How to write a CV

A good CV does not tell your whole career story. It shows an employer, in a quick read, why you fit this particular role.

1. Open with a short personal statement

Under your name and contact details, write three or four lines about who you are professionally, what you do well and what you are looking for. Make it specific to the role rather than a list of adjectives.

2. List experience in reverse order, with results

Put your current or most recent job first. For each role, show what changed because of you: “grew newsletter sign-ups from 2,000 to 5,000 in a year” says more than “responsible for the newsletter”.

3. Leave out what a UK employer does not need

A UK CV usually has no photo, date of birth, marital status or nationality. The Equality Act 2010 protects against discrimination on grounds such as age, race and marriage, so these details do not help your application.

4. Keep it to two pages

Two sides of A4 is the usual length in the UK, and a graduate CV often fits on one. If you need the space, cut older roles down to a job title and dates.

5. Make it readable for people and software

Many employers screen applications with an applicant tracking system (ATS). Use clear headings, real text rather than images, and a simple layout. All kindcv templates keep the text selectable and in a logical reading order.

6. Adjust it for each application

kindcv keeps several CVs in your browser, so you can keep one version per type of role and change the personal statement and the order of your skills to match each advert.