How to Write a CV in 2026: Step-by-Step Guide

Writing a strong CV in 2026 is harder than it used to be. Your document must pass automated screening before a human ever reads it, compete with AI-tailored applications from other candidates, and still communicate clearly to a recruiter in under ten seconds. This guide covers every step of the process.

CV vs resume: which term should you use?

In the UK, Ireland, Australia, and most of Europe, the document is called a CV (curriculum vitae). In the United States and Canada, it is called a resume. They refer to the same document in most contexts — a summary of your professional experience for job applications. This guide uses CV throughout, but the advice applies equally to resumes.

How long should a CV be?

The standard is 1–2 pages for most professionals. Entry-level candidates and recent graduates should aim for one page. Professionals with 10+ years of experience can extend to two pages. Three or more pages is rarely justified in a private sector context and often signals an inability to edit. Academic CVs (used for research and university roles) follow different conventions and can be much longer.

CV structure: the standard sections

Contact information

At the top: your full name, professional email address, phone number, and location (city and country is sufficient — you do not need your full address). Include your LinkedIn profile URL and, if relevant, a GitHub or portfolio link. Use a simple, professional email — firstname.lastname@provider.com.

Professional summary

A 2–4 sentence paragraph immediately after your contact details. It should summarise your experience level, key skills, and the type of role you are targeting. Write it last, after you have completed the rest of the CV, and tailor it for each application. This section should mirror the language of the job description.

Example: "Senior software engineer with 8 years of experience building scalable web applications in Python and TypeScript. Specialises in cloud infrastructure and API design. Currently seeking a senior backend role at a product-led company."

Work experience

List your roles in reverse chronological order (most recent first). For each role, include the job title, company name, location, and dates (month and year). Under each role, write 3–6 bullet points that describe your key achievements — not your responsibilities.

The distinction matters: responsibilities describe what you were supposed to do; achievements describe what you actually delivered. "Responsible for managing social media accounts" is a responsibility. "Grew Instagram following from 12,000 to 45,000 in 6 months through a content calendar and paid amplification strategy" is an achievement.

Every bullet point should, where possible, include a metric: a number, percentage, time saved, revenue generated, or scale indicator. Recruiters and ATS systems both respond to quantified claims.

Education

Degree, institution, graduation year. Include your grade or classification if it is strong (first class or 2:1 in the UK; 3.5+ GPA in the US). For candidates more than five years out of education, keep this section brief — experience outweighs qualifications at that point.

Skills

A dedicated skills section listing technical competencies, tools, languages, and frameworks. This is prime ATS keyword territory. Use the exact terminology from job descriptions in your target field. Avoid vague soft skills like "good communicator" — demonstrate those through your experience bullets instead.

Optional sections

• Certifications — AWS, Google Cloud, PMP, CFA, etc. Include year of certification.
• Languages — Useful if you speak more than one language fluently.
• Projects — Particularly valuable for software engineers and designers.
• Publications — For academic, research, or thought leadership roles.
• Volunteering — Especially for early-career candidates.

Formatting rules

• Font: Arial, Calibri, or Helvetica at 10–12pt for body text. No decorative fonts.
• Layout: Single-column. Do not use two-column layouts — they confuse ATS parsers.
• File format: PDF for most applications. DOCX if the job posting specifically requests it.
• Margins: 1.5–2 cm on all sides.
• Colour: Minimal. Black text on white background for the body. A single accent colour for section headings is acceptable.
• No photos: In the UK, US, and most of Europe, including a photo is unusual and unnecessary.
• No graphics or tables: They break ATS parsing.

The most important rule: tailor every application

A generic CV sent to every job opening underperforms on two fronts. First, it scores poorly in ATS keyword matching because it is not aligned to the specific job description. Second, recruiters who receive hundreds of applications can immediately tell when a CV has not been tailored.

Tailoring means: rewriting your professional summary for the role, reordering and adjusting bullet points to emphasise the most relevant experience, updating your skills section to mirror the job description's language, and adjusting the title at the top of your CV if appropriate.

Landed automates this process. You maintain one master CV, paste any job description, and the AI produces a fully tailored version in under 60 seconds — adjusting keywords, rewriting bullets, and aligning every section with the role.

Common CV mistakes to avoid

• Using a generic, untailored CV for every application
• Listing duties instead of achievements
• No quantified results anywhere in the document
• Poor ATS formatting (tables, columns, graphics)
• Typos or inconsistent tense (use past tense for previous roles, present for current)
• Personal details that are irrelevant and potentially discriminatory to include (marital status, nationality, date of birth) — leave these out
• References on the CV — "References available on request" is redundant; employers know they can ask

How to check your CV before submitting

1. Read it aloud — your ear catches errors your eyes miss
2. Copy-paste into a plain text editor to check ATS readability
3. Run it through an ATS checker tool (like Landed's free ATS score checker) against the job description
4. Ask someone else to read it — fresh eyes spot problems you cannot see

Key takeaway

A strong CV in 2026 is not a creative document — it is a precisely targeted one. Clear structure, quantified achievements, ATS-compatible formatting, and careful tailoring for each role. Master these four principles and your CV will consistently outperform the majority of applications in any pile.