How to Write a CV
The structure, the order, and what belongs in the first third of the page — where most CVs are won or lost.
4 min read
Guides
16 guides on writing and formatting a CV. They are written to be useful on their own, whether or not you build a CV here — no guide ends by telling you the answer is to sign up.
Structure, length and what belongs on the page at all.
The structure, the order, and what belongs in the first third of the page — where most CVs are won or lost.
4 min read
The same word means different documents in different countries. Which one you need depends entirely on where you are applying.
4 min read
Two pages for most people, and a clear method for getting there when you have more experience than space.
3 min read
You almost certainly have more relevant material than you think. The problem is usually framing, not emptiness.
3 min read
Turning a job description into evidence a reader will believe.
Four lines at the top of the page that decide whether the rest gets read. A method, and the three ways they usually go wrong.
3 min read
The difference between listing duties and demonstrating impact, and a repeatable way to rewrite any weak bullet point.
3 min read
Group them, be specific, and cut anything you would not want to be interviewed on for ten minutes.
3 min read
Layout decisions that affect whether your CV is read correctly.
What applicant tracking systems actually do to your file, and the four failures that matter. Most ATS advice online is folklore.
4 min read
It depends entirely on where you are applying. In some countries it is expected; in others it will actively harm your application.
3 min read
Conventions that differ by field, where general advice is wrong.
Medical CVs follow their own conventions. Applying commercial CV advice to one is the fastest way to be marked down.
3 min read
What technical reviewers look for, why the stack list is not enough, and how to write about work you cannot show.
3 min read
Qualification status first, then the reporting cycle, the systems and the framework. In that order, for a reason.
3 min read
Every bullet point should end in a decision someone made differently. Dashboards with no audience are activity, not impact.
3 min read
What employers expect in different markets.
Two pages, no photo, no personal details. What British employers expect and what will get your application anonymised.
3 min read
What Indian employers expect, what multinational employers expect instead, and how to write one CV that works for both.
3 min read
Local conventions, what Gulf and international employers expect instead, and how to handle qualifications and registration.
3 min read
These 16 are the ones we could write properly. We would rather publish a small number of genuinely useful guides than a large number of thin ones.