How to Write a CV: Step-by-Step Guide
A good CV makes a recruiter think “I should invite this person” within seconds. The steps below combine the shared advice of Harvard’s career centre and leading career sites, adapted for real applications. If it is your first CV, follow it end to end; if you are experienced, jump to the sections you need.
Before you start: gather your information
- Job titles, employers, cities and start–end months for the last 10–15 years
- Education: school, degree, graduation year, certificates and courses
- Tools, software and language levels you use
- Achievements you can express in numbers: sales, savings, time, team size
- Your target role and 2–3 sample job postings (for the skills they ask for)
1Choose the right format
| Format | Best for | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
| Reverse-chronological | Most candidates with a steady history. | What recruiters and ATS expect most. Gaps and career changes are visible. |
| Combination (hybrid) | Career changers, people highlighting a clear skill set. | Summarises skills first, then history; can run long. |
| Functional (skills-based) | Rarely. Long gaps or a scattered history. | Recruiters may distrust it and some ATS read it poorly; avoid if possible. |
2Write your contact details correctly
Include
- Full name (the largest text on the page)
- A short title or goal: “Sales Specialist”
- A phone number you actually answer
- A professional email containing your name
- City and country
- A LinkedIn link (kept up to date)
Leave out
- National ID number
- Marital status, children, blood group, criminal record
- Full home address
- Favourite team, social media handles
- Family members’ jobs
- Joke or nickname email addresses
These details are unrelated to the hiring decision and look unprofessional, while a wrong phone number can directly cost you the interview call.
3Write a summary: who you are in 2–3 sentences
The summary is the shop window of your CV. You write it last but it sits on top, answering “why you for this role?” in three sentences.
| Type | Best for | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Professional summary | Experienced candidates | 2–3 sentences |
| Resume objective | Graduates, interns, career changers | 1–2 sentences, specific to the target role |
| Qualifications summary | People with varied experience | 3–5 bullets |
Adjective + job title + years of experience + strongest skill or achievement
Weak summary
- “Dynamic, hard-working team player.”
- Could be on anyone’s CV.
Strong summary
- “Performance marketer with 4 years’ e-commerce experience who grew annual revenue 30% through paid campaigns.”
- Title + duration + a concrete result.
4Describe experience with results
- For each role: title, company, city, start–end (month/year).
- Reverse-chronological; 3–6 bullets per role are enough.
- Start every bullet with a strong verb: led, built, increased, launched.
- Avoid pronouns (“I”, “we”) and passive phrases like “responsible for”.
- Do not copy the job description; write what you did and the result.
What you did + measurable result + how you did it
Accomplished X, as measured by Y, by doing Z
Before
- Responsible for social media accounts.
- Dealt with customer complaints.
- Helped the sales team.
After
- Built a weekly content calendar that raised Instagram engagement 22% in three months.
- Resolved ~40 complaints a day, lifting the satisfaction score from 4.1 to 4.6.
- Created a quote template for a 5-person sales team, cutting quote time from 2 days to 4 hours.
5Keep education simple
- Reverse-chronological: university, degree, graduation year (expected date if still studying).
- Skip high school if you have a university degree.
- Graduates: move education to the top; add coursework, projects and thesis.
- List GPA only if it is strong and you are a recent graduate.
- Drop old, irrelevant courses and seminars.
6Pick skills and languages from the posting
- 6–12 skills are enough; lead with those that match the posting.
- Separate technical (Excel, SQL, SAP, Figma) and behavioural (team leadership, negotiation) skills.
- No stars or skill bars; write “Excel – advanced”.
- Give languages a CEFR level: English B2, German A2. Avoid vague “good”.
7Optional sections: certificates, projects, volunteering
- Certificates: full name, issuer, year. Mark ongoing ones “in progress”.
- Projects: essential if you lack experience; goal, tools, result.
- Volunteering and clubs: real proof of work for candidates with little experience.
- Hobbies: 2–4 that add value; generic “reading” just takes space.
8Photo, references, driving licence: country rules
| Topic | Turkey / Germany | US / UK |
|---|---|---|
| Photo | Common and often preferred, but not mandatory. Professional, recent, plain background; no selfies. | Usually left out to avoid bias. |
| References | Do not list names/phones; share on request. | Same: “available on request” is enough. |
| Driving licence | Include if relevant (field sales, logistics). | Include if relevant. |
| Age, marital status | Unnecessary; leave out. | Left out because of discrimination risk. |
Applying abroad? Do not just translate a Turkish CV: remove the photo and personal details and prepare an English version.
9Design, length and file
- Length: 1–2 pages. One page for graduates and under five years’ experience.
- Font: Arial or Calibri, 10–12 pt; two fonts at most.
- Layout: single column, white space, consistent bold/italic, one accent colour.
- File: PDF unless the posting asks otherwise. Name it First-Last-Role-CV.pdf
- After sending, check how it looks in email and on mobile.
10Tailor to each posting, check and send
- Read the posting; mark the 5–8 most repeated requirements.
- Update the summary and skills to reflect them.
- Move the relevant bullets up; shorten the irrelevant ones.
- Read the CV aloud and have someone else proofread it.
- Save as First-Last-Role-CV.pdf and send.
12-point pre-send checklist
- Target role and posting are clear
- Reverse-chronological format
- Phone and email correct and professional
- No unnecessary personal details
- Summary is 2–3 sentences and role-specific
- Each role has 3–6 bullets starting with strong verbs
- Bullets contain measurable results
- Skills match the posting’s requirements
- Language levels written with CEFR
- 1–2 pages, single column, readable font
- No typos or inconsistent dates
- PDF with a meaningful file name
No experience? How to write a CV
- Put education first; add courses, your thesis project and your grade if strong.
- Rename the section “Internships & Experience”; list internships, volunteering, clubs and part-time jobs.
- Highlight transferable skills: teamwork, presenting, tool knowledge.
- Write a short objective: target role plus the value you offer.
- Describe each project and internship with a result: what you did, what came out.
The most common CV mistakes
- Spelling and grammar errors (the number one screening problem)
- Missing or wrong contact details
- Sending the same CV to every job
- Writing duties instead of achievements
- Filling the page with old, irrelevant jobs and long hobby lists
- Complicated design: tables, multiple columns, icons and skill bars
- Unexplained long gaps
- A photo taken for social media
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Frequently asked questions
How long should a CV be?
One to two pages for most applications. Graduates and people with under five years of experience should use one page; only very senior executives need three.
Should I put a photo on my CV?
It depends on the country. In Turkey and Germany a photo is common but optional; in the US and UK it is usually left out. If you add one, make it professional and recent.
Should I list references?
No. Share references on request instead of putting them on the CV.
Is a CV the same as a resume?
In most countries they mean the same job-application document. In the US a “CV” usually means a longer academic document.
Should I include a career objective?
If you are experienced, write a 2–3 sentence summary specific to the posting instead. Graduates can use a short objective tied to the role.
Word or PDF?
Use the format the posting or platform asks for. Otherwise a PDF exported from Word with selectable text is generally safe.
What is different in an English CV?
Remove photo, age and marital status; prefer one page; write language levels in CEFR; describe achievements with strong verbs and numbers.
Can I use AI to write my CV?
Use it for drafts and phrasing, but the text must reflect your real experience. Avoid tools that invent numbers or write generic sentences, and always edit the final version yourself.
How often should I update my CV?
Whenever you add an achievement, project or certificate, and tailor it for every new application. Review it at least every six months.
What should I do about gaps in my CV?
Do not hide them: label them briefly (“Career break”, “Freelance”) and honestly state what you did (course, project, caregiving).