How to write a CV
A useful CV helps a reader quickly understand what you have done, what you can contribute and why your experience is relevant to this role. Build it in stages, then edit it as one coherent document.
Guidance by LadderReady. External references belong to their respective publishers and do not imply endorsement of LadderReady. Follow the employer’s application instructions.
1. Establish the essentials
Contact and profile information
Lead with your name and reliable ways to contact you. Add a location, professional link or portfolio when it helps the application; the appropriate level of personal detail varies by market.
Professional summary
Use a short introduction to connect your level of experience, strengths and direction to the target role. Prefer specific evidence over broad adjectives. For a section-by-section checklist, see what to include on a CV.
2. Build the evidence
Experience
Give the employer, role and dates, then describe responsibilities, contributions and outcomes that matter for the application. Recent and relevant examples usually deserve more space than older detail.
For each role, ask what you did, how you did it and what changed. “Managed customer enquiries” is broad; a useful description names the type of enquiries, your contribution and a real outcome when you can support it. Do not add numbers or achievements you cannot verify.
Education and skills
List relevant qualifications clearly and group useful skills so they are easy to scan. Avoid adding skills you could not discuss confidently in an interview.
Optional relevant sections
Projects, certifications and other sections can strengthen the story when they supply evidence the core sections do not. Include them because they help this application, not simply to fill space. When you need to prepare different versions for different roles, learn how LadderReady supports multiple CVs from one profile.
3. Tailor and review
For a step-by-step evidence worksheet and a worked example, read how to tailor a CV or resume to a job description.
Read the role description closely and bring the most relevant evidence forward using accurate, natural language. Remove repetition, check dates and contact details, and read the whole CV for clarity and consistency.
Mark the requirements you can demonstrate, then match each to an example in your experience, projects or skills. Put the strongest examples where a reader will find them quickly. If you lack a requirement, leave it out or describe the relevant experience you actually have; do not copy the vacancy wording as an unsupported claim.
If you want optional help reviewing an existing CV against a job description, see how AI CV tailoring works. You choose whether to use any recommendation, and analysis uses AI credits.
Finally, preview the finished layout before PDF download. Check headings, spacing, page breaks and links rather than assuming the editor view and exported page will feel identical. Choose a layout from the CV template gallery, and use the guidance on how long a CV should be while editing.
Put the guide into practice
Create your master profile, choose a template and shape a CV for the role you want.
LadderReady keeps your career information in one Master Profile so you can create separate CVs or resumes for different applications, choose which information appears, customise a free template, preview the finished CV and download the PDF for free with no watermark, no credit card and no paywall at download.
Sources and scope
UK National Careers Service: how to write a CV provides guidance on contact details, education, work history and tailoring to a vacancy. The writing method and LadderReady product instructions above are LadderReady’s own guidance; conventions vary by market and employer.