CV Examples and samples

A CV example is a pre-made CV by a real or hypothetical candidate, based on an actual role with relevant skills and experience. CV examples are highly useful as a model to guide the CV writing process. That could be a specific example for the exact role you’re interested in, or just a general example to give you an idea of the structure and design.

The most popular CV examples are those with a clear structure, good design, and great content, which can all be used to inspire your own application. In terms of job roles, some of the most popular CV examples are for administration, food service, and construction.

The best CV examples for students and entry-level jobs are those which focus on education and transferable skills. That could be a CV for a university student, listing part-time or summer jobs alongside their A-levels – or a trainee CV example focusing on relevant experience from their training to date. Alternatively, a skills-based CV example is ideal for entry-level candidates with a lack of experience.

To customise a CV example to your profile, the best place to start is a CV template. This gives you the same structure and design as our CV examples as a starting point. You can then customise it by adding your own skills and experience or using pre-written content on our online builder.

While you can’t download CV examples, you can create your own CV based on our examples in a matter of minutes. Using the myPerfectCV builder is actually much easier than starting with an example. It allows you to tailor every aspect of your CV to your skills and experience, as well as the job you’re applying for.

A headline refers to the text that sits at the top of your CV, typically in a bigger or bolder font than the rest of the content. Some examples include a sentence which summarises your main skills. However, to avoid repetition in your personal statement, we recommend using your name as the headline.

There are number of tips that can help you nail the writing style on your CV. To make things easier, we’ve provided some examples below:

• Clear and concise – To keep your CV short and sweet like our examples, it’s best to ditch any fluff or unnecessary text. For example, say you “Cleaned food preparation areas daily” rather than explaining how you “worked hard to make sure every last corner of the kitchen was clean at the end of each day”.
• Active voice – Use action words to explain what you did, not what happened while you were there. An example of this would be saying “managed 20 staff over a 5-year period”, compared to “team of 20 staff were managed effectively”
• Plain English – You might think jargon makes your application look more professional. But it can actually alienate recruiters. Keep things simple and explain any acronyms, such as “click-through rate” for “CTR” or even “managing director” for “MD”.
• Be specific – Eliminate the guesswork. Specific numbers can work wonders for your CV. For example, “managed marketing budgets exceeding £50,000” or “assisted 100+ customers weekly”

Here are some tips for describing yourself in a CV:

• Do it in your personal statement – The only place you should describe yourself in your CV is your personal statement. As an example, don’t say that you have 10 years’ experience in your work history section. Say so in your professional summary at the top, then let your work history back it up.
• Use the third person – Even when you’re introducing yourself, recruiters don’t want to hear “I”, “me”, “we”. For your CV, it’s more professional to use the third person, for example “Hard-working accountant with ten years of experience in finance roles. Skilled in bookkeeping, VAT, and business planning”
• Relevant adjectives – Adjectives (describing words) are essential to tell recruiters what you’re like. But make sure they’re relevant to the job. It’s no use saying you’re “physically fit” for a data entry role, for example, or “creative” as an accountant. Choose wisely with 2-3 adjectives that best describe your qualities in line with your job.

If you want to build a CV like our examples, it’s best to include these five key parts:

• Personal details: name, address, and contact details.
• Personal statement: a concise overview of your career and ambitions.
• Work history: detail your experience (using real world examples where relevant) to prove your suitability for the role. Try to tailor this section to each role yo u’re applying for.
• Skills: add a bullet-point list of skills to emphasise your key qualities, especially for recruiters that don’t want to read your entire work history.
• Education and qualifications: include information on relevant degrees and certificates, and where you obtained them. It’s standard for these to be listed using reverse chronological order (the latest first).