Your CV is the first, and often the only, chance you get to introduce yourself to a recruiter. In a busy job market, a strong CV does not need to be long or complicated — it needs to be clear, honest, and easy to scan.
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This guide walks you through everything that makes a CV stand out, and how platforms like Sólides can help you go from a plain document to a job-ready candidate profile that recruiters actually respond to.
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Understanding the Real Purpose of Your CV
A CV is not your life story. It is a targeted, one-to-two page summary of the skills, experience and results that make you a strong fit for a specific type of role. Recruiters spend a very short time on the first read, so every line should earn its place. Ask yourself for every sentence: “Does this line help the reader decide to give me an interview?” If not, remove it.
The strongest CVs are built like a pyramid — the most important, most relevant information at the top, and supporting details below. This is why the first quarter of your CV matters more than any other part.
Essential Sections That Belong in Every Professional CV
1. Header and contact details
Keep the header clean: your full name, one professional email address, one active phone number, and your city and state. Add a link to your public professional profile only if it is up to date. Do not include age, marital status, or a personal photo unless the local hiring culture expects it.
2. A short, sharp professional summary
Right below your name, write three to four lines that answer: who you are, what you do best, and what you are looking for. This is not a paragraph about your feelings — it is a factual snapshot. A hiring manager should know your level and direction after ten seconds of reading.
3. Professional experience
List roles from most recent to oldest. For each role include company, position, city, and dates. Under each, write three to six bullets that describe what you delivered, not just what you were responsible for. Numbers, scope and results are what turn duties into achievements.
4. Education, courses and certifications
List your highest completed education first. Include short professional courses, certifications and language skills. Even a short course can help you match a job description if it uses the exact tool or method the employer asked for.
5. Skills, tools and languages
Group skills logically — technical tools, industry knowledge and soft skills. Be honest about levels (“intermediate”, “advanced”), and only list what you can defend in an interview. Add languages with realistic levels rather than exaggerated ones.
Formatting, Organisation and Structure
Keep the layout simple and readable
A single-column layout is easier for both humans and automated screening systems to read. Use clear headings, comfortable spacing, and a professional font like a modern sans-serif. Avoid decorative fonts, dense colour blocks, and complex tables in the layout — they often break when the file is opened on another device.
Choose the right length
One page is ideal if you have less than five years of experience. Two pages are acceptable for more senior professionals. If your CV runs longer, it is usually a sign that you are including too much older or unrelated information.
Save and share in the right format
Always share your CV as a PDF unless the recruiter or platform asks for a Word document. A PDF preserves the layout across devices, which is exactly what you want when your document is being screened by many people you cannot see.
Fonts that read well
Stick to Inter, Lato, Calibri or a similar clean sans-serif at 10–11pt for body text.
Consistent formatting
Use the same style for all dates, job titles and bullet points across the CV.
Enough white space
Do not squeeze the page. Comfortable margins and spacing help the reader breathe.
Highlighting Achievements, Adapting Your CV and Using Keywords
Turn duties into achievements
Every experience bullet should show impact, not just presence. Instead of “responsible for customer service”, write “handled 60+ calls per day and improved first-call resolution by 15% in six months”. Numbers, percentages and short outcomes are what convert a soft bullet into strong evidence.
Adapt your CV to each role
Reorder bullets so the most relevant achievements for the role sit at the top. Adjust the professional summary and skills section to match the job description. This does not mean lying — it means putting the truth about you in the order the employer needs it.
Use the vacancy’s own keywords
Applicant tracking systems and recruiters both search for specific words. Read the job description, note the recurring terms, and weave them naturally into your CV where they are honest. Match the phrasing where possible: if they say “customer success”, do not write “client care” for the same experience.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Your CV
| Mistake | Why It Hurts | Better Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Generic CV sent to every role | Signals low interest and poor fit | Tailor summary and top bullets each time |
| Only listing responsibilities | Reads like a job description, not you | Add outcomes, numbers and scope |
| Complex, colourful design | Breaks in ATS and other software | Clean single-column layout, one accent colour |
| Long paragraphs | Hard to scan under time pressure | Short bullets, one idea per line |
| Spelling and grammar errors | Signals rushed, careless work | Proofread twice and ask a friend to review |
How Sólides Can Support Your Job Search
Sólides is a well-known people-management and career platform used by many employers in Latin America. As a candidate, it can help you build a stronger, more structured professional profile, take short assessments that show your soft skills, and appear in searches from companies that are actively hiring.
- Keep your Sólides profile aligned with your CV — same job titles, dates and skills.
- Use the platform’s assessments to show self-awareness about your working style.
- Complete every section carefully; a fully filled profile appears more often in recruiter searches.
- Refresh your profile every few months so it reflects new courses, projects and roles.
A great CV opens the door. A well-kept online profile keeps it open. Together, they turn a job search from luck into a process you can trust.
Practical Templates, Tools and Habits
Templates are useful only if they fit your story. Choose a simple, modern one and adjust the sections to your reality — do not force your career into someone else’s format. Save one clean master version of your CV, then copy and lightly edit it for each role. Keep a small document of your accomplishments, awards and metrics, and update it every quarter. When it is time to apply again, your CV will practically write itself.
Enhancing Your Job Search Performance
A polished CV works best inside a wider, calm job-search routine. Apply to a targeted list of companies rather than everything you can find. Follow up politely on applications that interest you. Track every application in a simple sheet, and treat every interview — successful or not — as free training for the next one. Consistency, not intensity, is what quietly builds a career.
Final Thoughts on Building a Standout CV
Your CV should reflect the professional you are becoming, not just the roles you have already held. Keep it honest, tailored, results-focused and clean. Pair it with a well-maintained profile on platforms like Sólides, apply with intention, and follow up with respect. Do that consistently and your CV will stop feeling like a document you dread updating — it will become one of the most useful tools you own for the rest of your career.
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