse-chronological order, starting with the most recent.
For example:
CERTIFICATIONS
Notary Public, Michigan
Michigan Department of State
Issued May 2026
Renewal date: May 2030
Awards & Honors
When writing a CV, you can include an awards and honors section to highlight achievements from your education and career. This section may include Dean’s List recognitions, academic or professional distinctions, leadership awards, and volunteer or community awards.
List awards and honors in reverse-chronological order and include the award name, issuing organization, and date received.
For example:
AWARDS & HONORS
- Heroes of Chemistry Award, American Chemical Society, 2025
- National Academy of Sciences Award in Chemical Sciences, National Academy of Sciences, 2024
- Peter Debye Award in Physical Chemistry, American Chemical Society, 2022
Publications
If you’ve published articles, research papers, essays, stories, or books, include them in a dedicated publications section. List publications in reverse-chronological order. Include the title, publication name, and publication date.
For example:
PUBLICATIONS
Smith, J., & Johnson, L. (2025). Advancements in CRISPR-Cas9 Technology. Nature Biotechnology, 41(3), 456–462.
- Explored the latest innovations in CRISPR technology and its applications in genetic engineering.
Volunteer Experience
Hiring managers value volunteer experience on a CV because it demonstrates well-rounded interpersonal skills and initiative.
List volunteer experience in reverse-chronological order and include your role, organization name, location, and dates.
For example:
VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
Attending Physician, World Pediatric Project
Guatemala City, Guatemala | 2026
Lead Clinician, Clinic by the Bay
San Francisco, CA | 2025
Step 9
Proofread & Revise Your CV
Proofread your CV more than once, and ask a trusted friend or family member to review it before sending it to an employer.
Review formatting, grammar, and content to ensure each section is complete, accurate, and consistent.
We recommend using our ATS Resume Checker, which scans your CV for common errors and offers instant suggestions to improve structure and content.
Step 10
Save & Download Your CV
Use a clear file name (e.g., Your Name-Job Title-CV-Company Name-Date) so hiring managers can quickly identify your document.
Follow the employer’s instructions first. If no format is specified, PDF is generally a good choice for preserving formatting, while Word may be preferable for some application systems.
Always place your name at the beginning of the file name to make your CV easier to locate when employers are reviewing dozens—or even hundreds—of applications.
How to Make a CV: Formatting Tips
When you make your CV, use a consistent structure, clear headings, and simple design choices so hiring managers can quickly find key information.
Follow these formatting best practices to create a CV that’s easy for recruiters, hiring managers, and ATS to review:
- Keep it clean and professional. Use a professional and easy-to-read font, such as Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman. A font size of 10 to 12 points is typically ideal.
- Use clear headings and subheadings. Use bold or slightly larger text for section headings to organize the content and make it easier for the reader to navigate.
- Incorporate bullet points for easy reading. Use bullet points to break down your roles, responsibilities, and achievements in each section.
- Use consistent spacing. Align text to the left, as it’s easier to read. Avoid justified text, which can create uneven spacing. Use consistent spacing between sections and entries.
- Set margins strategically. Use 1-inch margins on all sides of the page. If you need more space, you can reduce the margins slightly, but don’t go lower than 0.5 inches.
- Use white space. Your CV should be visually appealing and easy to read, so don’t overcrowd it. Leave plenty of white space.
- Avoid complex formatting. Limit graphics, tables, text boxes, excessive colors, and decorative design elements unless they’re standard in your industry, as they can make your CV harder for ATS to parse.
Professional CV Examples
Review the examples below to see how professionals across different fields organize their qualifications. Our samples are professionally crafted to showcase job-relevant skills and experiences.
Sample Academic CV Layout
An academic CV provides a comprehensive overview of your scholarly background, including education, research experience, publications, and teaching history.
The sample below demonstrates how to structure an academic CV to clearly present your qualifications in a format commonly expected by universities and research institutions.
Sample Legal CV Layout
A law CV focuses on your legal education, relevant experience, certifications, and areas of practice. The example below illustrates how to structure a law CV to clearly present your qualifications, legal expertise, and professional background.
Sample Scientific CV Layout
A scientific CV emphasizes your research background, technical expertise, publications, and key contributions to your field. The example below shows how to structure a scientific CV to highlight your experience and qualifications for scientific disciplines.
Sample Medical CV Layout
A medical CV highlights your clinical experience, education, certifications, and professional affiliations in a clear, structured format. The example below shows how to organize a medical CV to emphasize your training, areas of expertise, and healthcare experience.
Explore our library of professional CV examples to see how to write a professional CV for various roles, industries, and career stages.
CV Writing Dos & Don’ts
Writing an effective CV means presenting your experience clearly, tailoring content to the role, and avoiding common mistakes that weaken credibility, such as clutter and generic language.
Follow these CV dos and don’ts to make your document clear, relevant, and easy for employers and ATS to review:
- Tailor your CV to the job. Customize your CV for each job application. Highlight the skills, experience, and achievements most relevant to the specific role.
- Focus on achievements. Rather than just listing your responsibilities, focus on what you achieved in each role. For example, “Published five peer-reviewed articles.”
- Use action verbs. Start bullet points with strong action verbs like “developed,” “managed,” “designed,” “led,” “implemented,” and “achieved” to convey your impact.
- Highlight relevant skills. Include a skills section where you list specific competencies relevant to the job. These might include language skills or any specialized knowledge.
