How to write a CV, step by step

Use a reverse chronological format. Put your name and contact details at the top, then a short personal statement, your experience with achievement bullet points, your education and your skills. Keep to the length your country expects, usually one or two pages. Proofread it, tailor it to each job ad and send a PDF unless the ad asks for something else.

By Paul and the c-v.ai team, drawing on years of hiring across industries and of writing CVs professionally. Published 10 November 2026.

1. Choose the format

A CV (résumé) has three common formats. CareerOneStop, run by the US Department of Labor, describes them like this:

Reverse chronological. Your work history, most recent job first. It suits people with a steady work history who are staying in the same field.
Combination. A summary and a skills section at the top, followed by a detailed work history. It works well for career changers and people with gaps.
Functional or skills-based. Skills first, with little detail on work history. CareerOneStop warns that without a detailed work history, employers may misread it and applicant tracking systems may reject it.

For most people, reverse chronological is the safe choice. If you have little work history, read our guide to a CV with no experience. The word changes by country too: the CV vs résumé guide explains which to use where.

2. Add your contact details

Start with your name, phone number and email address. The UK's National Careers Service suggests adding a link to a work networking profile such as LinkedIn if you have one. A town or city is usually enough for your location.

What else goes at the top depends on the country:

UK: the National Careers Service says not to include your age, date of birth, marital status or nationality.
Canada: Job Bank says to leave out age, marital status and similar details, and never to include your Social Insurance Number.
Australia: Youth Central suggests leaving out your birthdate and gender, and keeping contact details out of the page header, because recruitment software sometimes can't read headers.
Germany: the Bundesagentur für Arbeit's guidance for international applicants lists your date and place of birth and your address at the start of a German CV.

3. Write a short personal statement

The National Careers Service describes this as a few short lines under your name that sum up who you are and what you hope to do. Name the kind of role, your strongest evidence and what you bring. For example:

Office administrator with four years' experience running diaries, invoices and supplier orders for a busy dental practice. Known for keeping records accurate and patients informed. Looking for an administration role in a larger healthcare team.

Rewrite it for each job so it matches what that ad asks for.

4. List your experience with achievement bullet points

List jobs with the most recent first. Give your job title, the employer, the place and the dates. Germany's Bundesagentur für Arbeit notes that month and year are enough. Under each job, write two to five bullet points.

Job Bank advises highlighting achievements with specific examples instead of listing responsibilities. A simple pattern is action, task and result:

Duty: Responsible for supplier invoices.
Achievement: Checked and logged about 60 supplier invoices a month and cleared a three-month backlog in my first six weeks.

Use numbers you can stand behind. If you don't know a figure, describe the result without one. For older or unrelated jobs, a line or two is enough.

5. Add your education

List qualifications with the most recent first, with the school, college or university and the dates. The National Careers Service suggests putting education straight after your personal statement if you're early in your career, and after your work history once you have substantial experience.

6. Show your skills

Pick the skills the job ad asks for that you really have, and back each one up. "Microsoft Excel" is a claim. "Built the practice's monthly stock spreadsheet in Excel" is evidence. Put the strongest evidence in your experience bullets and keep the skills list short.

7. Add extras that help

Languages. The South African Government's CV guide suggests saying how well you speak and write each one.
Certificates and licences the job asks for, such as a driving licence or a first-aid certificate.
Volunteering, especially if it shows skills the job needs.
Interests, if they show something useful. The National Careers Service gives captaining a sports team as an example of leadership.
References. The National Careers Service says to list a referee only if they have agreed, or to write "references available on request". Job Bank suggests keeping references on a separate sheet.

8. Keep to the right length

Length norms differ by country. Follow the job ad if it gives a limit.

