Recruiters often spend less than a minute on a first look at a CV. In that time they want to know three things: who you are, what you have achieved and whether you match the job. This guide shows you how to answer those questions on one or two pages.
- Choose the right format
- Contact details
- Profile summary
- Work experience
- Education
- Skills
- Extra sections
- Length and design
- Final checklist
1. Choose the right format
Most job seekers should use the reverse-chronological format: your most recent job first, then older roles. It is familiar to recruiters and easy for applicant tracking systems (ATS) to read. A skills-based format can help if you are changing careers, but keep a short work history so employers can see your timeline.
2. Contact details
Put these at the top: full name, the job title you are targeting, phone number, professional email, city and country, and a LinkedIn or portfolio link. You do not need your full home address. In Pakistan and the Gulf many employers also expect a photo and sometimes nationality or date of birth; in the UK and USA leave these out.
3. Profile summary
Your profile is two to four sentences at the top that sell your experience. Mention your years of experience, your main skills and one result you are proud of.
“Accountant with 5 years of experience in financial reporting, tax and audit support. Skilled in QuickBooks and Excel. Reduced month-end closing time by 3 days at a 150-employee manufacturing company.”
Freshers can write an objective that focuses on their degree, strongest skills and the kind of role they want.
4. Work experience
For each role give the job title, employer, city and dates (month and year). Then add three to six bullet points. The secret of a strong CV is writing achievements, not duties.
| Duty (weak) | Achievement (strong) |
|---|---|
| Responsible for social media | Grew Instagram followers from 20k to 85k in 12 months |
| Handled customer calls | Resolved 85% of customer issues on the first call with a 95% satisfaction score |
| Worked on sales | Achieved 130% of the annual sales target, adding PKR 25M in revenue |
Start each bullet with an action verb (Led, Built, Increased, Reduced) and add a number whenever you can. See our list of action verbs for ideas.
5. Education
List your degrees with the institution, dates and grade if it is good (for example, CGPA 3.5/4.0). Recent graduates can add a final-year project, relevant courses or awards. Experienced professionals can keep education short and place it after work experience.
6. Skills
List 6–12 skills that match the jobs you want. Mix technical skills (Excel, AutoCAD, SEO, Python) with a few transferable skills (communication, leadership). Read the job advert and use the same words it uses, as long as they are true for you.
7. Extra sections that add value
- Certifications and courses (Google, Microsoft, ACCA modules…)
- Languages with your level
- Projects and portfolio links
- Awards and achievements
- Volunteering
- References, or simply “Available on request”
8. Length and design
One page is ideal for students and people with less than five years of experience; two pages are fine for longer careers. Use a clean design, a readable font at 10–12 pt and consistent spacing. Save and send your CV as a PDF unless the employer asks for Word.
9. Final checklist
- Name, job title, phone, email and city at the top
- A short, specific profile
- Achievements with numbers for each job
- Dates on every role
- Skills that match the job advert
- No spelling or grammar mistakes (read it aloud)
- One to two pages, saved as PDF
- File name like Sara-Ahmed-CV.pdf
Keep reading
Founder of HAYAQR, HayaConverter and HayaCV. Builds free, privacy-first tools that help people in Pakistan and beyond work smarter.