21 CV Writing Tips That Actually Get Interviews (2025)

Why Most CV Advice Is Wrong

Most CV tips you'll find online are vague: "tailor your CV", "use action verbs", "proofread carefully." That's not advice — it's a checklist of obvious things.

This guide gives you specific, implementable changes that move the needle. The kind of tips that come from recruiters who've reviewed tens of thousands of CVs.

Format and Structure

1. Single-column layouts only

Two-column CVs look modern but fail ATS parsing. The software reads left-to-right, top-to-bottom — a second column gets merged with the first, creating gibberish. Stick to one column.

2. Kill the photo (UK/US)

UK and US employers do not want your photo. Including one signals you haven't researched hiring norms. Only add a photo if applying in UAE, Germany, or France — where it's expected.

3. Two pages, not one

The one-page CV rule is American, and even there it's outdated past entry-level. In the UK, 2 pages is the standard for anyone with more than 3 years of experience.

4. Standard fonts, standard sizes

Calibri 11pt. Arial 11pt. Georgia 11pt. Nothing else. Recruiters read CVs in bulk — unfamiliar fonts slow reading and signal poor judgement.

5. No "References available on request"

Every recruiter knows you have references. This line wastes space. Cut it.

Personal Statement

6. Write it last

Your personal statement should summarise your CV, not the other way around. Write all other sections first, then craft the statement from what you've already written.

7. Tailor it to every job

The personal statement is the highest-leverage section for tailoring. A generic statement loses to a targeted one every time. 20 minutes to tailor beats 2 hours sending generic applications.

8. Name the company or role

If you can say "I am applying for X role at Y because..." — do it. Specificity signals genuine interest. Recruiters can tell the difference.

9. No clichés

"Passionate", "hardworking", "team player", "excellent communicator" — cut them all. They mean nothing. Show the trait through an achievement instead.

Work Experience

10. Lead every bullet with an action verb — never the same verb twice

Led, Built, Grew, Reduced, Launched, Designed, Delivered, Scaled, Managed, Implemented. Never start two consecutive bullets with the same verb.

11. Every bullet needs a number

If you improved something, by how much? If you managed a team, how many people? If you cut costs, how much? A number transforms a vague claim into credible evidence.

Weak: Responsible for managing social media

Strong: Grew LinkedIn following 340% in 6 months, generating 12% of total inbound pipeline

12. One bullet per achievement, not one per task

Don't list every task you did. Pick your 3–5 most impressive achievements per role and go deep on them. Hiring managers skim — make each bullet count.

13. Use the CAR formula

Challenge → Action → Result. For each bullet: what was the problem, what did you do, what happened? This structure forces specificity.

14. Mirror the job description language

Read the job description. Identify the 8–10 most important terms. Make sure they appear in your CV — in the same words. "Project management" and "managing projects" are different strings to ATS.

Skills and Keywords

15. Skills section = ATS keyword dump (in a good way)

Your skills section is where you systematically include every relevant keyword from your target job descriptions. Be specific: "Salesforce CRM" not "CRM software".

16. No skill bars or ratings

"Python ████░░ 4/5" means nothing. Who set the scale? What does 4/5 mean? It wastes space and ATS can't read it. Just list the skill.

17. Include certifications with dates

PMP (2024), AWS Solutions Architect (2023), ACCA (2022). Certifications with dates signal continuous development. Certifications without dates look like they might be expired.

The ATS Problem

18. Check your ATS score before sending anything

Most CVs are filtered by software before a human ever sees them. Run your CV through an ATS checker against the specific job description you're targeting. Missing keywords will be obvious.

19. Avoid PDFs for some ATS

Modern ATS handles PDF fine. But older enterprise systems (Taleo, some SAP versions) are safer with .docx. When in doubt, submit .docx.

20. Use standard section headers

"Work Experience", "Education", "Skills" — not "My Journey", "Where I've Been", "Things I Can Do". ATS looks for specific strings to categorise your information.

The One That Matters Most

21. Send fewer, better applications

The biggest CV improvement isn't a tip — it's a strategy shift. 50 generic applications perform worse than 10 tailored ones. Every hour spent improving one targeted CV beats an hour churning out generic ones.

The recruiters who hire the best candidates see tailored CVs that speak their language. Yours can too.