The CV rules we follow
Reviewed in November 2026. Conventions differ between the US, the UK and the EU, so the coach asks where you are applying and adjusts.
Structure
- Lead with contact details and a short profile, then work history and education. Put education first only when you have little work experience.UK National Careers Service, Prospects (UK graduate careers, Jisc), Google resume-writing tips
- List entries in reverse chronological order inside every section.Harvard FAS Mignone Center for Career Success
- Use standard, unambiguous section headings. Unclear or inconsistent sections are a known cause of parsing failures.Greenhouse: unsuccessful resume parse
- No photo, date of birth, age, marital status or nationality for US and UK applications. Conventions differ elsewhere: the EU's Europass format treats date of birth and nationality as optional and suggests a professional photo.Harvard FAS Mignone Center for Career Success, MIT Career Advising & Professional Development, UK National Careers Service, Prospects (UK graduate careers, Jisc), Europass (European Union), Europass CV instructions (Cedefop)
- Do not list referees or their contact details. In the UK a line saying references are available on request is acceptable; US guidance leaves references off entirely.Harvard FAS Mignone Center for Career Success, MIT Career Advising & Professional Development, UK National Careers Service
Length
- US: one page with under about 10 years of relevant experience, two at most. UK and EU: two pages.Google resume-writing tips, MIT Career Advising & Professional Development, Prospects (UK graduate careers, Jisc), Europass CV instructions (Cedefop)
- Summarise or drop experience older than about ten years.Prospects (UK graduate careers, Jisc)
Contact
- Give your name, phone, a professional email address and a LinkedIn link. A street address is not needed: city and country are enough.UK National Careers Service, Google resume-writing tips, Harvard FAS Mignone Center for Career Success
- Your name is the title. Do not head the page with “CV” or “Curriculum Vitae”.Prospects (UK graduate careers, Jisc)
- Keep contact details in the body of the page, never in a header, footer or text box.Greenhouse: unsuccessful resume parse
- Never include current or past salary. In the EU employers may no longer ask about pay history.MIT Career Advising & Professional Development, European Commission: pay transparency rules (June 2026)
Summary
- A few short lines under your contact details saying who you are and what you offer for this kind of role. Expected in the UK, optional but useful in the US.UK National Careers Service, Prospects (UK graduate careers, Jisc), Google resume-writing tips
Experience
- Write accomplishments, not duties: “Accomplished X, as measured by Y, by doing Z”.Google resume-writing tips, MIT Career Advising & Professional Development
- Start every bullet with a strong action verb, in the past tense, with no “I”, “my” or “we”.Harvard FAS Mignone Center for Career Success, MIT Career Advising & Professional Development, University of Cambridge Careers Service: CVs and cover letters guide
- Quantify with numbers, percentages, money or volume, and give enough context to interpret the figure.Google resume-writing tips, Harvard FAS Mignone Center for Career Success, MIT Career Advising & Professional Development
- Say how you did it: name the tool, language or method.MIT Career Advising & Professional Development, Google resume-writing tips
- Avoid empty claims such as “team player” or “hardworking”, and vague words such as “various”, “several” or “etc.”Prospects (UK graduate careers, Jisc), MIT CAPD: Make your resume ATS-friendly
- Explain gaps briefly and honestly. You choose how much to share.UK National Careers Service: gaps in work history, Google resume-writing tips, Europass (European Union)
Skills
- List specific, job-relevant tools and technical skills. Show soft skills through what you did rather than listing them.UK National Careers Service, Google resume-writing tips, Prospects (UK graduate careers, Jisc)
- Skills and demonstrated experience now carry more weight with employers than education alone.SHRM skills-first hiring research (2025 survey)
Education
- Give the qualification in full, the institution and dates, most recent first. Certifications sit with education.UK National Careers Service, Google resume-writing tips, Prospects (UK graduate careers, Jisc)
ATS
- One column, no tables, text boxes, images, icons or graphics. Use a common font at 10pt or larger.Greenhouse: unsuccessful resume parse, MIT CAPD: Make your resume ATS-friendly, Workday admin guide: resume parsing
- Submit a text-based PDF or a .docx file, whichever the application asks for.MIT CAPD: Make your resume ATS-friendly, Greenhouse: unsuccessful resume parse
- Give complete job titles and full company names, and do not abbreviate the key terms a posting uses.Greenhouse: unsuccessful resume parse, MIT CAPD: Make your resume ATS-friendly
Tailoring
- Keep one master CV and tailor a copy for every application, using the posting's own keywords only where they are true for you.MIT Career Advising & Professional Development, MIT CAPD: Using AI for your resume and CV, UK National Careers Service
- Never inflate or invent. Only include what you can talk about in an interview.MIT CAPD: Using AI for your resume and CV, Europass CV instructions (Cedefop), Prospects (UK graduate careers, Jisc)
Cover letter
- One page, three to five short paragraphs: the role and why you are writing, one or two concrete examples that prove fit, a close with thanks.Harvard FAS Mignone Center for Career Success, MIT CAPD: How to write cover letters, UK National Careers Service: covering letters
- Tailor it to the employer, do not repeat the CV, and avoid starting every paragraph with “I”.Harvard FAS Mignone Center for Career Success, University of Cambridge Careers Service: CVs and cover letters guide, UK National Careers Service: covering letters
AI
- AI should help you improve what is true, not write for you. Review every suggestion and make sure it sounds like you.Harvard FAS Mignone Center for Career Success, MIT CAPD: Using AI for your resume and CV