How to Write a CV That Gets Interviews in 2026

Your CV has about 6 seconds to make an impression before a recruiter decides whether to read further or bin it. Most CVs get rejected not because the person isn't qualified, but because the CV is poorly written, too long, or doesn't show what the employer needs to see.

Use this CV guide with the career hub, then prepare answers with the interview preparation guide once applications start getting responses.

Keep it short and scannable

One page if you have less than 5 years of experience. Two pages maximum if you have more. Nobody reads three-page CVs. If you can't fit your relevant experience into two pages, you're including too much irrelevant detail.

Use a clean layout with plenty of white space. No fancy graphics or unusual fonts unless you're applying for design roles. Stick to black text on white background with Arial, Calibri, or Georgia in size 11-12.

Break up text with bullet points, not paragraphs. Recruiters scan CVs quickly. Bullet points are much easier to read than blocks of text.

Use the structure recruiters expect

Contact information (top): Full name, phone number, email address, LinkedIn profile URL. Don't include full home address (city is enough), date of birth, marital status, or photo unless applying in a country where these are standard.

Professional summary (2-3 sentences): What you do, years of experience, what you're looking for.

Good example: "Marketing professional with 4 years of experience in digital campaigns and social media management. Grew online engagement by 180% and created content for email, paid social, and landing pages. Seeking a role in a busy agency environment."

Work experience (reverse chronological order): Job title, company name, location, dates. Under each job, add 3-5 bullet points describing achievements.

Education: Degree, institution, graduation year. Put this before work experience if you're a recent graduate with limited work history.

Skills: Relevant technical skills, software, certifications, languages.

Focus on achievements, not duties

The biggest mistake people make is listing job duties instead of achievements. Employers don't care what you were supposed to do - they care what you actually accomplished.

Avoid: Bad: "Responsible for managing social media accounts and creating content."

Good: Good: "Grew Instagram following from 2,400 to 12,000 in 8 months through targeted content strategy and daily engagement."

Use action verbs: Managed, created, improved, implemented, reduced, increased, developed, led, designed.

Include specific numbers: Percentages, amounts saved, revenue generated, time reduced, people managed. Numbers make achievements concrete and believable.

Avoid: "Increased sales"

Good: "Increased sales by 23% over 6 months, generating $47,000 in additional revenue"

Tailor your CV for each job

Never send the same generic CV to every job. Read the job description carefully and note the key requirements. Then adjust your CV to highlight the experience and skills that match what they're looking for.

Use the same language they use. If they say "stakeholder management," don't write "client relations." Many companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) that scan for specific keywords.

You might have 10 bullet points for a previous job, but only 3 are relevant to this application. Cut the irrelevant ones or move them lower. Prioritize what matters for this specific role.

Skills section: what to include

List hard skills only: Specific software (Excel, Photoshop, Salesforce), technical abilities (data analysis, coding languages, project management), certifications, languages.

Avoid: Don't list soft skills: "Team player," "good communicator," "problem solver." These are meaningless without proof. Instead, demonstrate these qualities through your achievements.

Be honest about skill levels. If you list Excel as a skill, expect to be tested on it. Don't claim fluency in a language you can barely speak or expertise in software you've used once.

Education: where and what to include

If you have work experience, put education after work history. If you're a recent graduate with limited experience, put education first.

List: Degree, institution, graduation year. Include A-levels if you're a recent graduate. Drop GCSE details once you're past early career stage.

Only include grades if they're impressive (First class, 2:1, or above 3.5 GPA). If your grades were average or below, leave them out.

What to leave out

Avoid: Photo (unless applying in a country where it's standard)

Avoid: "References available on request" (this is assumed and wastes space)

Avoid: Irrelevant hobbies ("Reading, traveling, socializing" tells employers nothing useful)

Avoid: Employment gap explanations (save for interview if asked)

Avoid: Jobs from 15+ years ago (unless highly relevant)

File format and naming

Always save as PDF to preserve formatting. Word documents can look different on different computers.

Name the file properly: "FirstName_LastName_CV.pdf"

Avoid: "my_cv_final_version2.pdf"

Avoid: "resume.pdf"

Good: "Sarah_Chen_CV.pdf"

15-minute CV check before applying

Before sending a CV, do one short review against the job description:

Highlight the top 5 requirements in the job description.
Check that your first half page proves at least 3 of them.
Remove one bullet point that does not help this application.
Add one specific result, tool, number, or responsibility where the CV feels vague.
Save a PDF with your name and the target role in the file name.

Before you send it

Proofread at least three times. Then get someone else to read it. Spelling mistakes and typos are instant rejection for many employers.

Check every phone number and email address works. Test any links (LinkedIn profile) to make sure they work.

Print your CV and read it on paper. Errors show up differently in print than on screen.

Common mistakes that get CVs rejected

Avoid: Using personal pronouns ("I," "me," "my"). Keep CV in third person.

Avoid: Writing long paragraphs instead of bullet points.

Avoid: Going over two pages.

Avoid: Sending a generic CV that isn't tailored to the job.

Avoid: Lying about experience, education, or skills (this will come out and get you rejected or fired).

Final thoughts

Your CV isn't your life story. It's a marketing document with one job: get you an interview. Include only what helps you get this specific job. Everything else is noise.

Keep it short, keep it relevant, and make it easy for the recruiter to see why you're a good fit. That's what gets interviews.

Remember: Your CV doesn't get you the job. It's a tool to get interviews. Once you're in the room, your personality, skills, and preparation matter more than what's on paper.

Optional tool: tailor your CV to a job ad

If you want a structured way to compare your CV with a specific job ad, read Earnio's JobFitCV page first. It explains what to prepare, what not to change, and how to keep the final CV truthful.

Read about the CV tailoring tool

Next step

After updating your CV, use the focused job-search plan. If money pressure is shaping your timeline, run the budget calculator so you know how much runway you have.