# How to Write a CV or Résumé That Gets Interviews

> How to write a CV or résumé step by step: what goes in each section, how to write experience as results, how to tailor it to each job, and the mistakes that get it rejected.

A CV (called a résumé in the US and Canada) has one job: to get you an interview. A recruiter decides in well under a minute, so the page must show, fast, that you can do what the job asks.

## The short answer

1. **Put your name and contact details at the top**, then a two-line summary of who you are and what you want next.
2. **List experience newest first**, and under each role write two to four results, not duties.
3. **Start each line with an action verb** and add a number where you can: "Cut waiting time by 20%".
4. **Tailor it to every job**: use the job ad's words for the skills you really have, and move the most relevant work up.
5. **Keep it to one page if you are early in your career, two at most**, and save it as a PDF.

## What goes in a CV, in order

| Section | What to put | Length |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Contact | Name, phone, email, city, and a link to your work or profile if you have one. | Two lines |
| Summary | Who you are, your strongest skill for this job, and the role you want. | Two or three lines |
| Experience | Each role, newest first: title, organisation, dates, then results. | Most of the page |
| Education | Qualification, institution, year; grades if they help. | A few lines |
| Skills | The skills the job asks for that you can prove: tools, languages, certificates. | One short list |

If you have little work experience, put **projects**, volunteering or study achievements in the experience section and write them the same way.

## Write results, not duties

Duties say what the job was. Results say what changed because you were there, and that is what makes a recruiter stop.

| Instead of | Write |
| --- | --- |
| Responsible for customer service. | Answered 40 customer queries a day and kept a 95% satisfaction score. |
| Helped with social media. | Grew the club's Instagram from 300 to 1,200 followers in six months. |
| Worked on a school project about water. | Led a team of four that tested water from 12 local sources and presented the results to the council. |

Begin each line with a strong verb: **led, built, cut, grew, organised, designed, trained, solved**.

## Tailor it to every job

1. **Read the ad for its key words.** The skills, tools and qualities it repeats.
2. **Use the same words for what you really have.** Many employers filter CVs by software first, so "customer service" should read as "customer service", not "client care", if that is what the ad says.
3. **Move the most relevant work up.** Within each role, the line that matches the job goes first.
4. **Rewrite the summary for the role.** Two lines naming this job and your best reason to fit it.

Never claim a skill you do not have. It comes out in the interview, and it is the one thing a recruiter will not forgive.

## Mistakes that get a CV rejected

- **Spelling mistakes.** Read it aloud, then ask someone else to read it.
- **A crowded page.** Clear headings, one font, white space between sections.
- **Gaps with no explanation.** One line is enough: "Career break to care for family".
- **The same CV for every job.** Ten minutes of tailoring beats fifty untouched applications.
- **An unprofessional email address.** Use one with your name.

## Your CV checklist

1. Contact details and a two-line summary at the top.
2. Experience newest first, two to four results under each role.
3. Every line starts with an action verb; numbers where you can.
4. Projects or volunteering written the same way if experience is short.
5. Skills that the job asks for and that you can prove.
6. Tailored: the ad's words, the relevant work first, the summary rewritten.
7. One page early in your career, two at most; saved as a PDF.
8. Read aloud for mistakes, then by someone else.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the difference between a CV and a résumé?

In most of the world a CV is the short document you send with a job application; in the US and Canada that is called a résumé, and "CV" means a longer academic record.

### How long should a CV be?

One page early in your career, two pages at most for most jobs. Recruiters read the first page first, so put the strongest results there.

### Should I put a photo on my CV?

It depends on the country. Photos are expected in parts of Europe, Asia and Africa and discouraged in the US, UK and Canada. Follow what is normal where you apply.

## Build your CV for the job you want

In the LoWisa app, Career builds your CV from what you have, tailors it to a job listing without inventing anything, and exports PDF or Word. Your first CV is free.

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Source: https://lowisa.dev/guides/how-to-write-a-cv/ · Updated 2026-10-26