CV Writing

How to Write a CV That Gets Interviews: A Step-by-Step UK Guide for 2026

A strong CV does more than describe your employment history. It shows employers what you can do, what you have achieved, and why you are a suitable candidate for their vacancy. This guide explains how to create a clear, professional and applicant tracking system-friendly CV that can improve your chances of securing interviews.

In this guide:

• How to structure your CV correctly
• How to write a compelling professional profile
• How to present experience as measurable achievements
• How to improve your CV for applicant tracking systems
• Common CV mistakes that can cost you interviews

Why Your CV Matters

Your CV is usually one of the first things an employer or recruiter sees when considering your application. Before speaking to you, they use it to decide whether your experience, skills and qualifications appear relevant to the role.

A successful CV should make that decision easy. It should be clearly organised, tailored to the vacancy and focused on evidence. Employers should not have to search through long paragraphs to understand your value.

What Employers Look for in a CV

Although every vacancy is different, most employers want to understand a few important things quickly:

• Whether your recent experience is relevant to the position
• Whether you possess the required technical and transferable skills
• Whether you have delivered useful, measurable results
• Whether your employment history is clear and easy to follow
• Whether your application shows genuine relevance to their vacancy

The Best Structure for a Professional CV

For most jobseekers, a reverse-chronological CV is the clearest format. This means listing your most recent experience first and working backwards.

A well-structured CV normally contains the following sections:

1. Contact information
2. Professional profile
3. Key skills
4. Employment history
5. Education and qualifications
6. Relevant optional sections

1. Add Clear Contact Information

Place your contact details at the top of the CV so employers can identify and contact you without difficulty.

Include:

• Your full name
• A professional email address
• A reliable telephone number
• Your town, city or general location
• A relevant LinkedIn profile or professional portfolio

You usually do not need to include your full home address. Avoid unnecessary personal information that does not help an employer assess your suitability for the job.

2. Write a Strong Professional Profile

Your professional profile is a short introduction placed near the top of your CV. It should summarise your experience, strongest skills, relevant achievements and current career objective.

Keep it focused. A useful profile is normally around three to five lines and should be adapted for the role you are applying for.

Avoid overused claims such as “hard-working individual” unless the rest of your CV provides evidence. Specific skills and results are more persuasive than generic personality descriptions.

3. Create a Relevant Key Skills Section

The skills section helps recruiters identify your main capabilities quickly. It can also reinforce important terms that appear in the job description.

Select skills that are genuinely relevant to the role, such as:

• Customer relationship management
• Project coordination
• Data analysis and reporting
• Team leadership
• Microsoft Excel
• Written and verbal communication

Do not fill this section with every skill you have. Prioritise the capabilities requested by the employer and supported by your experience.

4. Turn Your Employment History into Evidence

Employment history is often the most important section of a CV. List each relevant position with your job title, employer, location and employment dates. Under each position, explain your responsibilities and achievements using short, focused bullet points.

Start bullet points with clear action words such as:

• Managed
• Delivered
• Improved
• Reduced
• Created
• Coordinated

Whenever possible, strengthen your achievements with evidence such as:

• Revenue generated
• Time or money saved
• Targets achieved
• Customers, employees or projects supported
• Improvements in quality, speed or satisfaction

5. Present Your Education and Qualifications

List your most recent or relevant qualification first. Include the qualification name, institution and completion date. You may also include relevant modules, projects or academic achievements when they strengthen your application.

Experienced professionals can usually keep this section concise. Recent graduates and career starters may give education more space, particularly when they have limited employment experience.

6. Add Optional Sections Only When Relevant

Depending on your background and target role, you may add sections covering:

• Professional certifications
• Technical projects
• Languages
• Volunteering
• Publications
• Professional memberships

Every section should support your application. Remove content that does not help demonstrate your suitability for the vacancy.

How to Make Your CV Applicant Tracking System-Friendly

Many employers use applicant tracking systems to organise applications and search for candidates whose CVs contain relevant experience, skills and qualifications. A complicated design can make important information harder to process.

To create a more ATS-friendly CV:

• Use standard section headings such as “Work Experience”, “Skills” and “Education”
• Include relevant keywords naturally throughout your CV
• Avoid placing essential information inside images
• Use clear, readable fonts and consistent formatting
• Avoid excessive graphics, decorative icons and complicated layouts
• Submit the file format requested in the job advertisement

Tailor Your CV for Every Application

Sending the same CV to every employer may save time, but it can reduce your chances of being shortlisted. Each employer has different priorities, even when job titles appear similar.

Before submitting your application:

1. Read the job description carefully.
2. Identify the most important responsibilities and requirements.
3. Move your most relevant skills and achievements into prominent positions.
4. Use the employer’s terminology where it accurately describes your experience.
5. Remove information that distracts from your suitability for the role.

Common CV Mistakes to Avoid

Writing long paragraphs

Large blocks of text make important information difficult to locate. Use concise paragraphs and focused bullet points.

Listing duties without achievements

Responsibilities explain what you were expected to do. Achievements demonstrate how effectively you did it.

Using one CV for every role

A generic CV may fail to emphasise the experience that matters most to a particular employer.

Adding unsupported claims

Statements such as “excellent leader” or “outstanding communicator” are more credible when supported by examples and results.

Ignoring spelling and formatting errors

Errors can make an otherwise strong CV appear rushed. Proofread carefully and check that headings, dates, spacing and bullet points are consistent.

How Long Should a CV Be?

Most jobseekers should aim for a CV that is focused rather than unnecessarily long. One page may be suitable for a recent graduate or someone with limited experience, while two pages are often more appropriate for experienced candidates.

The goal is not to reach a particular page count. The goal is to include enough relevant evidence to support your application without overwhelming the reader.

Final CV Checklist

Before applying for a job, confirm that your CV meets the following standards:

• Contact details are accurate and professional
• The professional profile is tailored to the vacancy
• Relevant skills appear near the top of the CV
• Employment dates and job titles are easy to understand
• Experience bullet points include achievements and evidence
• Relevant keywords have been used naturally
• Formatting is consistent throughout the document
• Spelling, grammar and punctuation have been checked

Build a CV That Shows Your Value

The strongest CVs are clear, relevant and supported by evidence. Rather than describing everything you have ever done, focus on the experience and achievements that make you suitable for the job you want next.

Once your CV is ready, search for suitable vacancies, tailor your application and apply with confidence through CV-Bridge.

Keep your CV updated as you gain new skills, complete projects or achieve measurable results. A regularly maintained CV makes future applications faster and more effective.