How to Write a CV: Professional Format, Common Mistakes and Tips

When do you need a CV? How do you write one? Should you wait until your final year, or start in your first? Where do you find a format, and should you ask a senior or just search Google? If you are wondering how to write a CV, this guide answers those questions in one place, so you can build a clean, accurate and professional CV today.

A CV is your representative. At many corporate offices you will never get past reception yourself, but your CV will. If it gets shortlisted, you get the interview call. So the document that introduces you to strangers deserves real care.

When do you need a CV? Today

Between you and your dream job there are two steps: the CV and the interview. Without a good CV, reaching the interview is hard. Spelling mistakes, a messy layout or a blurry photo are often enough for a recruiter to move on.

Many students plan to write a CV after graduation. That is a costly mistake. If you can, write your first CV in college or in the first year of your degree, and update it every year. You gain three things:

• You see what is missing. If you open your CV at the end of a year and have nothing new to add, you know you have done nothing beyond classes. That pushes you towards scouting, volunteering, NGO projects, clubs or internships.
• Errors disappear. Reading it every year, you catch and fix spelling, date and formatting mistakes.
• No last-minute panic. When the right advert appears, you only need to tailor and send it, with confidence.

Professional CV format: what goes where

A CV is a document, Word or PDF. According to the careers guides of Prospects and the University of Edinburgh, a standard CV should not be longer than two pages, and education and experience are listed newest first. The format below works for most private-sector jobs in Bangladesh.

The photo: a small mistake with a big cost

Many employers in Bangladesh expect a photo on a CV (in countries such as the UK it is normally left out, so check local practice if you apply abroad). If you include one, avoid these mistakes:

• Reusing an old, small, blurry passport photo to save time.
• Selfies, photos cropped from group pictures, or filtered images.
• Keeping the same photo for years. Faces change, and an interviewer may struggle to recognise you.

If needed, have a professional photo taken at a studio and refresh it every year or after a big change in appearance.

Contact details: phone and email

• Phone: give a number that is always on. If a recruiter cannot reach you, they call the next candidate.
• Email: an address like "paglababa" or "nilpori" looks unprofessional at first glance. Create one with your own name, adding a few digits if the name is taken, and nothing else. Prospects gives the same advice: if your current address is unsuitable, open a new account for applications. Use an inbox you check often, because interview calls and documents arrive by email.
• Online profile: add an active LinkedIn profile or a portfolio link. A small website in your own name is even better; marketing consultant Sultan Muhammad Rashed, for example, keeps his work and profile on his own site, sultanmuhammadrashed.com. When a recruiter googles your name, this is what they should find.

How to write a CV, step by step

1. Gather everything in one place: certificates, results, training, job dates and achievements.
2. Pick a clean template: one column, white background, a plain font such as Arial or Calibri at size 10-12. Skip heavy colours, icons and graphics.
3. Write results, not duties: not "handled social media" but "doubled page followers in 3 months".
4. Tailor it to the advert: move the skills the advert asks for to the top. Never send the same CV everywhere.
5. Check spelling and dates: run spell-check, read it aloud and ask someone else to read it once.
6. Send the right file format: whatever the advert asks for (PDF or Word), with a file name such as "Your-Name-CV.pdf".

The most common CV mistakes

• Spelling and grammar errors, especially in English CVs.
• Long lists of skills with no proof or examples.
• Pages filled with irrelevant personal details.
• False or inflated claims, which collapse at the first interview question.
• Highlighting political or controversial affiliations that have nothing to do with the job. Stick to skills and work.

For more reasons people get rejected and how to fix them, read: Rejected from jobs again and again? 20 questions answered.

A student CV: what to write without experience

With little work experience, education and activities are your strength. Academic projects or a thesis, debating and sports, scouting or rover activities, blood-donation or volunteer groups, tutoring, small freelance jobs and online course certificates all count, as long as you say clearly what responsibility you took and what you learned. That is why keeping a CV from the start matters: each year it shows you where you need to do more.

Before you send: a 1-minute final check

1. Save the file as a PDF named clearly, for example "Firstname-Lastname-CV.pdf".
2. Open it on your phone: is it still easy to read?
3. Read the email address and phone number aloud, digit by digit.
4. Make sure the job title you are applying for appears in your summary or cover email.
5. Ask one friend to read it for spelling; a fresh pair of eyes catches what you miss.

Final word

Writing a good CV is not hard: true information, a clean format, flawless spelling and a little tailoring for each job. Write your first draft today and make updating it a yearly habit. When the advert for your dream job appears, your CV will be ready.