What has changed in 2026
The basics of a good CV haven't changed: clarity, relevance and concrete results. What has changed is the context in which your CV is read.
- More applications per job. AI tools let anyone produce a "clean" CV in minutes. As a result, many CVs look alike: generic sentences, adjectives like "dynamic" and "proactive", no numbers. A CV with specific facts stands out far more today than it did a few years ago.
- Recruiting software everywhere. Even small and medium-sized companies use recruiting platforms (ATS) that read your CV, extract the data and let the recruiter search by keyword. If the software can't read your document, the recruiter can't find you.
- More focus on skills. Many employers look at what you can do, not just your degree or the name of your last employer. Courses, certifications and projects count, as long as they are described in a verifiable way.
- Pay transparency. In the EU, Directive 2023/970, which member states had to transpose by June 2026, requires employers to share the starting salary or pay range and bans them from asking what you earned before. There is no need to put your current salary on your CV.
During the first screening a recruiter spends only a few seconds on each CV: an eye-tracking study by Ladders measured roughly 7 seconds. In that time they need to understand who you are, what role you want and why you are relevant. The rest of this guide is about getting through those seconds.
The recommended structure
Use standard section headings, in the order readers expect. Creative titles such as "My journey" confuse both people and software.
- Header: full name, target role, city (no need for your full address), phone, professional email, LinkedIn and portfolio link if you have one.
- Professional profile: 3-4 lines summarising who you are and what you offer.
- Work experience: in reverse chronological order, most recent first.
- Skills: technical (tools, software, methods) and transferable, only the relevant ones.
- Education: degree, institution, year; grades and thesis only if they help.
- Languages: with the CEFR level (A1-C2) or a certificate.
- Certifications, projects, volunteering: if they add something for the role.
If you are a recent graduate or have little experience, move education and projects above work experience. If you are changing careers, consider placing skills right after the profile.
The professional profile: the 4 most-read lines
The profile is the first thing a recruiter reads after your name. It should answer three questions: what you do, how much experience you have, and what makes you valuable.
A practical formula
Role + years of experience + specialisation + one concrete result + what you are looking for.
Examples
- Weak: "Dynamic, motivated person with excellent communication skills, looking for new challenges."
- Strong: "Accounts payable specialist with 5 years of experience in supplier accounting and bank reconciliations. Cut the monthly close from 8 to 5 days by introducing a shared review process. Looking for a role in finance and controlling."
- Strong (junior): "Computer science graduate with a 6-month web development internship (React, Node.js). Built a booking app used by 300 students. Looking for a junior developer position."
The weak version could describe anyone. The strong one describes only you.
Experience: write results, not duties
The most common mistake is copying the job description: "customer management", "administrative tasks", "team support". The recruiter already knows what an administrator or a sales assistant does; they want to know how you did it.
For each role
- Job title, company, city, start and end month and year.
- 3-5 bullet points, each with an action verb and, where possible, a number.
- Older or less relevant roles can get a single line.
The action + context + result formula
- "Managed a portfolio of 40 B2B clients with a 92% contract renewal rate."
- "Trained 6 new colleagues on the warehouse system, cutting picking errors by 30% in three months."
- "Reorganised the digital contract archive: finding a document went from 10 minutes to under one."
What if you don't have numbers?
Don't invent them: you will be asked where they come from in the interview. Use other concrete indicators: volumes (how many clients, cases, shifts), frequency (weekly, monthly), responsibility (budget, people, tools), recognition (promotions, renewals, references).
Skills: few, specific, provable
A list of 25 skills convinces nobody. Pick 8-12, starting with those mentioned in the job ad.
- Technical skills: write the exact name of the tool ("Excel: pivot tables and XLOOKUP", "SAP FI", "AutoCAD 2D", "food safety certificate").
- Transferable skills: don't list them as adjectives. Prove them in your experience ("led a team of 4" is worth more than "leadership").
- Levels: avoid bars, stars and percentages ("Excel 80%"). They mean nothing to the reader and ATS can't interpret them. Use words such as basic, intermediate, advanced, or a certification.
- Artificial intelligence: if you use AI tools at work (for analysis, writing, code, images), say which ones and what for. Many recruiters actively look for this.
