Writing your first CV
A CV (curriculum vitae) is a short document that shows an employer who you are, what you can do and how to contact you. Your first one doesn’t need to be long or impressive. It needs to be clear, honest and easy to scan.
01Know what goes in
Almost every CV is built from the same few sections. You don’t need all of them, but you should know what each one is for.
- Contact details: your name, email, phone number and city.
- Personal profile: two to four lines about who you are and what you’re looking for.
- Experience: jobs, volunteering, projects or responsibilities.
- Education: where you studied, what and when.
- Skills: practical and personal skills that match the role.
- Optional extras: languages, certificates, or interests that show something relevant.
02Choose a simple structure
Employers often skim a CV in under a minute before deciding whether to read it properly. Put your most relevant information near the top. For most beginners, that means contact details, then profile, then whichever is stronger: education or experience.
- One page is usually enough when you’re starting out.
- Use one clear font, between 10.5 and 12 points for body text.
- Write dates the same way every time, for example “Sep 2024 – Jun 2025”.
- Make section headings easy to spot, with plenty of white space around them.
03Write your profile last
Your profile is the first thing people read, but it’s easier to write once the rest of the CV is finished. Then you can summarise what is really there.
Why it works: it says who you are, what you’ve done and what you want, in one sentence, with nothing an employer would need to guess.
04Turn tasks into evidence
Instead of listing duties, describe what you did and what difference it made. Start each line with an action verb such as served, organised, trained, created or improved.
Why it works: it shows an action, a context and a level of trust. The employer can picture you doing the job.
05Check, save and send
- Read your CV aloud. It’s the easiest way to catch mistakes.
- Ask someone you trust to read it with fresh eyes.
- Save it as a PDF named clearly, for example “Firstname-Lastname-CV.pdf”.
- Keep an editable copy so you can tailor it for each application.
Before you move on
Quick checklist
- Your contact details are correct and look professional.
- Your profile is two to four lines long and specific.
- Every line is true, and you could talk about it in an interview.
- It fits on one page and is saved as a clearly named PDF.