In the competitive world of recruitment having a good CV (or Resume) is one of those essentials documents that you must master if you want to progress your career and stand-out among your peers.
Although creating a new CV can be a daunting process (especially if you’ve either never made one or can’t remember the last time you needed to make one), it is an essential one, and it is also essential for your career that you get it right.
In this definitive guide to CV Templates we’ve got the complete lowdown that will give you (and your career) the best chance of success…
What’s in?
What is a CV Template?
Why do I need a CV Template?
The Key Benefits of using a CV Template
In Numbers
The Three Main Styles of CV Templates
The Optimum Length for Your CV
Advice for Choosing The Right CV Template (With Examples)
Common CV Mistakes (and how to avoid them)
Word / PDF CV Template - The Best Format
Professional CV Template - Free Download
No Experience CV Template - Free Download
1. What is a CV Template?
A CV Template is a handy little document that assists in the creation of your CV / Resume. It will help you structure your CV with the correct layout and will come expertly designed to catch the eye of an employer. Put simply, it’s a comprehensive and professional template document that provides you with everything you need to create a stunning CV (even if you’ve never made one before).
Make an impression…
A CV Template will help you create a stand-out job application quickly and professionally.
An effective CV will include all your relevant employment history, education and top achievements as well as skills. Downloading a purpose-built CV template will ensure that your job application matches the expectations of a recruiter / employer in terms of the structure, layout and design. When paired with a matching cover letter, you’ll have a complete job application that will help you catch-the-eye and secure more interviews.
We’ll feature many samples of CV templates over the course of this article, however the best examples are those for use with MS Word, in our experience Word is by far the best program to use when creating a CV, it’s versatile, user friendly and the industry standard file type when applying for jobs. Word will also allow you to save documents to PDF, which provides added security (more on this later).
2. Why do I Need a CV Template?
I can hear you now… “I’ve created a CV before and Word is simple enough to use, why can’t I just patch something together myself?” or “Are CV Templates Worth it?”
Good question! Before I answer this, let’s here from Team Sky legend Sir Dave Brailsford on marginal gains:
"The whole principle of marginal gains came from the idea that if you broke down everything that could impact on a cycling performance — absolutely everything you could think of — and then you improved everything little thing by 1%, when you clump it all together, you're going to get quite a significant increase in performance. So we set about looking at everything we could."
Your CV Template is the equivalent of a bike in Team Sky, improving it by just 1% might just be the difference you need to achieve a call back or get invited in for an interview. A CV Template allows you to achieve these marginal gains (or possibly larger gains if Word isn’t your strong point).
Take inspiration from Team Sky.
Team Sky famously go to extreme lengths to identify and leverage marginal gain opportunities. Aside from the obvious tweaks to fitness, nutrition and aerodynamics they go granular, improving every area of potential weakness. Examples of this includes employing their own cleaners that travel with the Tour de France team to deep clean each hotel room at each stopover point in order to minimise the risk of catching colds and viruses. The team also take their own pillows with them - when you’re on stage 19 and you have 230km to do the following day, what price can you put on a good nights sleep!
You might not want to go to the extreme lengths that Team Sky do, however it’s worth thinking about how you can improve each aspect of your job search, an amazing CV is a great start, but consider other things like planning your journey, taking an early night etc. This Job search checklist should help you tick things off.
Be organised, consider marginal gains and don’t leave your job search or your career to chance.
3. The Key Benefits of Using a CV Template
Professional Design & Layout
The sole purpose of your CV is to elevate your first impression with a future employer to make them really notice you over the hundreds of applications they receive. CV templates are a quick and easy way to present your info in an aesthetically pleasing and optimised way.
If you try to design a CV from scratch you could easily spend hours choosing fonts and colours, only to end up with something that doesn't look professional or appropriate. A great CV template will save you the time and frustration, and ensure that your CV looks top-notch.
Writing Advice & Assistance
Reputable CV Template suppliers will include CV writing advice and info on how to create a CV / Resume, not just providing a simple document with placeholder text.
Look out for CV Templates produced by HR and Recruitment professionals (not purely Graphic Designers) as these tend to include comprehensive CV writing advice.
For example, all CV Templates at the Career Improvement Club come complete as full applications with CV writing advice and support from HR and recruitment professional Suzie Finch.
Increase Application Speed
A quick job application can mean the difference between getting your CV to the top of the pile or not being seen at all. A CV template speeds the whole job application process up, keeping you on the front foot and easily allowing you to configure your application to each role.
Information Structure
There is a fine balance between too much information and not enough, a high quality, pre-purposed CV template will help you get the balance right and save you the trouble of having to research what information to include (or omit) and in what order it needs to be.
