Step-by-step guide to help you write your CV (+quick checklist)

Here you can find a step-by-step guide to help you write your Curriculum Vitae (or in short CV), including a quick checklist of everything that should be included in your CV. 

How to write your CV: a step-by-step guide 

Step 1: Curriculum Vitae, name and picture 

• On top of your CV you can mention the word ‘Curriculum Vitae’ in full. It may seem obvious that the document presented is your CV, but by stating the word ‘Curriculum Vitae’, there will be no doubt about its content.
• Next to this, you can state your name in a big(ger) font, as this will show immediately to whom this CV belongs.
• By adding a picture to your CV, organisations will have a clear image of who is applying for the position. However, only include a picture of yourself if you feel comfortable with it. In the Netherlands it is often preferred, but your own preference is always leading. When you are applying in another country, try to find out (online) what is common for that specific country. Tips for taking a professional picture for on your CV can be found at the end of this guide.

Step 2: Name & contact

• State your email address, phone number and (shortened) LinkedIn URL. By stating your digital contact details first, it's easy for companies to contact you.
• Consider to mention your current place/country of living (address details not necessary) 
• When applying in a country other than your native country, add your nationality.
• Information such as date/place of birth, gender, etc. is optional.

Tip

Make sure your LinkedIn URL is shortened, as this gives a more professional look. How you can do this is stated here: Customize Your Public Profile URL.

Step 3: Summary

A summary / personal profile is a short description (paragraph of around 6 sentences) focusing on your skills/experiences that are relevant to the position you are applying for. It is a summary of your professional identity; a combination of your content-based focus/passion/drive and your talents. At the end, you can also state what kind of internship/job you are looking for, in which field and which start date you would prefer.

Examples for inspiration 

• MSc Environmental Sciences graduate specialized in agriculture. Experienced in working with ArcGIS and QGIS. My ambition is to develop digital tools for large scale sustainable agriculture. Looking for a job in data sciences within the field of agriculture. Preferable start date from September 2025.        
• BSc Business & Consumer student with a specialization in consumer behaviour. My ambition is to help consumers make conscious and sustainable purchases in their everyday life. My great communication skills help me to connect with others easily. Looking for a job in marketing from September 2025 onwards.

Tips

• Try to avoid the word ‘I’ in your profile. If you do decide to use it, try to avoid the word as the first word of a sentence or paragraph and try to not use it too much so that the emphasis is not too much on ‘I’.
• When you are applying for a specific vacancy, you can consider to try and match your profile with the organisation or vacancy by adding info about relevant skills/experiences/ambition. For example, address some key skills that they require and that you possess or try to match your ambition to theirs (this means that you can have different profile texts for different vacancies). This way, the recruiter will recognize the ideal candidate in you.

Step 4: Education

The section education is a list of the most relevant educational programs you followed, such as your MSc, BSc. 

• Start with listing your most recent educational program (use reverse chronological order) 
• Mention the start/end date (if you are still enrolled, you can state your start date followed by ‘- present’)
• Mention the name of your program
• Mention the institution/university
• Mention the specialization/track
• Optional: Mention your thesis and relevant courses and projects. Try to mention only those courses that may be relevant to the position you will apply for, rather than naming all of them.

Step 5: Work Experience 

This section includes all your relevant work experiences. If you have already done an internship, you can state it in this section as well.

• Again, start with listing your most recent work experience (use reverse chronological order)
• First mention the start/end date
• Mention your function
• Mention the company name and location
• Optional: Mention a short description (for example: company description or your department)
• Lastly, mention a summation of your tasks, responsibilities and/or results/skills achieved
• Elaborate on the parts that are most relevant to the position you are applying for. Keep the experiences that are less relevant short. 

Step 6: Extra-curricular activities (optional)

This optional section includes those activities that are not educational or work related. For example, here can be listed voluntary work, board membership, and/or a committee in a study- or student association.

• Again, start with listing your most recent experience (use reverse chronological order)
• Mention the start/end date
• Then mention your function
• Mention the company name and location
• Optional: Mention a short description (for example: company description or your department)
• Lastly, mention a summation of your tasks, responsibilities and/or results/skills achieved.

Step 7: Certifications (optional)

In this optional section, you can mention relevant trainings you followed or relevant certificates you obtained. In the Netherlands, a long list of achievements and certification is not inviting to read. Try to make a selection of the most relevant ones in relation to the position you are applying for.  

Step 8: Skills

On your CV, include a list of skills. This can be a combination of hard and soft skills.

• Hard skills are specific competencies or knowledge from which your level of experience can be measured. Examples of hard skills are: languages, IT skills (like SPSS, R, etc.), and Lab skills.
• Soft skills are skills such as presentation skills or leadership skills. 

