How to Write a Professional CV in 2026

A professional CV is your personal marketing document. It needs to convince a hiring manager — in under 10 seconds — that you are worth interviewing. In 2026, that means balancing clean design, clear writing, and ATS compatibility.

Start With the Right Structure

A professional CV follows a logical order that makes it easy for recruiters to find what they need quickly. Hiring managers scan in an F-pattern — the top of your CV gets the most attention.

• Contact information (name, email, phone, LinkedIn, location)
• Professional summary (2–4 lines)
• Work experience (most recent first)
• Education
• Skills
• Certifications or additional sections (optional)

Write a Focused Professional Summary

Your summary sits at the top and sets the tone. It should answer three questions: Who are you? What do you specialise in? What value do you bring? Example: 'Marketing manager with 6 years of experience in B2B SaaS. Specialises in demand generation and pipeline growth. Led campaigns that generated £2.4M in qualified pipeline across EMEA.'

Make Your Experience Section Count

List your last three to four roles. For each, include: the company name, your job title, the dates (month and year), and three to five bullet points. Each bullet should start with a strong action verb and ideally include a measurable result.

Keep Education Concise

Unless you are a recent graduate, your education section should be brief — degree title, institution name, and graduation year. Do not list every module you studied. GPA is only worth including if it was exceptional and you graduated within the last three years.

Choose the Right Format for Your Industry

Most professionals should use a chronological or hybrid format. A chronological CV lists experience in reverse date order — most recent first. A hybrid adds a skills summary at the top before experience. Functional CVs (skills-only, no dates) are generally not recommended as they raise red flags with recruiters.

Formatting Rules That Still Matter

• Font: Use a professional font — Calibri, Georgia, or Helvetica at 10–12pt
• Margins: 1 to 1.5cm all around
• Length: One page for under 5 years experience, two pages for more
• File: Submit as PDF unless told otherwise
• Colour: Use sparingly — a single accent colour is fine, rainbow headings are not