What Is a CV: Definition, Examples & How to Write It

A CV or résumé (both spelling variants correct) is a document you create to outline your work history, educational background, skills, and accomplishments. CVs are mostly used to apply for jobs in the US and Canada. The purpose of a CV is to highlight and summarise qualifications relevant to a particular job opening. A typical CV is one- to two-page long.

Notice the sentence in bold? It’s no accident.

This is the single most important thing about a CV—it should be targeted at a specific position.

Unlike a CV—an extensive document used for academic purposes, containing every single detail about your education and employment history—a US CV should be brief and only focus on what’s relevant to the job you’re applying for. If the difference isn’t clear to you, see our article with a detailed CV vs. Resume comparison.

A standard CV contains the following sections:

1. Contact Information
2. CV Profile (Summary or Objective)
3. Work Experience
4. Education
5. Skills
6. Additional Activities (Conferences, Certifications, Publications, etc.)

Alright, enough theory for now. Here’s an example of what a proper CV should look like.

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CV Sample

Think a CV isn’t right for you and you need a CV? Go here: Academic CV Writing Guide

If you want to see more examples, check out our sample CVs for 50+ professions.

How to Write a CV?

For detailed instructions, see our article with step-by-step guidelines for writing a job-winning CV.

Just need a synopsis? Look no further.

Create your CV following these steps:

1. Start by choosing one of the three CV styles: reverse-chronological, functional, or combination. For 9 out of 10 candidates, a reverse-chronological CV is the best pick.
2. Create an elegant CV header with your contact information.
3. Write a CV profile—a short paragraph outlining your skills and accomplishments. If you have more than 2 years of experience, your CV profile should be a professional summary. Less experienced candidates should write a career objective.
4. Outline your work history: list all your positions from the past 10 years in chronologically descending order. In each entry, include your job title, company name, dates worked, and up to 6 bullet points describing your duties and achievements. This part is the most important one. More than 2 out of 3 recruiters say job experience is what matters most on a CV.
5. Enter your highest degree of education. List your major, minors (if applicable), the name of the educational institution, and graduation date.
6. List 4 to 10 job-relevant skills.
7. In a separate section, showcase your additional activities and accomplishments: certifications, publications, additional training, conference participation, volunteer work, etc.

So—

You’ve learned how to craft the contents of your CV. You’re almost good to go. But—

Before you start writing yours, learn the basics of CV formatting and design. You know, impressions matter, don’t they?

How to Format a CV?

There’s both art and science to CV formatting, so if you want to learn all the ins and outs, this guide will teach you how to format a CV.

Here’s a quick rundown:

1. Pick a respectable font and stick to it throughout your whole CV. Keep the font size between 11 and 12 pt.
2. Set the margins for 1 inch on all four sides.
3. Make your CV header legible and visually distinct.
4. Divide your CV into clear sections with large headings—you want the recruiter to see what information is where.
5. Use plenty of white space. Give your readers some breathing room.

One crucial thing: don’t go for fancy graphics and make sure your CV has a scannable text layer so that it passes an Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) scan. A recent report has shown up to 98% of the largest companies use ATS to philtre CVs. 

You’ll be fine if you create a CV in Word and save it as PDF. But be super careful if you’re planning to use more advanced graphic design software, such as Photoshop or Illustrator. Always use a ATS-friendly CV template.

What about the ideal CV length?

The nineties got us all believing a CV should always be one-page.

Well… but they also made us think JNCOs and soul patches were cool.

The truth? 

Don’t overdo it, though. Two pages is as long as a CV can get. Think you need more? You probably need to cut irrelevant bits. Remember, make every word earn its place on your CV.

Key Points

Here are the most important things you need to know about CVs:

• A CV, unlike a CV, should be brief and targeted at a specific job offer.
• Almost all of the biggest companies use bots to scan CVs: make sure your CV is ATS-scannable.
• Try to keep your CV one-page, but don’t obsess over it. If your experience warrants a second page, it won’t be a dealbreaker.

Got more questions about CVs? Drop me a line in the comments, I’ll straighten out your queries!