Your CV is the first document a hiring manager sees. In this guide we explain what belongs in a CV, what to watch out for, and the most common mistakes — with examples.
A good CV helps the recruiter find the information they're looking for in seconds. Generally every CV includes these sections: personal details, profile summary, work experience, education, skills, and certificates. Some also add interests and references.
There's no such thing as a perfect CV; the right CV depends on the position and company you're applying to. Below we go through each section one by one, with examples.
The same experience told two ways. On the left, common mistakes; on the right, how it should be.
I really enjoy sales. I like talking to people. I worked in a store before and things were good there.
Worked as a sales assistant. Helped customers. Handled the register.
Communication, teamwork, sales, computers, office programs, hardworking
Generic, nothing measurable. What does 'things were good' even mean?
A customer-focused retail sales specialist with 5+ years of experience. At my last store I focused on growing monthly revenue by 30% and coaching an 8-person team.
Sales Assistant, Store X (2021—present). Exceeded the monthly revenue target in 9 of 12 months; trained the team on product knowledge, raised the average basket size by 18%.
B2B sales, customer relations, register management, inventory tracking
Numbers are there, impact is clear, which role and when is obvious.
Browse with the left-right arrows or by tapping the cards.
Instead of listing responsibilities, write the impact you created. Not 'did sales' — 'Grew regional sales by 35%'.
At the very top of your CV, the details a recruiter needs to reach you: full name, city, phone, and email. Add LinkedIn and a portfolio link if you have one. Personal details like date of birth and marital status aren't needed; they take up space.
Your email should look professional (firstname.lastname@...). A 'fun' handle doesn't inspire trust. Make sure your phone number is correct with the country code; one wrong digit and you miss the interview invitation.
The 3-4 sentence intro at the top of the page. It summarizes who you are, what you do, and where you add value. A strong summary keeps the reader reading. A recruiter looks for about 7 seconds on average — this is where you must grab attention in that window.
Update your summary slightly for each application to fit that role. Naturally weave the important keywords from the target job posting in here — both the human reader and ATS look for that match.
Example: “A customer-focused retail sales specialist with 5+ years of experience. Proven success in team coaching and improving efficiency.”
List in reverse chronological order, most recent job on top. Apply the action verb + measurable result rule for each role. Focus on the last 10-15 years; old and irrelevant jobs stretch the CV and dilute the message.
Write each bullet with a 'what I did + what happened' structure. 'Helped customers' is weak; 'Supported 200+ customers per month and raised the satisfaction score from 4.2 to 4.7' is far stronger. Even an approximate number or volume beats writing none.
Example of a strong experience bullet: “Sales Assistant, Store X (2021—present): Exceeded the monthly revenue target in 9 of 12 months; trained the team on product knowledge and raised the average basket size by 18%.”
Write your school, department, and degree with the graduation date. If you're a recent graduate, education leads; if you're experienced, education goes last and stays short. You can add relevant courses and certificates too.
If your GPA is high or you excelled in relevant courses, mention it — for recent graduates it makes a difference. For ongoing studies, write 'ongoing' or the expected graduation year. Study abroad, exchange programs, and projects tied to your field are valuable signals.
Choose specific skills relevant to your target job. Instead of very general tags like 'communication', write concrete skills like 'B2B sales' or 'Excel/Pivot tables'. Listing too many skills weakens the impact.
Grouping your skills as 'technical' and 'soft' improves readability. For technical skills, indicating a level (advanced, intermediate, beginner) is realistic; writing 'advanced' for everything hurts credibility. Match the skills from the job posting with the ones you actually have and put them forward.
List the languages you speak with their level (native, advanced, intermediate, beginner). For international applications or multinational companies this section can be decisive. If you have a certificate (e.g. IELTS, Goethe) add it next to the level — proof beats a claim.
This section is optional but used well it gives a hint about your personality. Instead of a generic list like 'music, movies, books', write interests that set you apart or connect to the role. For instance, team sports signal teamwork, and running marathons signals discipline.
Writing 'available on request' and not going into detail is an accepted approach today. Don't put reference contact details on your CV without telling them first. A good reference is a former manager or a senior colleague you worked with.
Most large companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS); these scan CVs against the keywords in the posting and filter out the ones that don't match. To be ATS-friendly: keep text selectable, avoid graphics/tables, and naturally weave posting terms into your summary and skills.
A simple test: open your CV in a browser and try selecting and copying the text with the mouse — if you can, ATS can probably read it too. If you can't select the text or it copies out garbled, there's a problem. All templates in our editor pass this test — text is always selectable.
Presentation matters as much as content. Leave plenty of white space, use consistent bullet styles, and keep the font size between 10-12pt. Separate sections with clear headings. Looking organized signals that you'll work organized; a messy CV gives the impression of a messy employee.
Start your experience bullets with strong action verbs instead of passive or generic ones. Here are examples you can use in different situations:
Avoid these — the issues recruiters complain about most:
If you have less than 10-15 years of experience, one page is enough. If you're more experienced, two pages is acceptable; but make sure every section adds value.
Common in Turkey but not required. If you add one, it should be professional, clear, and current. Some international applications don't want a photo.
Pick a clean, readable, professional font (Inter, Plus Jakarta Sans, Calibri-like). Avoid ornate fonts; a font size of 10-12pt is ideal.
Highlight your education, internships, capstone projects, volunteering, and club activities. Internships count as work experience; write your concrete contributions.
It means a text-based, cleanly formatted CV that Applicant Tracking Systems can read. Avoiding graphics and tables and using the job posting's keywords are the core rules.
In practice they're used interchangeably. In academic applications a 'resume/CV' is more comprehensive (includes publications, talks), while in the private sector a CV/resume is a short, 1-2 page professional document.
You can, but it's not recommended. Each position requires different skills and experience. Tailoring your summary, skills, and experience highlights slightly for each application seriously increases your chances of an interview.
Shorten or remove jobs older than 10-15 years that aren't relevant to the target role. Less but relevant and strongly-told experience is always more effective than more but scattered.
Review these items once more before you send your CV.
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