Writing a Resume (CV): explained step by step with templates. The CV is the central document of your application. It shows HR managers at a glance what training and requirements you have for a position. Absolventa shows you step by step how to write the perfect CV and offers you suitable templates that you can download for free.
Resume template for download.
You don’t know exactly how your tabular CV should look like, but want to spend as little time as possible on it? Then we have something for you: Our CV templates, which you can download for free as a PDF or Word file.
Our samples and resume templates are suitable for every industry, because you can choose between classic, modern and original design. So they are just as suitable for your application to a traditional company as they are for a hip start-up or a forward-looking technology group.
Downloading a CV template as a Word file or PDF saves you a lot of work that you can put into your personal profile and the formulation of your individual knowledge. This is how your tabular CV will be a success with the help of our samples and CV templates!
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Of course, you should not copy the free CV template 1:1, but adapt it to your personal profile, including career and experience.
Writing a CV: The most important information.
The CV, also Curriculum Vitae (CV) in English, clearly shows the previous school and professional career with all relevant information and achievements of applicants*. For HR professionals, the CV is the most important document in your application, ahead of the cover letter and, if applicable, the application photo. Many use it to get a first impression of your professional experience and your qualifications and often even make it dependent on whether they read the cover letter at all.
Since our CV templates are based on different industries and the need of HR for clarity, they are perfect for your application documents. So nothing stands in the way of you on your way to your dream job.
In the following we answer the most important questions about the CV in your application.
1. What types of CVs are there?
There are three types of resumes that may be relevant to your application. The content and structure are almost the same, regardless of the variant chosen.
Tabular CV
Detailed CV
Handwritten CV
The most common form is the tabular CV. Unless the advertised position requires otherwise, you should choose this option.
2. What should be considered with the content?
A tabular CV is complete, meaningful, error-free, structured and clear. HR managers must be able to see at first glance who you are, what experience you have already gained and what knowledge and qualifications you bring to the job.
3. Where does the CV go in the application folder?
Structure of your application:
Cover sheet (optional)
Write to
CV
relevant testimonials
In your application documents, you add the CV directly after the cover sheet and cover letter, but before the certificates.
4. How many pages should a CV have?
Your tabular CV should not be longer than one, maximum two DIN A4 pages. A general rule of thumb: as short as possible, as long as necessary. No recruiter wants to spend a lot of time reading your resume.
On average, recruiters take 43 seconds to read applicants’ resumes.
StepStone Austria & mindtake, 2018
So you have to make your personal profile and your professional experience visible at first glance with a structured and clear structure.
5. Which theme should I use?
The structure for a spreadsheet CV is pretty strict, but you can choose between three different layout designs:
classic
creative
modern
The design you choose for your application documents depends on the employer’s industry. In corporations or in banking, for example, your application should look more classic, but in start-ups or the tech industry the design can also be creative or modern.
Companies in the IT & Development sector:
But even if you want to create a creative application, you better avoid overdone colors and too many fonts. They only distract and in the end you don’t even answer the essential questions that HR managers ask themselves when selecting applicants because of all the colors and fonts. So limit yourself to a maximum of two fonts – one for the body text and a decorative font for the headings, for example – and concentrate on colors from one color family.
The right structure and the right layout of an application are essential. Therefore, you will find more specific tips for your application documents and free application templates for the respective industry in the following list.
What types of resumes are there?
Not every resume is the same. Depending on where you are applying and whether you already have a lot of points that you can write on the CV, different types of CVs are right for you. Here is a brief overview:
Tabular CV
The tabular CV organizes your personal details and your professional career, as the name suggests, in the form of a table. For this reason, the tabular CV is also particularly clear and popular with HR professionals. You can see your personal data, practical experience, knowledge and qualifications at a glance. Please note that you always list your educational path and professional career or your practical experience in reverse chronological order, i.e. start with the most recent station. This will make your relevant stations even clearer.
Detailed CV
A detailed CV is – surprise – much more extensive than a tabular CV. Here you describe your practical experience and knowledge in text form and sometimes even handwritten. A detailed CV is not as clear for HR managers as a tabular CV and is therefore very rarely required when applying for a job. You are more likely to have to submit a detailed CV when applying for a scholarship or funding program. Another difference to the tabular CV is that with a detailed CV you list your stations in chronological order, i.e. you start with your first practical experiences and only later come to your most recent stations.
Handwritten CV
A handwritten resume refers to a detailed resume that you have handwritten yourself. As you can probably imagine, this is only very rarely required – in exceptional cases by authorities, in the legal field or if you are applying for a graphic position in which creative craftsmanship plays a role. The structure is identical to the detailed CV. It is important that you use good paper and that you write with a fountain pen instead of a ballpoint pen. Corrections or tip-ex are taboo.
Online CV
Many companies require you to submit an online application, i.e. send it by email, or fill out an online application form. You often enter your personal data in form fields and at the end you can attach your CV or your complete application as a file. It is important that your online CV is in the form of a PDF. You should also keep the design for this rather simple, as your CV file is often automatically scanned by a CV parser for the relevant information. If the relevant information is not clearly presented, the algorithm will not recognize your data and, in the worst case, some of your qualifications will be lost.
Writing a Resume (CV): Explained Step By Step With Templates.
Writing a CV: the structure.
The classic structure of a CV looks like this:
Title “Resume”
Personal Information
Contact details
Personal Information
School, training, studies (anti-chronological)
Practical experience, professional experience (anti-chronological)
knowledge, additional qualifications
Interests / hobbies
Of course, the structure of the CV can also vary depending on your personal career and the advertised position. Not all information is mandatory, but there are certain points that simply must be included in every CV. In addition, there is optional resume content that you can include if it serves your application, but is not required.
