How to Write a CV That Gets Interviews in 2026
A practical, recruiter-tested framework for writing a CV that passes ATS filters and earns interview invitations.
Start with structure, not style
Recruiters spend an average of 7 seconds on a first CV scan. Your layout has to do the heavy lifting before a single sentence is read. Use a single column, a clean sans-serif font (Inter, Calibri, or Arial at 10–11pt), and clear section headings: Profile, Experience, Education, Skills.
Lead with a sharp professional summary
The four lines under your name are the most valuable real estate on the page. State your job title, years of experience, two or three specialisms, and the type of role you want next. Avoid clichés like "hard-working team player" — they signal nothing.
Example:
Senior Product Manager with 8 years in B2B SaaS, specialising in onboarding, activation, and pricing experiments. Looking for a Head of Product role at a Series B company.
Write achievements, not duties
Every bullet under each role should follow the pattern verb + what you did + measurable outcome. "Managed social media" is a duty. "Grew LinkedIn followers from 4k to 28k in 9 months, driving 18% of inbound demo requests" is an achievement.
If you don't have hard numbers, use proxies: team size, budget, timeline, scope, or before-and-after states.
Tailor for the ATS
Most CVs are filtered by an Applicant Tracking System before a human sees them. Mirror the language of the job description — if the ad says "stakeholder management" don't write "managing stakeholders". Avoid tables, text boxes, headers, footers, and graphics; they confuse parsers and your content gets dropped.
Keep it to two pages
One page if you have under five years of experience, two pages otherwise. Anything longer signals you can't prioritise. Drop roles older than 10–15 years unless directly relevant, and remove the "References available on request" line — it's assumed.
Final checklist
- File name:
Firstname-Lastname-CV.pdf - No photo, no date of birth, no marital status
- Consistent tense (past for previous roles, present for current)
- Proofread aloud, then ask one other person to read it
- Saved as PDF unless the employer specifically requests Word