How to Write a CV: Structure, Formatting, ATS and Expert-Approved Template

Whether you are just starting out in your career or re-entering the job market, having a job-winning CV is a must. For this article, I’ve spoken with a recruitment expert Gabrielle Seaton. She has over 13 years of experience working in the industry and runs her own sourcing agency called NextTech Recruitment. We’ve broken down the steps necessary for you to create a CV that wins hearts and jobs. Follow along as we share insights, practical tips, and a universal CV template.

How to Write a CV That Stands Out

According to Gabrielle, employers spend around 6-10 seconds reviewing a CV, so making it clear to read is crucial. Good formatting and a well-organized structure can play a huge part in ensuring your CV’s key points aren’t overlooked. 

When reviewing CVs, we need to immediately see why you are a good match for the role, employers won't read through pages and pages of irrelevant information to figure out if you're a match, they need to be instantly engaged. 
If you are unsure where to start, search on LinkedIn for people with the same job title/in the same industry as you and use their profiles as a guideline.

CV Structure 

Your CV structure and content may vary depending on the role you’re going for. For instance, if you’re a translator, it would be encouraged to have Languages as a separate section, whereas as a marketing specialist, you can include languages in the Additional information segment.

Now, let’s take a look at some of the most common CV sections and how they should be compiled. 

Name and Contact Details

The CV should include personal info/details at the top (location/preference for remote/hybrid/onsite work). Make your full name a heading of your CV. Provide a professional email address based on your full name — it’s time to let GamerBoy1789@domain.com go, sorry. Add your phone number and link(s) to your LinkedIn profile/Github/Scholar page. Information such as your marital status, gender, or number of children is normally considered excessive.  

Summary

A CV summary is brief information about you, your skills and key qualifications. While some believe having a summary is not necessary, Gabrielle recommends adding one at the top using a few well-worded sentences to summarize your experience. 

Work Experience/Work History 

The best way to present your work history is in reverse chronological order. With this approach, you highlight your most relevant skills and experience, saving employers’ time and effort. 

For each experience you should include several bullet points which give an overview of your main tasks and responsibilities in this role (use facts and figures where possible). You should include your job title(s), start date/end date, and your reason for leaving this position.
Include specific facts and figures or projects/tasks that you completed that were well received by management. If you have been promoted, clearly show the progression on your CV (e.g. “I started at this company as a Junior Marketing Manager, and within 6 months I was promoted to Team Lead with 4 people reporting to me”). If you won any awards or overachieved on targets, include this information.

Results you present should follow the order of importance. Stay consistent with your writing style — start each bullet point with an action verb first. Check out this list of action verbs by Harvard Law School to get started. 

To give you an idea, here are two versions of the same work experience. Can you spot the difference? 

Education

In this section, put the name of the university you graduated, your major/degree, GPA, location, and graduation date. You can include any awards, recognitions, or additional certifications if relevant. 

Additional Information 

According to Gabrielle, this section is not necessary but can add a personal touch. For example, if you're passionate about photography or rock climbing in your spare time, it could offer some common ground conversation starters with potential interviewers.

Languages, volunteering experience, or any of your achievements connected with the position can be all put in the Additional information section too. Relevance is key here. For example, if you’re going for a Social Media Manager position in the beauty industry, it would be a good idea to include a link to your personal blog. At the same time, bringing up your volunteering experience in an orangutan rehabilitation center probably wouldn’t make much sense. 

CV Formatting 

While there are plenty of CV-making tools like Canva and Adobe CV maker offering various designs, Gabrielle recommends sticking to minimalistic ones. Not only is it considered more professional, fancy layouts may also confuse Applicant Tracking Systems (I’m covering what it is and why it is important later in the article). Instead, write your CV in Google Sheets/Word and then download as a PDF to send to potential employers. 

Here are some general rules for CV formatting: 

• Minimalist design — clean layout, logical structure and a consistent color palette, with black and white being the golden standard 

• Classic, easily-readable fonts like Arial, Times New Roman, Calibri, etc.
• Font size between 10 and 12 
• Good spacing and alignment 

• Bold/larger font size or capitalization for highlighting headings 
• Bullet points 
• Perfect spelling and grammar 
• Save as PDF
• Avoid including images, graphics, or any other design features
• While you normally don’t insert your picture, some countries (e.g. the EU countries, Japan and China) prefer if you include a photo on the CV.

AI in CV Writing 

While you can definitely leverage AI in resume writing, avoid common pitfalls such as overly formal language or sounding robotic. Gabrielle suggests a combination of AI and your own words. Do not solely rely on AI as it's very obvious to anyone reviewing the CV; it also just looks lazy if your entire CV is generated. She advises to add your own personal touch, let your personality show through where possible.

Getting Through an ATS 

Many companies use Application Tracking Systems (ATS) as a first-round filtering tool. When crafting a CV, your goal is to optimize it so that it gets through ATS filters. Some ATS use keyword filtering, others utilize the so-called “semantic matching.” While the former only checks for keywords, the latter prioritizes meaning. 

Here are some key tips to pass ATS successfully and, ultimately, land job interviews: 

• Customize your CV according to the job entry. Research the description and requirements and make corresponding adjustments. You don’t have to remake the entire document. However, it is a good idea to add unique keywords and emphasis for a given position.  

• Clear structure and simple formatting not only look more professional but help ATS scan your CV. Don’t forget to add headings and sections to help the algorithm find the information it’s looking for. 
• Check for spelling and grammatical errors. 
• You can also use special tools to check if your CV needs optimization:some text
  • cvwolf.com/index.php
  • blacklist.work 
  • jobscan.co
  • resumeworded.com
  • enhancv.com/resources/resume-checker/
  • resumeworded.com/resume-scanner
  • Jobalytics - a Google Chrome extension

Some may feel tempted to trick ATS by using the “white text” hack. That is when you don’t customize your CV properly for each position but add all the relevant keywords as a white text in the smallest font, making it invisible to the human eye. However, Gabrielle strongly advises against it as “white text” keywords will be extracted by the ATS and do not reflect positively. 

Alt: News from CNBC about the “white fonting” TikTok trend. The headline states, “TikTok white font resume trend drives recruiter ‘nuts’.” 

How-to CV Customization 

Customization is important because each position may require different skill sets and professional experiences, even within the same field. From Gabrielle’s experience, one of the best ways to do it is by attaching a cover letter along with your CV. Explain why you are a good fit for this role, what you understand about the company etc. This shows potential employers that you have taken the time to research their company. 

CV Template  

Finally, I’m sharing a CV template I created specifically for this article, which was approved by Gabrielle. Feel free to copy and use it as is or modify it according to your specialization and style. 

Writing a job-winning CV is all about correct formatting and showcasing your professional background with a personal touch. Stick to a simple structure for increased readability and ATS and it will boost your chances of getting invited for an interview. Good luck! 

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