How to Write a Professional CV That Gets Employers' Attention

Read the role or project description and identify the required experience, skills and outcomes. Note repeated terms, then collect genuine examples from your background that show similar work or problems you have solved.

Do not send the same version to every opportunity. Keep a complete master CV, then create a tailored version that highlights the most relevant information without exaggeration or unsupported claims.

Begin with your name, professional title and appropriate contact details. Follow with a concise professional summary, work experience, education, skills, certifications and selected work where relevant. Avoid personal information that does not support the hiring decision.

List experience from newest to oldest. Use clear headings, comfortable spacing and consistent dates. If you are early in your career, place projects, training and practical skills before limited work history.

Keep the summary to two or three lines covering your specialism, experience level, the problems you solve and the strongest value you offer. Avoid generic claims such as “ambitious and works under pressure” unless your experience demonstrates them.

For example: “Digital product designer with five years of experience turning business requirements into usable interfaces, leading three products from research to launch.” Adapt the structure to your real background and use only figures you can support.

For each role or project, state the position, organisation and dates, then use bullet points that begin with a clear action and explain what you achieved, how you did it and the result. A duty says “managed client accounts”; an achievement explains an outcome such as faster response times or improved client retention.

Use numbers when they are accurate and safe to share: time saved, percentage improvement, project count or team size. When figures are unavailable, describe a specific result such as launching a new service or standardising a process that previously caused repeated errors.

List skills directly connected to the opportunity and balance technical or specialist capabilities with professional skills. Avoid a long keyword list that is not demonstrated in your experience, and avoid vague percentage ratings such as “90% leadership.”

If you are a freelancer or service provider, include a professional portfolio or service-page link with relevant examples and your role in each project. Remove confidential information and obtain permission before displaying client work.

Use a readable font, comfortable size and limited colours. Avoid complex tables and excessive graphics because they can make the document difficult to scan or process. One page is often enough for limited experience; longer careers may require two pages when the information remains relevant.

Save a fixed-layout version that preserves formatting and use a professional filename. Open it on both mobile and desktop before sending to confirm that links, headings and bullet points display correctly.

Align the title, experience and skills honestly with the opportunity requirements, and remove details that distract the reader. Check spelling, dates, contact details and links, then ask a trusted person to review the CV from an employer's perspective.

Before sending, ask whether a reader can identify your specialism, value and most recent achievements within seconds, and whether every detail supports the decision. If not, shorten and reorder the content.