Targeted Job Applications
Employers love to see a targeted job application, cut through the generic noise and maximise the return from your job applications by tailoring your CV each time. The diversity in design and content you get from CV templates will help you speedily edit applications and improve the response rates you get.
Personal Brand Consistency
The best CV Templates will also include matching cover letters to help you create complete consistency across your personal brand. Graphics, designs and information layouts can be used across your online presence including LinkedIn as well as other relevant social networks to complete the full joined-up personal branding approach.
4. In Numbers
2: Pages. The optimum length for your CV.
6: Seconds. The average time you have to grab the attention of a recruiter.
66: Years Old. The age at which your CV becomes obsolete – it’s the official retirement age for men in the UK (from 2020).
98: Percent. The number of job seekers eliminated at the CV screening stage (only the top 2% get approached).
1482: AD. The year in which Leonardo da Vinci sends a list of his skills to the Duke of Milan in a letter seeking employment, the first known example of a CV.
5. The Three Main Styles of CV Templates
CV Templates fall into three main style categories…
1. PROFESSIONAL CV TEMPLATES
i.e. Accountant, Teacher, Project Manager, Sales Engineer, Stockbroker, Analyst, Software Developer etc.
Professional CV Templates are formal in nature, demonstrate clean layouts and use limited amounts of colour, creativity and design. Typically these templates will not feature a photo, however certain positions may require it.
2. CREATIVE CV TEMPLATES
i.e. Graphic Designer, Social Media Manager, Content Editor, Blogger, Photography Graduate, Marketing Exec etc.
Creative CV Templates are eye-catching and designed to stand-out. These templates lend themselves to creative, design and marketing related positions. When reviewing CVs employers like to see interesting applications and will give preference to these candidates. Creative CV Templates will often include a photo, however this isn’t necessary and can always be removed.
3. MODERN CV TEMPLATES
Modern CV Templates encompass both professionalism and creativity and will fall somewhere between these styles. Typically a Modern CV Template will be professional in nature but will include a few additional creative touches to help add personality and bring the document to life. They can be used across a plethora of professions and are generally chosen by creatives who want to appear understated as well as corporate professionals who want something to catch the eye.
If you need advice selecting the template that is right for you, reach out to me directly and I’ll happily advise.
6. The Optimum Length For Your CV Template
The length of your CV is determined by the amount of commercial experience you have. A Student CV should only need a single page, whereas more experienced professionals will need a slightly longer 2-page document.
Your CV is meant to provide an employer with a brief overview of your skills and experience (not your life history).
We would only advice a longer CV if your experience includes extensive lists of publications, academic achievements, exhibitions, events etc. It’s not uncommon for doctors, scientists or media professionals to have lengthy lists associated with their CV.
ONE Page CV Templates - i.e. Grads, Juniors, Midweight Professionals
TWO Page CV Templates - i.e. Midweight & Senior Professionals
THREE Page CV Templates (or longer) - i.e. Consultants / Prominent Professionals (those with long lists of publications, exhibitions, events etc.).
The advantage of using a CV Template is that you can add and remove pages as necessary depending on how much information you intend to use, so as you progress through your career you can adapt and expand your CV to match.
TIP: Less is more, ask yourself “is this relevant” when writing content for your CV, if the answer is yes include it, if no then omit it. Employers don’t appreciate irrelevant waffle.
7. Advice for Choosing the Right CV Template (With Examples)
Regardless of which CV Template you use, you will no doubt end up with a quality job application that will catch the eye and help you progress your career, however not all CV templates are born equal and some may just suit your profession a little better than others.
Different professions will naturally suit different styles and content, so for inspiration scroll through the collection of CV templates below to help you tailor your application, you’ll also see a brief description on what is relevant and important when writing your CV for these sectors…
If you require a bespoke recommendation please reach out to me directly via our contact page
8. Common CV Mistakes (and how to avoid them)
So, you’ve chosen the best CV template for your skills and experience and have started to flesh out your content, you’re underway but not home and dry yet, the following CV mistakes are all too commonplace and if you fall victim they can cost you a place at the interview table.
Including too much or too little Information.
The aim of your CV is to generate intrigue and open up two way dialog between yourself and an employer, too much information and your CV will appear confusing and won’t get read, too little and you run the risk of appearing underqualified, the balance needs to be just right.
Look out for CV templates designed like actual CVs (not those with lorem ipsum and placeholder text), these CV templates will come pre-loaded with inspiration, relevant insight and expert knowledge. This additional info will allow you to see first-hand how to write segments of your CV and visualise how it will look finished.
Including the right information (but in the wrong order)
Structuring your CV in the correct format allows employers to instinctively know how to find the information they are looking for and to navigate successfully through the document. A poorly structured CV will confuse and frustrate an employer – remember you only have 6 seconds to impress!
