What is a CV Template and When Should You Use One?

Using a professionally designed CV template is the most effective way to create a compelling curriculum vitae that meets employer expectations and highlights your relevant skills. A structured template ensures consistency, saves time, and emphasises key information, increasing your chances of securing an interview.

What is a Curriculum Vitae (CV)?

A Curriculum Vitae (CV) is a detailed document that showcases your professional history, including your experience, education, skills, and achievements. For many employers, it is the first point of contact and a critical tool for candidate screening. In the United Kingdom, a standard CV should typically be no longer than two sides of A4 paper, though recent graduates may have a one-page CV, and those in academia or medicine may require longer documents based on their experience.

Why is Using a CV Template Important?

A CV template provides a pre-formatted structure that guides you in presenting your information clearly and professionally. The primary benefits include:

• Consistency and Professionalism: A template ensures a uniform layout, font, and style, which projects a polished image to recruiters.
• Time Efficiency: It eliminates the guesswork of formatting from scratch, allowing you to focus on content.
• Organisation: It helps you logically structure your career history, ensuring you include all critical sections, such as contact information and professional experience.
• Adaptability: As your career progresses, a template serves as a central document that you can easily update.

Based on our assessment experience, candidates who use tailored templates often present a more coherent and targeted application.

When Should You Use a CV Template?

CV templates are particularly helpful in specific scenarios. Are you struggling with formatting or design? Templates with built-in styling solve this problem. Are you a recent graduate or applying under tight deadlines? A template provides a quick and reliable starting point. Furthermore, industry-specific templates are invaluable. For instance, an academic CV template will emphasise publications and research, while a template for a senior management role will highlight leadership experience and quantifiable successes.

What Are the Key Sections to Include in a CV Template?

A comprehensive CV template should contain the following sections to present a holistic view of your qualifications:

1. Contact Information: Clearly list your name, phone number, email, and address. Under the Equality Act 2010, you are not required to include personal information like your birthday or marital status that could lead to discrimination.
2. Professional Experience: Detail your work history, typically from the past 10 years. Use bullet points and action verbs (e.g., "managed," "developed," "implemented") to describe your responsibilities and achievements for each role.
3. Education: List your academic qualifications, starting with your most recent degree. Include the institution name, dates of attendance, and degree classification.
4. Skills and Certifications: Create a dedicated section for both technical (hard) skills and interpersonal (soft) skills relevant to the job.
5. Additional Sections: Depending on your background, you may include publications, awards, professional memberships, or community service to strengthen your application.

To maximise your CV's impact, always tailor these sections to the specific job you are applying for, emphasising the most relevant experience first.