Country	Usual length	Worth knowing	Source
United States	1 to 2 pages. Use 2 only if your experience needs it.	Called a résumé. Use standard headings such as Work Experience, Education and Skills.	CareerOneStop
Canada	Up to 2 pages	No photo. Never include your Social Insurance Number.	Job Bank
United Kingdom	Up to 2 sides of A4	Photos aren't usual. Leave off age, date of birth, marital status and nationality.	JobHelp, University of Kent, National Careers Service
Germany	1 to 2 A4 pages	A photo is no longer required, but most employers still expect one. A signature is optional.	Bundesagentur für Arbeit
Australia	No set length. 1 to 2 pages if you haven't worked much, 3 is fine with a lot of study and work.	Leave out your birthdate and gender.	Youth Central
South Africa	1 to 2 pages, unless the ad says otherwise	Leave out a photo unless asked. Government guides list your ID number under personal details.	Western Cape Government

The University of Kent's careers service adds that other countries expect different things, such as a photo or date of birth, so check the norms for the country you are applying in.

9. Proofread it

JobHelp, the UK Government's job-search service, says to check for typos and to ask someone else to read it, because they may see things you miss. Job Bank says to proofread several times. Read it aloud once, and check names, dates and job titles letter by letter.

10. Tailor it to each job ad

Sort what the ad asks for into must-haves, repeated themes and nice-to-haves, then make the evidence for each easy to find. Our guide to tailoring a CV to a job description covers it step by step. If you use a chatbot to help, our ChatGPT CV prompts keep it to your real experience.

11. Export it as a PDF and test it

Send the format the ad asks for. If it doesn't say, a PDF with selectable text is widely accepted and keeps your layout. Before you send it, copy all the text from the PDF into a plain text editor and check that it reads in the right order. The ATS-friendly CV checklist explains the test, and our guide to ATS scores explains why a checker's number matters less than that test.

A complete example

Laura Bennett is a fictional office administrator applying for a practice manager assistant role in the UK.

Laura Bennett

Nottingham · 07700 900123 · laura.bennett@example.com · linkedin.com/in/laurabennett-example

Profile

Office administrator with four years' experience running diaries, invoices and supplier orders for a busy dental practice. Known for keeping records accurate and patients informed. Looking for an administration role in a larger healthcare team.

Experience

Practice Administrator, Riverside Dental Care, Nottingham, March 2022 to present

Manage appointment diaries for three dentists and a hygienist, including reminders and cancellations.

Checked and logged about 60 supplier invoices a month and cleared a three-month backlog in my first six weeks.

Built the practice's monthly stock spreadsheet in Excel, which the team now uses to reorder supplies.

Receptionist, Brook Lane Opticians, Nottingham, September 2019 to February 2022

Greeted patients, booked eye tests and took payments at a busy front desk.

Trained two new receptionists on the booking system.

Education

Level 3 Diploma in Business Administration, Trent Valley College, 2019

A levels: English Language, Business, Psychology, Hollins Park Sixth Form, 2018

Skills

Microsoft Excel, Word and Outlook · dental practice management software · invoice processing · handling patient complaints

Extras

Languages: English (native), Polish (conversational) · First aid at work certificate, 2025 · References available on request

It fits on one or two pages, leads with the evidence the role needs and uses numbers Laura can explain at interview. For CVs in other jobs, see our CV examples.

Questions

What should a CV include?

Your name and contact details, a short personal statement, your work experience with the most recent job first, your education and your skills. Add languages, certificates, volunteering or interests where they help the job you're applying for.

How long should a CV be?

It depends on the country. In the UK the usual limit is two sides of A4, and Canada's Job Bank also says two pages. US guidance from CareerOneStop says one to two pages, using two only if your experience needs it. Australia's Youth Central says there is no set length.

What is the best CV format?

For most people, reverse chronological: your most recent job first, then earlier ones. If you are changing career or have little work history, a combination format adds a skills section near the top but keeps a dated work history.

Should I put a photo on my CV?

It depends on the country. UK CVs don't tend to include one, and Canada's Job Bank says not to. In Germany a photo is no longer required, though most employers still expect one. Follow the job ad if it says what it wants.

How do I write a CV for the first time?

Start with your contact details and education, then add anything that shows you can do the job: projects, volunteering, part-time or informal work and skills with an example. Our guide to a CV with no experience includes a full worked example.

Can I write a CV on my phone?

Yes. Word processors, design apps and CV apps all work on a phone. Check the finished PDF before you send it: the text should be selectable and read in the right order. Our comparison of CV apps for iPhone covers the main options.