career advice

How to write a clear CV that gets read

A practical structure for a one-to-two page CV, with the mistakes that cost candidates interviews.

· Talentvane editorial team

A recruiter often reads a CV in under a minute. Your job is to make the important things easy to find.

Start with the basics

  • Your name, city and country, phone number and a professional email address.
  • A link to your LinkedIn profile if it is up to date.
  • Two or three lines on who you are and the work you want. Skip long self-descriptions.

List work in reverse order

For each role give the employer, your title, the dates, and three to five short points. Start each point with what you did, then what changed because of it. Use real numbers only if you are sure of them.

Match the CV to the role

Read the job post and move the most relevant experience to the top. If the post asks for outbound calling and you have done it, say so in plain words.

Check the details

  1. Use one clear font and consistent dates.
  2. Save as PDF unless you are told otherwise.
  3. Read it aloud once. Fix anything that trips you up.
  4. Ask a friend to check for spelling and tone.

What to leave out

Photos, full home addresses, ID numbers and anything that is not about your work. If a recruiter or an advertisement asks you to send ID documents or pay a fee before an interview, treat it as a warning sign and read our anti-scam notice.

This article is general information, not legal, financial or career advice for your situation.

Next steps

Submit your CV, or read more guides.