Last significant update:
A CV (called a resume in some countries) is not the story of your whole life. It is a short document that shows how your experience fits the job you are applying for. Gather your content first, then pick a design that makes that content easy to read. The steps below work whether you are writing your first CV or updating an old one.
Start with the job, not the template
Read the job advert and write down the duties and skills it asks for. Next to each one, note any real experience of yours that matches. That list tells you what belongs at the top of your CV and what can be shortened. Sending the same CV to every employer is the most common reason a good candidate looks like a poor match, so plan to adjust your summary and the order of your experience for each application. Only add a skill from the advert if you could genuinely use it in the job and talk about it in an interview.
Make your contact details easy to find
Put your name, a professional job title, a reachable email address and a phone number at the top. Add a portfolio or LinkedIn link only if it helps the employer judge your work. A town or city is usually enough for the address; there is no need to list a full street address, date of birth or other personal details unless the advert asks for them. Check that your email address looks professional and that you read the inbox regularly, because that is where replies will arrive.
Write a short, honest profile
A two or three sentence profile at the top helps a reader decide quickly whether to keep reading. Say who you are professionally, what you are good at and what kind of role you want. Keep it specific: “Customer support specialist with three years of experience handling written and phone requests” says more than “hard-working team player”. Update it for each job so it reflects the advert, and never include claims you could not back up with an example.
List your experience from newest to oldest
For each job give the position, the employer and the dates in a consistent format. Under each role, write short lines that start with an action: what you did, in what context, and what came of it. If you have a result you can verify, such as a process you improved or a task you took over, include it. If you do not have a reliable number, describe the work instead of inventing a percentage. Explain any long gap in your history in a brief, neutral line.
Add education, skills and languages
List the school or university, the subject and the dates. Add training courses only when they relate to the job. For skills, avoid a long unexplained list: choose the ones the advert asks for and show where you used them in your experience section. Describe language levels honestly, using a scale such as basic, intermediate, advanced or the CEFR levels (A1 to C2), so a reader knows what to expect.
Choose a layout that stays readable
A clear layout never hurts, and a flashy one can. Use consistent fonts, enough spacing and plain section headings such as Experience, Education and Skills. One page is a good target for early-career CVs and two pages can be right for longer careers, but never shrink the text until it becomes hard to read. In CvBix you can try every template with the same information, because changing the template changes only the look and keeps what you wrote.
Check the PDF before you send it
Do the final check on the file you will actually send, not on the screen. In CvBix, press the PDF button, choose “Save as PDF” in the print window, set the paper to A4 and turn off the browser headers and footers. Open the saved file and read it from top to bottom: names, dates, phone number, email and links. Look for text that is cut off or a heading that ended up alone at the bottom of a page, and save the file with a clear name such as First-Last-CV.pdf.
Related examples and guides
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Should I use a CV or a resume?
They mean the same thing in many places. “CV” is the usual word in the UK, much of Europe, India and many other countries, while “resume” is common in the United States and Canada. Use the word and format the employer’s country expects.
How long should a CV be?
There is no fixed rule. One page is often enough early in a career and two pages can suit a longer one. Choose relevant content over a page count, and keep the text readable.
Do I need a photo on my CV?
It depends on the country and the employer. If the advert does not ask for one, a photo-free template is a safe choice. CvBix has both photo and photo-free templates.