The standard format
- Header: full name, phone, email, city and country, LinkedIn or portfolio link.
- Profile: two or three lines tailored to the job.
- Experience: reverse chronological, with job title, company, location and month/year dates.
- Education: degree, institution, year; grades only if strong or recent.
- Skills: grouped (for example “Tools”, “Languages”, “Methods”), no rating bars.
- Extras only if relevant: projects, certifications, volunteering.
Formatting rules that matter
- Single column. Two-column designs often get read out of order by ATS software.
- Standard fonts such as Arial, Calibri, Inter or Georgia at 10–12pt; headings at 13–16pt.
- Margins of about 2cm and consistent spacing between sections.
- No tables, text boxes, icons for contact details, or images of text.
- Save as PDF unless the employer asks for a Word document.
Which format for your situation
Reverse chronological suits almost everyone and is what recruiters expect. If you are a fresher, lead with education and projects. If you are changing careers, add a short “relevant experience” section above your full history so the transferable work is seen first — but keep the dates; hiding them raises more questions than a gap does.