CV Templates are pre-designed with structure and layouts in mind. Depending on your profession and career level the layout can vary, however stick to the following structure and you won’t go far wrong:
Name (always at the start)
Professional Subheading
Contact Information
Introductory Statement
Employment History (in chronological order)
Education
Skills
Achievements
Interests
References (always at the end or on a separate page)
Grammar and spelling mistakes
You could have the best CV template in the world, but if your CV is littered with typos then you’re never going to get anywhere. Safeguard yourself by switching on automatic spelling and grammar checks, unchecking “ignore words in UPPERCASE and ensuring your dictionary settings are for the right region in MS Word.
In What David Ogilvy Can Teach Us About CV Writing we also learn that you should always ask a colleague to review important documents. Follow this solid advice and ask someone you know to check and then double check your CV for you. It’s not uncommon for employers to discount a candidate for even the smallest typo, attention to detail is critical here!
Embellishing your employment dates
You may not think that tweaking your employment dates by a few months here and there is much of a big deal, but this tactic can seriously backfire. When references are taken your past employers must include official start and end dates, so if these then don’t tally up with your CV and information you’ve given through the interview process then there is going to be concerns over your integrity with your new employers.
I’ve seen offers retracted over this, so my advice is to be accurate with your dates and honest about any employment gaps. Should I lie on my CV provides more insight if needed.
Getting your fonts in a muddle
It’s important to keep fonts consistent, what I mean by this is to stick to the same font for each section throughout the CV, i.e. All headers should use the same font in the same size. It’s OK to use multiple fonts (as long as they complement each other) but just make sure you keep things consistent.
Using a CV template ensures everything is configured properly for you, that your fonts are paired up correctly, are easy on the eye and look professional.
Going OTT with hobbies and interests
Regardless of profession or seniority, our advice is that it’s OK to include your interests and hobbies on your CV, in fact we actively encourage it. It shows personality, character and can act as an advantage in certain instances (i.e. you’re applying to a winter sports publication and you happen to love snowboarding – winning!). Just don’t go over-the-top, use CV templates to help you get the perfect mix of text and icons to make this section of your CV a success.
Using unprofessional file names and email addresses
Make sure your email address follows a professional format using your name, avoid crazy wordings or strange domains.Create one if you haven’t got one.Also, when saving your CV use your name and ideally your profession as this helps with keywords and offers employers an additional prompt that you are a relevant candidate.i.e. Joe_Blogs_Marketing_Executive.docx or Max_Clarke_Stockbroker.docx etc.
9. Word / PDF CV Template – The Best Format
When it comes to creating your CV, MS Word is the stand-out program of choice. Word offers candidates an industry standard document which can be easily edited and saved in a professional PDF format for employers.
Editable MS Word CV Templates give you the opportunity to create something that is unique to you, which is professional, stands-out and appeals to an employer.
Once you’ve finished customising your Word CV template save it as a PDF (PDF is the best format for a CV) using your name and profession as the file name (i.e. Max_Clarke_Stockbroker.PDF). The reason we save as a PDF (Portable Document Format) is that this locks in all your fonts and styles to ensure whoever views your file will see it exactly as you designed it – it also makes it harder for recruiters and other 3rd parties to alter your info (yep, CV altering is a thing).
PDF’s are also compatible with both PCs and Macs and come with the added protection against things like viruses. To save your CV in PDF just select Save As and select PDF…
Word of note… In recent years we’ve seen the emergence of online CV creators, however, be careful with these. Although they can help you create a nice-looking CV document, the finished products are not always compatible with Job Boards, Recruitment Portals, Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) or CV Parsing Software. You are often also tied-in to additional monthly charges or editing fees should you wish to tweak or re-save your document. It’s best to stick to the good ol’ faithful MS Word. Available to download for free here: https://products.office.com/en-gb/try
10. Professional CV Template – Free Download
To help you along the job search journey we’ve created the following free Professional Word CV Template for you to download, customise and use.
11. No Experience CV Template – Free Download
Writing a no experience CV is a little different to producing other CVs, you need to pay more attention to skills, education and your profile, drawing out your abilities when you are limited to employment history.
To help graduates, students and school leavers along their job search journey we’ve created the following free No Experience CV Template for you to download, customise and use.
Whether you’re a student fresh out of university, a teenager still in school or someone looking for their first entry level role creating a CV can be a daunting process. Our templates and careers advice is here to help
Your CV is one of the most important documents you will ever create and re-create as you master your career and progress onwards and upwards. Do it justice, make it count and accelerate success!
Article Updated 23/02/2023