Here, you’ll learn all you need to know about formatting a CV to win your desired role. We provide examples of CV formats and expert CV-writing guidance!
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A CV, short for curriculum vitae, is a document that outlines your professional qualifications as they relate to a job. A proper CV format includes your work experience, education, skills, interests, and other sections to list achievements that might convince the hiring manager you’re the perfect fit for the job or academic position.
Your CV’s format determines whether your document will pass an applicant tracking system (ATS). Many companies use ATS to prescreen candidates to see if they’re qualified for a job. So, you must nail your CV format to win the job!
If you want your CV format handled for you, check out our CV Maker. It’s an incredible automated tool that can make you an ATS-friendly CV in under 15 minutes!
A CV “format” refers to how the document is structured and organized. A standard curriculum vitae (CV) format includes the following sections:
Contact information
Include your basic details, as shown in the curriculum vitae example.
In clear sentences, mention your best skills and qualifications, like in the example, on your CV.
Skills or Core qualifications
However you choose to title this section, it lists your top attributes and abilities.
Highlight specific achievements from previous jobs using numbers and active language.
List your academic background here, and keep it to the bare details you see here.
Awards or Research
If you have academic achievements of note, list them in a devoted section.
Feature any books or articles you’ve published in papers or academic journals.
Presentations, lectures and exhibitions
Note any events that you’ve facilitated, presented, or helped to organize.
Certifications, professional licenses, and affiliations
Cite accreditation and group membership that help show your industry expertise.
Did you find this sample CV helpful? We’ve got more CV samples to help you write a stellar CV!
These sections are necessary for a CV:
Contact information, personal statement, work experience, education and skills.
These sections are optional on a CV:
Industry awards, Professional certifications, Publications, Professional affiliations, Conferences attended and Additional training.
Now, we’ll walk you through what to include in the main CV format sections:
Contact information
In your contact information, you need the following details:
CV summary (personal statement)
A CV’s professional summary should include:
If you’re still gaining experience, you might want to use an objective statement instead. It’s a bit shorter, one-to-two sentences explaining what you hope to achieve in your career.
Try to make a CV summary demonstrating what makes you perfect for the role.
For example:
“Human resources manager with 9+ years of experience problem-solving and attracting top brass. My track record handling all employee relations in an 80+ person firm includes a 27% reduction in recruitment time and increased employee retention by over 23%. Active listening, intuition and culture creation are the keys to my success.”
Work experience
The work experience section should start with your current or most recent role. Then, list your previous role(s) below your current position in reverse-chronological order.
Only list jobs that are relevant to your desired post. The standard is to include your last three to four roles or past 10 years of employment history.
Go longer if it’s for a high-level role or the length of your career warrants it!
Include the following:
Below each entry, add up to five bullet points explaining your responsibilities and achievements.
Here’s an example:
Administrative Assistant I Elusive Technologies I Ann Arbor, MI I 8/2018-current
Education
Education is pretty straightforward. You should list any institutions you’ve attended, starting with your most recent experience and going backward. If you have college experience, you don’t need to list high school or anything before it. Doing so may hurt your job chances!
Format your CV education section the following way:
Listing the year you graduated hints at your age, which can lead to hiring bias issues. You should only include the date you graduated if it has been less than two years since, in this case, it explains why you lack work experience.
If you have yet to finish your degree, clarify that by listing an expected graduation date.
Here’s an example:
Ph.D. in Microbiology, expected graduation June 2025
Willard University, Cambridge, MA
BS in Biology
Worcester College, Worcester, MA
Skills
Add relevant skills to your CV format in three easy steps:
Additional sections
CVs and resumes are very similar; one of the main differences is that CVs often include more information than resumes do.
For information relevant to your career that doesn’t fit into any of the above sections, list them as extra sections in your CV format. Such sections include:
Here’s a checklist for how you should format your CV:
CV templates are preformatted documents that simplify the job application process by handling design and layout for you — just add your details!
Our professionally designed templates come in various styles to match your preferences. Choose one that reflects your personality and makes a lasting impression.
Easily customize any of our 25+ CV templates using our Builder.
Check out some of our top CV template styles:
The straightforward design of these traditional CV templates is perfect for roles in classic professions like academia, medicine, science, or law.
Law Professor
Research Assistant
Medical Assistant
These professional CV templates have sleek and modern designs that work well for many jobs, especially anything business-related.
Executive Assistant
Research Engineer
Business Analyst
These are some of our most popular and timeless layouts. They use classic CV design principles to fit almost any industry or role.
History Professor
Graduate Student
Office Assistant
There are two main CV formats: chronological and skills-based (functional).
The most common CV format is the chronological CV. That’s where work experience lives higher up on your CV so that it gets the most focus and attention. It’s better for seasoned job seekers who have 10+ years of experience.
A functional format is better for those with little experience. This format emphasizes skills while downplaying a lack of extensive work experience.
Here’s a chart that breaks it down:
Now, when it comes to the file format of a CV — to send it to employers — your best bet is a PDF or Word document.
Those are the most popular file formats for CVs! Be sure to read the job post or ad and submit your CV in the file format requested by the employer.
For an easy recap, here’s how to get the perfect CV format:
The best CV format puts your top skills and qualifications towards the top of your document so they’re sure to get noticed!
Avoid hiding your most significant achievements on the second or third page of your CV. The hiring manager may never see them.
Our CV builder offers customization tools to format your CV with ease. Click “Create My CV” to begin. Follow prompts to add work history, skills and sections. Reorder or rename sections by hovering over titles. Adjust margins, fonts and colors in the settings. Save as PDF or Word.
Internationally, CVs are ideal to apply for most jobs. However, in the U.S., they’re reserved for these professionals:
A standard CV can be anywhere from 2-to-10 pages depending on your industry, supplementary information, and what the employer or job posting has requested.
The most important thing for your CV is to showcase your complete career profile and background through relevant experiences in and out of the workplace.
It depends. Graphics and photos may be required on your CV, especially if you are in sales, the arts, an actor or a model.
In some European countries, the UK and the U.S., a ‘no-frills’ CV is preferred, so you shouldn’t include photos unless specifically requested.
CVs are applicable for a variety of jobs in most countries. The top countries where CVs are the main form of job application are the UK, New Zealand, Germany, France, India, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, Portugal, Chile and the Netherlands.
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