Tips

• At languages, name the language and the level. Additional info is not necessary.
• An often-mentioned skill is Microsoft Office. However, as many people nowadays can work well with this software, you may want to list this skill at the end of your list. This way, your other (more difficult and harder to grasp) skills are more noticeable.
• When applying for a specific vacancy, make a selection of skills relevant to the vacancy or organisation (have a look at the vacancy requirements). Mention the most relevant skill first / on top of your list. 
• List of skills for inspiration

Step 9: Other info (optional)

If you have any other relevant information for the position that you will apply for, you can mention that in this section. For example:

• Publications
• (Relevant) interests,
• Drivers license (and which one)
• (If applicable) If you are willing to move or learn a new language.          

Step 10: References (optional)

If you have work experience or had a very close (professional) relationship with someone, you may want to ask them to be your referent. A company can contact your referent if they want more information about you and the way you work.

• Always ask someone to be your referent and make sure this person has a positive view about you. This, as you want to make sure the referent will state why to hire you (instead of why not).
• If there is someone willing to be your referent, you can state at the last section of your CV: ‘References available upon request’.
• Do not place the actual contact details of your referent in your CV. This way, companies will contact you if they want to contact your referent.
• Consequently, you can let your reference know that you applied for a certain position and that they will contact them about you. The benefit of this is that you can ask your referent to tell the company about certain characteristics of you that can be important for the position.

Tips for the layout and style of your CV

• A CV is max. two pages long. Try to focus on your most relevant experiences only. With relevant is meant those experiences which may be relevant to the job/internship you are applying for. If preferred, a CV can also be a one pager.
• Use a font that is easy to read, such as Arial, Calibri, Verdana etc. Furthermore, it is advised to make use of different font styles to highlight your experiences even more, such as bold, Italic, underline and bullet lists.
• Always send your CV (and motivation letter) in PDF-format when you apply for a position, unless indicated otherwise by the employer.
• There are multiple (free) software tools you can use to create your CV. Below, some options are listed:
  • Microsoft Word: Many CV’s are created in Microsoft Word. The program offers many templates that you can use to create your CV in. Word is also a great option to create an ATS-friendly CV.
  • Canva: Canva is a free platform in which you can easily design beautiful CV’s, as there are hundreds of professional templates you can choose from. These templates can be altered to your own preference. 
  • Adobe Indesign: Design tool for experienced designers, but often only accessible by paying a fee.
  • Europass: This website is created by the European Union to create a CV quite easily. Despite the convenience, the Europass templates always include watermarks and the formats take in a lot of your CV (which makes it hard to stick to two pages and decreases the readability of your document). Therefore, we advise you to create your CV with different software.

Tips for making your CV ATS-friendly

If you want to create a CV that gets through an Applicant Tracking Systems (is ATS-friendly), then using these tips can help:

• Use a clean, simple layout:
  • Use a single-column layout
  • Use plain fonts (e.g. Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman)
  • Use plain bullet points
  • Avoid using tables, text boxes, headers/footers, or fancy formatting
  • Avoid using images, graphics, charts, icons etc. Stick to text-only
  • Use consistent formatting for headings and bullet points
• Use clear, conventional section headings (e.g. Name & contact, Summary, Work Experience, Skills, Education, Certifications, Other info )
• Use standard job titles, instead of creative titles where possible
• Incorporate keywords from the vacancy text. If you're unsure which ones to incorporate, you can ask ChatGPT for help. Example prompts:
  • Analyse this job description and list the most important skills, qualifications, and software mentioned
  • Extract the top 5-7 keywords from the following job description to help me tailor my CV
• Use the exact same phrasing from the vacancy, for example: if the vacancy says “project management,” don’t replace it with “project coordination”. ATS scoring systems often match exact phrasing.
• Save/export as plain PDF (text-based) or .docx, not as an image-based PDF. 

Tips for taking a good picture for your CV (or LinkedIn)

• Make sure your face is clearly visible. To focus on your face, it is advised to take the picture in which the area from your shoulders/chest to the top of your head can be seen. Consequently, it is best to take a picture from the front. 
• Wear formal clothes, for example clothes that you would wear for a job interview.
• Try to keep your hair and makeup neutral, as it may draw the attention too much from your face.
• Try to keep your facial expressions professional. With this, the following is meant: in western countries it is advised to look friendly and confident on your CV picture (you can smile), while other countries around the world prefer a photo in which neutral facial expressions are the standard. Either way, when making the photo, try to pretend you are walking into a great job interview and imagine how your face would look like (and stick to that facial expression). 
• It is wise to make sure your background is neutral. For example, you may want to take a picture in front of a wall or have a blurred background. 
• Try to include a picture in which you are alone. This way, there can be no confusion about who the CV belongs to.         
• You may want to stick to natural daylight, as it can give you ‘a fresh look’. Furthermore, this makes sure you are clearly visible on the picture. For this, you may want to take a picture in front of a window or outside.
• Ask someone else to take the picture for you. Selfies are not very professional and by letting someone else take a picture for you, you are able to focus on your facial expressions. You can also attend the CV/LinkedIn photoshoots organised several times a year by Student Career Services. Check out the calendar to find out when the next photoshoot takes place.

Quick CV-checklist