How to Write a CV: A Complete Guide with Examples and Expert Tips

CV is an essential, detailed document that covers your professional and educational achievements related to the job. However, many people still found it challenging due to its format and structure. If you’re one of those, the following guide will help you learn how to write a CV with expert tips and mistakes to avoid.

Part 1. How to Draft a CV: Standard CV Structure

While knowing how to write a good CV, adhere to the basic draft of the CV for clarity:

Contact Information

Begin your CV by inserting contact details such as name, phone number, and LinkedIn profile. However, skip adding your personal information like age or marital status unless they are required by the position.

Personal Profile or Summary

While learning how to write a CV for a job application, add a 2-3-line paragraph summarizing “who you are” and “what brings you to the table.” Moreover, one can alter the details depending on job specifications.

Work Experience

Also, ensure to add your work experience in chronological order, which assists HR in understanding your capabilities easily. This part further includes job title, company name, date of employment, and key responsibilities.

Digital Marketing Intern

ABC Agency, London | Jun 2023 – Sept 2023

• Created engaging content for LinkedIn and Instagram.
• Boost the engagement by 50% using targeted reach.
• Assisted with problem tracking using Google Analytics.

Education and Qualifications

Now, mention the recent qualifications with degree, institution, and graduation year, and add key achievements if applicable to the job description.

Skills (Technical & Soft skills)

Skills make a strong impression, and for that, add both technical and interpersonal skills, which can be presented in groups such as:

• Technical Skills: Python, MS Excel, Celtex.
• Soft Skills: Communication, Problem-solving, Time Management.

Certifications & Awards

Gives you an extra edge among competitors and covers all certifications, licenses, or awards aligned to the job.

Publications or Research (if applicable)

Writing research and publication is essential if you apply for an academic position. It covers publications or research papers to show your expertise in that specific field.

Languages

As you learn how to write a good CV letter, ensure to add language skills if relevant to the job description. List each language with proficiency level using terms like Native, Intermediate, or Basic.

• French (Native)
• Spanish (Intermediate)
• English (Basic)

References

Recruiters verify candidates’ skills through this part, and writing 2 to 3 on them is highly suggested.

Part 2. How to compose a CV: Step-by-Step Guidance

After knowing the basics of a CV, here's how to prepare a CV for a job with a simple guide:

Writing a Strong Personal Profile

Start your CV with a concise summary that introduces who you are, your career goals, and your strengths. Note that it should be clear and tailored to each role, which makes you the best fit for this job.

Describing Work Experience with Action Verbs and Results

Since work experience is the backbone of a CV, use action verbs like “Achieved, Attained and Accomplished” for a results-driven approach and properly structure your accomplishments.

Listing Education in Reverse Chronological Order

Your education section should be clearly formatted and easy to follow. Always start with the most recent education, including the institution name, graduation year, and the field of study.

Including Skills Relevant to the Role

Now, continue to list soft and technical skills that align with job requirements, avoiding generic terms like replacing “Managed team” with “Led team of 6”.

Achievements

While gaining knowledge of how to write a good CV, always write your 2-3 notable achievements that will enhance your credibility for the specific role. Focus on results, awards, recognition, or significant contributions.

Qualifications

In this part, insert the relatable certificates or licenses that will create and boost the recruiter’s trust. Include full names of certifications and issuing organizations. Only list those that are still valid or current.

Hobbies and Interests

This section features you, so here insert relatable hobbies that are aligned with your job and don’t use unrelated activities.

Formatting Tips

Besides content, always make sure that it has clear headings and readable fonts, which gives recruiters a strong impression.

Part 4. Most Important Tips: Perfect Your Resume Photo with HitPaw to Capture Attention in Seconds

While your resume focuses on structure and content, a polished photo can subtly reinforce your professionalism — especially in modern templates that include a profile image. If your photo lacks clarity or looks outdated, it may hold you back. HitPaw FotorPea helps you upgrade your image with AI-powered enhancement, ensuring your visual presence is just as strong as your written one.

Key Features

• Easily remove unwanted elements for a cleaner, distraction-free image.
• Change or customize backgrounds to create a more professional appearance.
• Enhance your photos with AI tools to make them more visually appealing.
• Eliminate minor flaws and imperfections to refine image quality.
• Adjust aspect ratios freely for a more personalized, well-balanced result.

How to Create a Professional CV Photo Using HitPaw FotorPea?

On your venture for how to write a great resume, here's how to upgrade your photo using HitPaw FotorPea:

After accessing HitPaw FotorPea, tap on the “Toolbox” tab, hit the “ID Photo” button, and click on the “+” icon to get the desired photo.

When the background is extracted, click on the white color backdrop from the "Background" option and toggle the "Create ID Photo" button.

As you preview the generated image, tap on the “Export” button to save it in the device folder.

Part 5. Common Mistakes to Avoid in Resume Writing

Many candidates get overlooked if their CV has careless mistakes, so avoid the following things while learning how to write a CV application:

1. Using generic templates and sending a CV to every job shows a lack of interest in the job being applied for.

2. Listing even irrelevant jobs can clutter your CV, so focus on only jobs that align with the job requirements.

3. Typing errors can make you appear careless; always opt for grammar checking tools like Grammarly.

4. Different fonts make your CV unprofessional; make sure you use a clean and consistent format.

5. Avoid using personal details like age and religion, as they will add bias.

Conclusion

To sum up, a CV consists of educational and professional achievements tailored to every job description. In this article, we have discussed a detailed expert stepwise guide to creating a professional CV, along with the mistakes you should avoid while writing. However, if you made a CV after gaining knowledge of how to write the perfect CV, but your picture is blurred, we suggest using HitPaw FotorPea.