Free tools · 1 of 3

The CV template I use with clients.

2 Word files. The example is a validated sample in the house format, and it shows how to write a promotion inside one company. The blank has the same skeleton, with the rule for each block written into the line you replace, so the structure can't drift while you write.

    Both files, in your inbox in a minute. You'll also get The Next Move on Saturdays. Unsubscribe any time.

    How the format works

    Built for how a recruiter reads and how a parser parses.

    • Role-first. Each job leads with the title, then company, dates and location on the line below. A recruiter scanning for "Project Manager" finds it in the first second.
    • Single column, no tables, no graphics. Applicant tracking systems read it the way a person does, top to bottom.
    • 2 pages for the base CV. The adapted version for a specific role can be tighter.
    • Under each role, responsibilities as short bullets, then a separate "Key Achievements" list with numbers in it. Every bullet fits in 2 lines.
    • A promotion inside one company is one block: the last title you held, the whole tenure on the company line, and the earlier title under it with its own dates. 2 entries for the same employer read as 2 jobs.
    • Lato, 11 point. Readable on a phone, and it survives the PDF export intact.

    How to use it

    An evening, if your notes are in order.

    1. Open the example and read it once. That's the shape you're aiming for.
    2. Open the blank. Every block has a one-line prompt where your text goes. Replace it, block by block, from the top.
    3. Delete any prompt you didn't use. An empty "Key Achievements" line is worse than none.
    4. Send it as a PDF. Keep the .docx as your base and adapt a copy per role.

    Next

    The framework this template plugs into.

    The 5-Day Career Strategy Sprint. 1 email a day, each one a piece of how I run a search with clients: the target role, the company list, a CV check against that role, then a 30-day plan and a weekly system to run it on a few hours a week. Day 1 lands the minute you sign up.

      Free. The 5-day Sprint plus The Next Move on Saturdays. Unsubscribe any time. What's in the Sprint