Build a Strong CV in 10 Steps
This guide is the written, expanded version of career coach Sertaç Yay’s “10 Steps to a Strong CV” training. First you learn how an ATS reads your CV, then how to strengthen each part step by step. After every step you will see the tool that speeds it up.
What is an ATS and how does it read your CV?
An ATS (Applicant Tracking System) is software for managing job applications. Companies and recruiters use it to filter and rank candidates and to automate hiring.
- You upload your CV and the system stores the file.
- Text is read and split into sections: contact, experience, education, skills.
- It is compared with the posting’s criteria; keywords and experience are matched.
- Candidates are ranked by fit; the best matches are shown to the recruiter.
What does an ATS score look at?
1Choose an ATS-friendly template
Your CV must be machine-readable. This is the difference between templates that are not ATS-friendly and ones that are:
Not ATS-friendly
- JPG, PNG or scanned-PDF uploads
- Tables, text boxes, columns and infographics
- Two or more columns: information is read in the wrong order
- Emoji and special characters in headings (“🚀 Work Experience”)
- Non-standard headings
- Too long, messy flow
ATS-friendly
- A PDF or Word file with selectable text
- Single column, clean layout
- Standard headings: Work Experience, Education, Skills
- No emoji or decoration, plain text
- Consistent dates and format
- 1–2 pages, clear flow
2Order your sections correctly
- Name
- Title / specialty / industry
- Contact details
- Profile / summary
- Key achievements
- Skills
- Work experience
- Education
- Certifications and projects (optional)
3Pick the right font
Avoid
- Script or decorative fonts
- Mixing several fonts
- Text below 9 pt, cramped
- Heavy bold, colour and italics
Prefer
- Clean fonts like Arial or Calibri
- Two fonts at most
- 10–12 pt with comfortable line spacing
- One accent colour, consistent bold
Your name should be the largest text on the page. Headings should stand out from the body without being excessive.
4Write a powerful CV intro
- Name: the largest text on the CV.
- Title / specialty / industry: the field you work in or apply to.
- Contact: email, phone, clickable LinkedIn, city and country; GitHub or website if relevant.
- Profile / summary: job title + years of experience + skill / special assignment / impressive achievement.
Job title + years of experience + skill / special assignment / impressive achievement
Weak
- “Dynamic, hard-working team player.”
Strong
- “Marketing executive that has generated $500k+ in revenue.”
5Write experience to match the posting
- For each role: title, company, city and month/year; 3–6 bullets.
- Move bullets that overlap with the posting up; shorten irrelevant ones.
- Use the posting’s terms where they truthfully match your experience.
- State management and team experience clearly.
- Do not copy the job description; describe what you did.
6Add measurable achievements
What you did + measurable result + how you did it
Before
- Responsible for sales.
- Helped the team.
- Dealt with customer complaints.
After
- Grew monthly sales 18% in six months through new-client presentations.
- Ran weekly training for a team of 12, lifting target attainment from 70% to 88%.
- Redesigned the complaint process, cutting resolution time from 3 days to 1.
7Avoid common mistakes
- Spelling and grammar errors: the most common screening problem.
- Sending the same CV to every job.
- Writing duties instead of achievements.
- Bad formatting: tables, multiple columns, image-based CVs.
- Inconsistent dates and unexplained gaps.
- Unnecessary personal data: national ID, marital status, blood group.
- Too long, messy CVs; irrelevant old jobs.
- A social-media photo or a joke email address.
8Use strong action verbs
Start every bullet with a strong action verb. Avoid passive phrases like “was responsible for” or “was in charge of”.
| Category | Example verbs |
|---|---|
| Leadership | Led, supervised, oversaw, spearheaded |
| Communication | Negotiated, presented, drafted, persuaded |
| Analysis / research | Analysed, investigated, surveyed, reported |
| Technical | Developed, optimised, automated, integrated |
| Creative | Designed, launched, founded, built |
| Organisational | Coordinated, planned, implemented, streamlined |
| Quantitative | Budgeted, forecasted, audited, reduced, increased |
The verb categories are adapted from those recommended by Harvard’s career centre.
9Use AI correctly: editor, not author
AI is a good helper for reading a posting, spotting key terms and phrasing a bullet more strongly. But it can produce generic text and invent numbers. Harvard’s career centre also advises using AI as an editing aid, not the primary author: the final text must reflect your real experience.
A general-purpose chatbot
- You paste your CV and the posting again every time.
- It does not score your CV against ATS criteria.
- It can invent figures and details.
- You move the output into your CV by hand.
cv.sertacyay
- Your CV is saved; just paste the posting.
- Gives a score and gap list across 20+ criteria.
- Never invents numbers; leaves a placeholder for you to fill.
- Accept a rewritten bullet into your CV in one click.
I want to write a headline for my resume. To create a strong intro, I want to emphasize that I have the required skills or experience described in the job listing below. Could you pick 4 items I need to mention in the key achievements section, based on how often they are emphasized in the listing? — then paste the job description and requirements.
10Tailor to the posting and keep improving
- Read the posting; mark the 5–8 most repeated requirements.
- Update your summary and skills to reflect them.
- Move relevant experience bullets up; shorten irrelevant ones.
- Add missing keywords in natural sentences, only if you genuinely have the skill.
- Watch the results: if no replies come, revisit your summary and achievements.
Final check before sending
- ATS-friendly single-column template
- Sections in the right order
- Readable font, 10–12 pt
- Summary tailored to the posting
- Bullets start with strong verbs
- Achievements are measurable
- No typos or unnecessary details
- PDF named First-Last-Role-CV
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Frequently asked questions
How is an ATS score calculated?
It depends on the company and software; generally keywords carry the most weight, followed by experience, education and format. There is no single standard score.
How should graduates order their sections?
Move education to the top; add internships, projects and skills after it. The skills section can also sit below work experience.
Which font and size for a CV?
A clean font like Arial or Calibri at 10–12 pt. Your name should be the largest text.
How do I write a CV summary?
Write job title, years of experience and your strongest skill or achievement in 2–3 sentences, and tailor it for every application.
What is a measurable achievement?
A result expressed in numbers such as percentage, amount, time, team size or customer count: “raised sales 18% in six months” instead of “responsible for sales”.
Is writing a CV with AI okay?
It is useful for drafts and phrasing, but the final text must reflect your real experience. Avoid tools that invent figures and always edit the output yourself.