CV writing: your ultimate step-by-step guide

Whether you’re applying for a part-time summer job, an internship or a grad job, creating a top-tier CV is key.

What is a CV?

A CV (AKA curriculum vitae) is a document that you send to potential employers. It lists your experience, skills and achievements as it highlights what makes you employable.

How long should a CV be?

The general rule is no longer than 2 pages, the snappier, the better!

Don’t know where to start? Our step-by-step CV guide will make it easier than ever. Thank us later!

Lock in and find out how to create yours.

Step one: choose a format

There are thousands of CV templates out there! Do you want your CV to be creative and vibey or more functional? It might depend on what you’re applying for, but if you keep it simple, you can focus on getting the content right.

When choosing a font, Times New Roman is quite old school, you can't go wrong with trusty Arial! You don’t want your font size to be too big or too small, so a size 12 font is just right.

Step two: add your contact details

You want your contact info to be easy to find so that they can reach you! Consider adding your:

• Full name
• Phone number
• Email address (make sure it’s a professional one!)
• Links to your LinkedIn profile, website or portfolio
• General location

Step three: get personal

Your personal statement is a great way to introduce yourself in your CV. See this as your mini bio and ask yourself these questions:

• What are you aspiring to be?
• What are you passionate about?
• What are you looking for?

Include your key strengths and career goals and try to keep this no longer than four sentences.

Step four: work experience

In this section, list each job, internship and work experience you’ve had, starting with the most recent and working backwards. Include the job title, name of the company, and the dates of employment.

Using bullet points, describe your responsibilities and achievements in each role and try to make them relevant to the roles you’re applying for.

Step five: list your education, certifications and awards

From most recent to oldest, list all of your educational achievements. If you’ve not finished your degree, add what you’re currently studying and possibly include some of the modules.

There’s no need to list every single GCSE and A-level you’ve received, unless it’s requested. Instead, keep it general with a statement similar to:

“X GCSEs grades 4-9, including English and Mathematics”.

Also, add any awards or certificates you’ve received, now’s your chance for a humble brag.

Step six: showcase your skills

What will you bring to your role? All of your skills can be categorised into two types:

Soft skills, for example: communication, teamwork, reliability or motivation.

Hard skills, for example: software knowledge, social media marketing, graphic design or data analysis.

You can list these using bullet points, but it’s great to get both types across.

Step seven: highlight your personal interests

Are you a member of a society or team? Do you love writing or photography? How do you spend your free time? Your CV should give people a glimpse into your personality too! You can even be clever and tie your travel experiences in too.

Step eight: review and edit

Once your CV is written, make sure you re-read it and even try to get a pal to take a look for you. Don’t forget to use a spell check or even better, Grammarly!

Extra tips

• Tailor your CV for each role you’re applying for
• Get keyword savvy: find some keywords from the job ad and weave them into your CV
• Don’t shorten words or use acronyms

Good luck with creating your CV, you’ve got this!