Keywords and ATS software
An ATS (Applicant Tracking System) is the software a company uses to receive and organise applications. In most cases it doesn't automatically "reject" anyone: it extracts data from your CV and lets the recruiter filter and search. If your CV doesn't contain the words the recruiter searches for, you simply don't appear in the results.
How to find the right words
- Copy the job ad and highlight the requirements: tools, certifications, job title, skills.
- Check which of these you really have and whether they appear in your CV.
- Add them naturally to your title, profile, experience and skills.
- Use both the acronym and the full form at least once: "Customer Relationship Management (CRM)".
What to avoid
Hidden white text, forced repetition and keywords pasted from the ad without context. Recruiters spot them immediately and your CV loses credibility.
Format and design that work
- A single column is the safest choice for ATS. A simple two-column layout is read correctly by most modern software, but nested tables, text boxes and information inside images are not.
- Readable fonts: Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Roboto or similar, 10-12 pt for body text, 14-16 pt for headings.
- Margins of at least 1.5-2 cm and white space between sections.
- No key information in the document's header or footer: some software ignores them.
- PDF to send your CV, unless the ad asks for another format. Before sending it, open the PDF, select the text with your mouse and paste it into a text editor: if it comes out in order, an ATS will read it correctly too.
- A clear file name: "John_Smith_CV.pdf", not "cv_final_new3.pdf".
Length: one page or two?
One page for students, graduates and profiles with less than 5-7 years of experience. Two pages are fine for long, relevant experience, as long as every line serves the role. Beyond two pages a CV becomes hard to read, except for academic, medical and research roles, where a list of publications is attached.
Personal data, photo and privacy
- Photo: customs vary by country. In the UK, Ireland, the US and Canada, leave it out. In parts of continental Europe (Germany, Italy, Spain) it is still common but never mandatory. Only include one if it is professional and the ad doesn't exclude it.
- Data to leave out: national ID or tax numbers, marital status, number of children, religion, health information. None of it is relevant to the selection.
- Data processing consent: in Italy many recruiters expect a line at the bottom of the CV authorising the processing of personal data under the GDPR. Elsewhere it is generally not needed.
Using AI without sounding like everyone else
Using an AI assistant to fix grammar, shorten sentences or find stronger verbs is helpful. Problems start when the text is generated from scratch:
- generic, interchangeable sentences;
- invented or inflated results you won't be able to defend in an interview;
- a uniform tone that recruiters increasingly recognise.
The best method: write the facts yourself (what you did, with which tools, with what result), then use AI only to polish the wording. And read everything out loud.
Tailor every application in 10 minutes
You don't need to rewrite your CV from scratch every time. Keep a "master" CV with all your experience and results, then for each job ad:
- adapt the title and profile to the role;
- move the 2-3 most relevant roles or projects to the top;
- add the ad's keywords that genuinely match your skills;
- remove what doesn't matter for that role;
- save a PDF with a clear name.
With WizardsCV you can keep your CV up to date, switch templates in one click and download the PDF for free, with no sign-up.
Final checklist
- Does your profile clearly state the role you want?
- Does every role include at least one concrete result?
- Do the ad's keywords appear in your CV (if you really have those skills)?
- Are dates, company names and job titles consistent throughout?
- Does the text copy correctly from the PDF?
- Do your email and links work and look professional?
- Have you proofread everything, ideally with help from someone else?
Frequently asked questions
How long should a CV be in 2026?
One page if you have less than 5-7 years of experience, two at most for senior profiles. What matters is relevance: every line should serve the role you are applying for.
Should I send my CV as a PDF or a Word file?
PDF keeps your layout intact and is the best choice in most cases. Use Word only if the job ad or the application portal explicitly asks for it.
Can I use ChatGPT or other AI tools to write my CV?
Yes, to correct and polish. Avoid generating content from scratch, though: you risk generic sentences and invented details that come out in the interview. The facts must come from you.
Should I put a photo on my CV?
It depends on the country. In the UK, Ireland, the US and Canada, don't. In some European countries it is common but optional: include one only if it is professional and the job ad doesn't exclude it.
