How to write a professional CV in 2025

Your CV is your calling card. It is often the first — and only — chance you have to impress a recruiter. In 2025, a professional CV needs to balance two goals: passing automated ATS filters and convincing the human eye of the recruiter.

The ideal CV structure in 2025

A modern professional CV should follow this order:

1. Personal details — Full name, city, professional email, phone and relevant links (LinkedIn, GitHub, portfolio). Don't include a photo, date of birth or marital status — they're not relevant and can generate unconscious bias.
2. Professional summary — 2 to 4 lines answering the question: who you are, what you do and what value you bring. Tailor this section for each application.
3. Work experience — In reverse chronological order (most recent first). For each role: job title, company, dates and 3 to 5 bullet points with concrete achievements.
4. Education — Academic degree, institution, graduation year. If you graduated more than 5 years ago, keep only the essentials.
5. Skills — Technical hard skills and tools. Organise by category to make reading easier.
6. Optional sections — Certifications, personal projects, languages, volunteering. Only include what adds real value.

Ideal length: 1 to 2 pages

For professionals with fewer than 10 years of experience, 1 page is ideal. With more than 10 years, 2 pages is acceptable. Never exceed 2 pages — recruiters receive hundreds of CVs and don't have time to read long documents.

The golden rule: impact metrics

The difference between a weak CV and a strong CV lies in the numbers. Compare:

• Weak: "Responsible for improving the sales process"
• Strong: "Optimised the sales funnel, increasing conversion rate by 35% in 6 months"

For each bullet point in your experience, ask yourself: how many? in how long? with what result? If you don't have exact numbers, use realistic estimates.

ATS-friendly formatting

ATS systems read your CV as plain text. To ensure compatibility:

• Use standard fonts: Arial, Calibri, Helvetica or Georgia
• Avoid tables, multiple columns, headers/footers and text boxes
• Use clear, recognisable section headings: "Work Experience", "Education", "Skills"
• Don't include images, charts or decorative icons
• Always export as a PDF with selectable text (not an image)

Tailor your CV for each role

Never send the same CV to every job. Read the job description carefully and identify the key keywords — technical terms, tools and skills mentioned. Incorporate those keywords naturally in your summary and experience.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Unprofessional email (e.g. [email protected])
• Using "responsible for" instead of action verbs (developed, led, implemented)
• Including references on the CV — "available upon request" adds no value
• Spelling errors — use a spell checker and ask someone to proofread
• Overly creative design that confuses ATS systems

Use AI tools to optimise

In 2025, there's no point creating your CV manually from scratch. CV Creator Pro uses AI to analyse your CV in real time, check ATS compatibility and suggest concrete improvements. Import your LinkedIn, choose a professional template and have a CV ready in minutes — optimised to pass automated filters and impress recruiters.

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