- Use relevant keywords naturally. Review the job description for important skills, qualifications, certifications, and job-specific terms. Incorporate them where they accurately reflect your experience so ATS and hiring managers can identify your fit.
- Keep your language professional. Avoid informal wording, first-person pronouns such as “I” and “me,” and unrelated personal details. Include hobbies or interests only when they support your candidacy.
- Showcase continuous learning. Include relevant courses, certifications, workshops, or professional development activities that demonstrate current knowledge and continued growth in your field.
- Include unnecessary personal information. Leave out details such as your age, marital status, religion, or photo unless they’re required for the application or customary in the country where you are applying.
- Overlook spelling and grammatical errors. Proofread your CV carefully for typos, grammatical mistakes, inconsistent formatting, and incorrect dates or contact details.
- Hide your career progression. Clearly show promotions, expanded responsibilities, leadership experience, and increasing levels of expertise throughout your career.
- Let your CV become outdated. Update it regularly with new roles, accomplishments, skills, publications, certifications, and professional development.
Write a Cover Letter to Complement Your CV
Increase your chances of securing a job interview by including a compelling cover letter with your CV.
Cover letters are vital to job applications because they show potential employers the person behind the job qualifications. They explain why you’re interested in the role, how your skills make you a strong fit, and can help address employment gaps, career changes, or other details that may not be fully explained in your CV.
Here are a few resources to help you get started:
Key Takeaways
- Prepare to write your CV by gathering your work history, education, relevant skills, and measurable achievements before you begin.
- Incorporate relevant keywords from the job description naturally to help ATS recognize your qualifications while demonstrating your fit for the role.
- Organize your CV with clear sections, quantify your accomplishments whenever possible, and use strong action verbs to demonstrate your impact.
- Tailor your professional summary, skills, and experience to emphasize the qualifications most relevant to each opportunity.
- Pair your CV with a tailored cover letter to explain your interest in the role and reinforce your qualifications.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you tailor a CV for a specific job?
To tailor a CV for a specific job, review the job description carefully and identify the skills, qualifications, certifications, and keywords the employer emphasizes. Incorporate those terms naturally throughout your professional summary, skills, and work experience.
Tailoring your CV helps applicant tracking systems (ATS) recognize your qualifications and makes it easier for hiring managers to identify your most relevant experience.
What should come first in your CV?
Your contact information should come first in your CV, including your name, phone number, email address, and location. Place it at the top so recruiters can quickly identify and contact you.
A professional summary typically comes directly below your contact information. The remaining sections can be organized based on what best supports your application. For example, recent graduates may place education before work experience, while experienced professionals typically highlight work history first.
What skills should I list on my CV?
The skills you list on your CV should be relevant to the job and include a mix of technical skills (e.g., software or tools) and soft skills (e.g., communication or teamwork).
Include five to 10 skills that match the position and that you can demonstrate through experience, projects, or education. Tailor them to the job description so employers can quickly assess your qualifications.
What should a beginner’s CV look like?
A beginner’s CV should be clean, organized, and easy to scan. Focus on demonstrating potential rather than years of experience.
Start with contact details and a brief professional summary, then highlight education, relevant coursework, projects, volunteer work, and transferable skills. Use a clean format with clear headings and bullet points to make your strengths easy for recruiters to scan.
How far back should a CV go?
There’s no strict limit on how far back a CV should go. Include experience relevant to your career progression, academic background, or professional accomplishments. Many professionals emphasize the last 10 to 15 years and summarize older experience unless it’s especially relevant.
Academic CVs often include earlier experience, publications, research, and other accomplishments that remain relevant throughout your career.
How long should a CV be?
A CV should be as long as necessary to present your qualifications accurately. Academic, medical, and research CVs often extend beyond two pages because they include publications, presentations, grants, teaching experience, and other professional accomplishments.
If you’re early in your career or applying for a role that requires a shorter CV, one to two pages is often sufficient.
How should a CV look in 2026?
In 2026, a CV should have a clean, professional layout with clear section headings, consistent formatting, and ATS-friendly fonts. Prioritize measurable achievements, relevant keywords from the job description, and organized sections that make your qualifications easy for recruiters and hiring managers to scan.
Avoid excessive graphics, tables, text boxes, or decorative design elements unless they’re standard in your industry.
What is the seven-second rule for a CV?
The seven-second rule for a CV suggests that recruiters may spend only a few seconds initially scanning a CV, so your most relevant qualifications should be easy to find.
A clear layout, concise content, strong section headings, and relevant keywords can help recruiters quickly identify your fit for the role.
Can ChatGPT write a CV for you?
Yes, ChatGPT can help you draft a CV by generating content for your professional summary, work experience, skills, and education based on the information you provide. It can also suggest stronger wording and tailor your CV to specific roles.
Always review and personalize AI-generated content before submitting your application to ensure it accurately reflects your experience, achievements, and qualifications.
What is the most common CV mistake?
The most common CV mistake is submitting the same generic document for every application. Employers look for qualifications that match their specific role, so tailoring your CV is essential.
A generic CV makes it harder for recruiters to quickly identify your value, reducing your chances of progressing to the next stage of the hiring process.
Rate this article
How to Write a CV
Marla is a professional resume writer. She is committed to helping job seekers navigate the job market and succeed in their careers.
More Articles by Marla FigueroaShare this page
Our customers have been hired at:*Foot Note
