How to Write a CV That Actually Gets Read (Including by Screening Software)

For any advertised role at a mid-size or large employer, your CV faces two readers: a piece of screening software, and — if it survives — a human who will give it under a minute. You have to be built for both.

Get the structure right

Use one column. Software reads left to right, top to bottom; a two-column "designer" layout gets scrambled. Keep it to two pages, one if you have under five years of experience.

Order it like this:

1. Name and contact details
2. A three-line professional summary
3. Work experience, newest first
4. Education
5. Skills
6. Certifications and referees

Use the words from the advert

Screening software looks for the words in the job description. If the advert says "accounts receivable", do not write "money owed to us". If it says "stakeholder management", use that phrase. This is not gaming the system — it is describing your work in the vocabulary the employer uses.

Read the advert, list the ten terms that keep appearing, and make sure every one of them appears in your CV where it is genuinely true.

Write achievements, not duties

The single biggest improvement most CVs need.

Instead of: Responsible for managing the company's social media accounts. > Write: Grew Instagram following from 2,000 to 11,000 in eight months and increased enquiries from social by around 40%.

The formula is simple: what you did → how you did it → what changed. Numbers make it credible. If you do not have exact figures, an honest approximation is fine — never invent one.

Formatting that survives the software

• Save as .docx or a text-based PDF. Never send a scanned image or a photo of a printed CV.
• Standard fonts only: Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman.
• No tables, no text boxes, no headers/footers holding important information, no logos.
• Simple bullet points, not symbols or emoji.
• Dates in one consistent format: Mar 2023 – Present.
• Name the file properly: `Amina-Yusuf-CV.pdf`, not `cv final final2.pdf`.

The summary at the top

Three lines, written for the specific role:

Customer support specialist with four years in fintech, handling 60+ tickets a day at a 94% satisfaction rating. Strong on dispute resolution and fraud escalation. Looking to move into a team lead role.

Who you are, your strongest proof, what you want. That is all.

Things to cut

• Photographs, unless the employer explicitly asks
• Date of birth, marital status, religion, state of origin, number of children
• "References available on request" — assumed
• Objective statements about what you want from the company
• Every job you have ever had, if it is not relevant

Before you send

• Read the advert once more and check your CV answers each stated requirement.
• Run a spellcheck, then read it out loud — spellcheck does not catch manager vs manger.
• Ask one person to read it who does not know your work. If they cannot tell what you do, rewrite it.
• Rename the file with your own name.

Tailoring is the whole game

Sending one CV to fifty roles produces almost nothing. Sending a version adjusted to the advert for ten roles produces interviews. It takes fifteen minutes per application and it is the difference between a silent inbox and a busy one.