How to Write a CV: A Step-by-Step Guide (With Examples)

A good CV (curriculum vitae) is simply a clear summary of your work, skills, and results. It is the document that gets you the interview, so every line should earn its place. This guide shows you how to write a CV from scratch, section by section, with short examples you can copy the shape of.

If you would rather not start from a blank page, you can start your CV free and let CVify AI draft the first version for you. But understanding the parts first will help you make it truly yours.

What goes on a CV (and in what order)

Most CVs work best with these sections, top to bottom:

1. Contact details — so employers can reach you.
2. Professional summary — a short pitch of who you are.
3. Work experience — your jobs and what you achieved.
4. Education — degrees, courses, and training.
5. Skills — tools and abilities relevant to the role.
6. Extras — certifications, projects, languages, or volunteering.

Not sure whether you need a CV or a resume? They overlap a lot; here is a quick guide to CV vs resume to help you decide.

Contact details

Keep this small and clean. Include your full name, phone number, professional email, city and country, and a link to your LinkedIn or portfolio if you have one.

Skip your full home address, date of birth, and photo unless the job or country specifically expects them. They take up space and can invite bias.

The professional summary

This is two to three sentences at the top of your CV. Its job is to tell the reader who you are, what you do well, and what you are aiming for. Write it last, once the rest of your CV is done, so you know what to highlight.

Here is the difference a focused summary makes:

Before: "Hardworking person looking for a new opportunity where I can grow and use my skills."

After: "Customer support specialist with 4 years helping SaaS users. Cut average response time by 30% and trained 6 new agents. Now seeking a team-lead role."

The "after" version names a role, a number, and a goal. That is what makes it land.

CVify AI can draft a summary like this for you from a few details, then you edit the tone until it sounds like you.

Work experience

This is the heart of your CV. List jobs newest first. For each one, add your job title, the company, the location, and the dates.

Under each job, write three to six bullet points. The trick is to turn duties (what you were supposed to do) into achievements (what actually happened, ideally with a number).

A simple formula for each bullet:

• Start with a strong action verb (led, built, cut, grew, launched).
• Say what you did.
• Add a result or number where you can.

Watch a plain duty become an achievement:

Before: "Responsible for managing the company's social media accounts."

After: "Grew Instagram following from 2,000 to 11,000 in 8 months by posting daily and running 3 campaigns."

You will not always have exact numbers, and that is fine. Estimates ("about 20 orders a day"), percentages, and time saved all count. If you are stuck, CVify AI can rewrite a flat bullet into an achievement-style one and prompt you for the missing detail.

Education

List your most recent or highest qualification first. Include the degree or course name, the school, and the year you finished (or "expected 2027" if you are still studying).

If you left school a while ago and have solid work experience, keep this short. New graduates can add more here: relevant modules, a strong grade, a thesis topic, or an academic award.

Skills

Give a short, scannable list of skills that match the job. Mix the practical tools (software, languages, methods) with a few genuine strengths. For example:

• Excel, SQL, Google Analytics
• Project planning and budgeting
• Written and spoken French

Be honest. Only list skills you could talk about in an interview. CVify AI can suggest relevant skills based on your experience and the job you are targeting, which helps you spot gaps.

Extras that add value

Use this space for things that make you stronger for the role: certifications, side projects, publications, languages, or volunteering. CVify AI supports custom sections, so you can add whatever fits your field without forcing your CV into a fixed template.

Formatting and length

A CV should be easy to scan in a few seconds. Keep it simple:

• Length: one page for most people; two pages if you have many years of relevant experience. More than that is rarely needed.
• Font: one clean, readable font at a sensible size. No decorative fonts.
• Layout: clear headings, consistent spacing, and plenty of white space.
• File type: send a PDF unless the employer asks otherwise, so your layout stays put.

One more thing: many employers use an ATS (applicant tracking system), which is software that scans your CV before a human sees it. Heavy graphics, columns, and images can confuse it. CVify AI exports a clean, ATS-ready text PDF so your CV reads correctly both to the software and to a person. For a deeper look, see the best CV format for ATS.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Typos and grammar slips — always proofread, then read it aloud.
• Listing duties instead of achievements.
• A generic CV sent to every job with no changes.
• Vague buzzwords ("team player", "go-getter") with nothing to back them up.
• Long blocks of text instead of short bullets.
• An unprofessional email address.
• Going over two pages, or shrinking the font to squeeze it in.

Tailoring your CV to the job

Sending the same CV everywhere is the most common reason good candidates get ignored. A tailored CV mirrors the job you are applying for.

Here is how to tailor quickly:

• Read the job description and note the words and skills it repeats.
• Match those to your own experience, and move your most relevant points to the top.
• Use the same plain terms the employer uses (if they say "customer success", do not only say "client support").
• Adjust your summary to speak to that specific role.

You do not rewrite everything each time. You reshuffle and re-emphasise. CVify AI can tailor your CV to a specific job in a few clicks, which makes applying to several roles far less painful.

Putting it all together

Learning how to write a CV really comes down to a few habits: lead with results, keep it clean, cut anything that does not help, and tailor it to each job. Start with your experience, add the numbers, and shape everything else around the role you want.

If a blank page feels like the hardest part, let CVify AI handle the first draft. It is free, writes achievement-focused bullets, suggests skills, and exports an ATS-ready PDF you can send with confidence. You can also browse templates to find a clean layout you like.

Ready to build yours? Start your CV free and have a solid first draft in minutes.