How to write a CV

CV or résumé: what's the difference

In Georgia, "CV" and "résumé" usually mean the same thing: a one- or two-page document with your experience that you send to a job. In academia a CV can be longer (with papers and conferences), but when you're job hunting the two words mean one thing. This page says "CV".

The sections a CV needs

Every good CV has these parts, in this order:

1. Contact details: name, phone, email, city. A LinkedIn link if you like.
2. Headline and short summary: who you are professionally and your main experience, in 2 or 3 sentences.
3. Work experience: starting with your latest job.
4. Education.
5. Skills: professional skills and software.
6. Languages: with your level (for example B2, or "fluent").
7. Optional: certificates, projects, volunteering.

Contact details

Only include what an employer needs to reach you. Use a serious email address (your name, for instance). Your ID number, date of birth, marital status and full address don't belong on a CV.

Photo: in Georgia many CVs include a photo, and that's normal. If you add one, keep it clean, professional, with a plain background. For international companies, and employers that use an ATS, a one-column CV without a photo is the safer choice. More in CV templates.

Headline and summary

The summary is the most-read part of a CV. Skip the generic phrases ("motivated, great communicator"). Be specific: your field, how many years, and what you're good at.

Digital marketing specialist with 5 years of experience in advertising and analytics. I plan and run campaigns that grow sales.

Change the summary for every job so it answers that job's main requirements. Here's how: how to tailor your CV to a job.

Work experience

For each job write: title, company, city, dates (month and year) and 2 to 5 bullets about what you did.

A good bullet starts with a verb and shows a result. A list of duties ("responsible for...") is weaker than what you actually changed.

Weak	Strong
Social media management.	Ran the company's Facebook and Instagram pages and grew followers from 8,000 to 20,000 in a year.
Customer relations.	Served up to 40 customers a day and resolved complaints.
Sales.	Hit 115% of my 2024 sales target.

A few rules:

• Numbers: amounts, percentages, counts, time frames. A number makes a line believable.
• Old jobs: a job more than 10 years ago, or in another field, can be one line.
• One style per section: start every bullet the same way (with a past-tense verb for past jobs).

Education

Write the degree, subject, university and years. Once you have a degree, leave school out. Students and recent graduates can put education above experience and add key courses, projects or internships.

Skills and languages

List what you really know and what the job needs: software (Excel, 1C, Figma), tools (Google Ads, a CRM) and professional skills. "Microsoft Word" and "internet" are almost never worth the space.

For languages give a level: "native", "fluent", or the European scale (A1 to C2).

How long should a CV be

Usually one page. Two pages make sense when you have many years of relevant experience. More than two, almost never. If yours doesn't fit, first remove what this job doesn't need: that makes it both shorter and sharper.

Layout and file

• Simple, one font, enough space between sections.
• Plain section headings: "Work experience", "Education", "Skills". The ATS and people both find them easily.
• Send it as a PDF with a clear name: Firstname_Lastname_CV.pdf.
• Tables, text inside images and several columns can confuse an ATS. More in what an ATS is.

The most common mistakes

• The same CV for every job.
• A list of duties with no results.
• Typos, and dates in different formats.
• A CV so long the main point gets lost.
• Generic phrases that fit everything and say nothing.

Your CV is ready. Now tailor it

A well-written CV is the foundation, but it does the most when it fits each job. See how one CV looks for two different jobs: CV example.