How to Write a CV: A Step-by-Step Guide

What should a CV include?

Most CVs follow a familiar order so that recruiters can find what they need in seconds. Use reverse chronological order, with the most recent role or qualification first in each section.

• Contact details: full name, phone number, email address, city and a link to your LinkedIn profile.
• Personal profile: three to five lines on who you are professionally and what you offer.
• Work experience: job title, organisation, dates and your key achievements.
• Education: qualification, institution and dates. Add relevant projects or a thesis if you are early in your career.
• Skills: technical skills, software, languages and certifications.
• Optional extras: volunteering, awards or interests, but only when they add something relevant.

You do not need a heading that says "Curriculum Vitae"; your name is the heading. Leave out your date of birth, marital status and national ID numbers. Norms on photos vary by country, so check the guide on CV photos and personal details before you decide.

How do you write a CV step by step?

Writing is easier when you gather everything first and then cut it down. Work through these steps:

1. Collect your raw material: every job, course, qualification and project, with dates. Note any results you are proud of.
2. Read the job description closely and highlight the requirements, duties and keywords that recur.
3. Choose the experience and skills that best match the role and plan to put them first.
4. Write your work experience, focusing on outcomes rather than duties.
5. Write your personal profile last, once you know what the rest of the CV says.
6. Pick a clean, simple layout with clear headings and plenty of white space.
7. Proofread, ideally out loud, and ask someone else to read it too. Save it as a PDF with a clear file name such as "Sarah_Okafor_CV.pdf".

How do you write a good personal profile?

Your personal profile, sometimes called a personal statement or summary, sits at the top of the page and is often the first thing a recruiter reads. In a few lines it should say what you do, how much experience you have and what you are looking for. Avoid clichés such as "hard-working team player" unless you can back them up.

Notice how specific it is: years of experience, named technologies and a concrete outcome. For more ideas, see the guide to CV personal profiles.

How do you describe your work experience?

Work experience is the heart of your CV. For each role, give your job title, the organisation and the dates (month and year), followed by three to five bullet points. Start each bullet with a strong verb such as "led", "introduced", "reduced" or "built".

The most common mistake is listing duties instead of achievements. "Responsible for customer service" tells the reader what you were supposed to do. "Cut email response times from three days to one" tells them what you actually did.

If you have a long career, roles from 15 or 20 years ago can shrink to a single line with title, organisation and years. If you have periods out of work, the guide on employment gaps explains how to handle them honestly.

How should you list education and skills?

List education in reverse chronological order. Once you have a degree, you can usually drop school-level qualifications. Recent graduates can place education above experience and mention relevant modules, projects or a dissertation.

Separate hard skills (for example bookkeeping, AutoCAD or phlebotomy) from soft skills (for example staying calm under pressure). Hard skills work well as a short list. Soft skills are more convincing when they are shown through achievements in your experience section rather than simply claimed.

• Give languages with a level, for example "Danish: conversational (B1)".
• Use the exact names of the tools mentioned in the job description.
• Include certifications and a driving licence when they are relevant to the role.

How long should a CV be, and what should it look like?

One to two pages is the norm in the UK, Denmark and most of Europe. Graduates can usually fit everything onto one page, while experienced professionals often need two. Longer CVs are mainly expected in academia, where publication lists are standard.

Your layout should make the CV easy to skim. Use one font, clear headings, consistent date formats and enough white space. Avoid complex tables, text inside images and icons in place of words, because many employers use applicant tracking systems that need to read your text. The guide to ATS-friendly CVs covers this in detail.

If you would rather skip the formatting work, choose one of the ready-made CV templates, which are designed to be clean and readable by applicant tracking systems.

Should you tailor your CV for every job?

Yes. A generic CV sent to dozens of employers tends to perform worse than one that clearly matches the specific job description. You do not need to rewrite everything, but you should adjust your profile, the order of your experience and the keywords you use.

1. Identify the five to eight most important requirements in the job ad.
2. Make sure each requirement appears in your CV, ideally in the same words the employer uses.
3. Move your most relevant achievements to the top of each role.
4. Adjust your personal profile so it names the role you are applying for.

Doing this by hand takes time. CVm8 can tailor your CV to a job ad automatically from your profile, leaving you to polish rather than start from scratch.

What are the most common CV mistakes?

• Spelling and grammar errors, which make even strong content look careless.
• Unclear dates or missing months, making your timeline hard to follow.
• Dense paragraphs with no bullet points.
• Exaggerations you could not defend in an interview.
• An unprofessional email address. Create a simple one with your name if needed.
• Sending the same CV to every employer without tailoring it.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a CV be?

One to two pages is standard in the UK and most of Europe, including Denmark. Graduates can usually manage with one page, while experienced professionals often use two.

What should you not put on a CV?

Leave out national ID numbers, marital status, religion, health information and salary details. Also cut anything irrelevant that takes space away from your strongest achievements.

Should I include a photo on my CV?

It depends on the country. Photos are usually left off in the UK and US, but they are still fairly common in Denmark and parts of continental Europe.

How far back should a CV go?

Describe roughly the last 10 to 15 years in detail. Older roles can be listed briefly with title, organisation and years, or left out if they are not relevant.

What is the difference between a CV and a resume?

In the UK and Europe, a CV is the standard one to two page document used for job applications. In the US, that same document is usually called a resume.

Should I write my CV in English or Danish for jobs in Denmark?

Use the language of the job ad. If the ad is in English, an English CV is expected; if it is in Danish, a Danish CV usually makes a better impression.

Related guides

• CV Examples: 6 Realistic Samples for Every StageCV examples for graduates, experienced professionals, skilled trades, healthcare, students and managers, with notes on why each one works. See them all.
• CV Personal Statement: 9 Examples and a TemplateCV personal statement examples for 9 roles, a simple four-part template and the mistakes to avoid. Write a profile that gets the rest of your CV read.
• ATS-Friendly CV: How to Get Read and FoundWhat makes an ATS-friendly CV? Learn what applicant tracking systems really do, plus the layout, keywords and file format that get your CV found.
• Danish CV Format: How to Apply for Jobs in DenmarkThe Danish CV format explained for internationals: structure, length, tone, language and getting foreign qualifications recognised. See examples.