Your CV is scanned before it is read. Write for the scan first.
Start bullets with a verb
Not "Responsible for handling customer queries" but "Handled 60+ customer queries daily".
Strong openers: led, built, reduced, launched, negotiated, redesigned, trained, automated, resolved, delivered.
Put numbers in
Numbers survive a six-second scan; adjectives do not.
- Weak: "Significantly improved response times."
- Strong: "Cut average response time from 48 hours to 4."
- Weak: "Managed a large team."
- Strong: "Managed a team of 12 across two shifts."
If you have no numbers, use scale or frequency: how many, how often, how much.
Tenses
- Current role — present tense: "Manage a team of six."
- Past roles — past tense: "Managed a team of six."
Be consistent. Mixed tenses within one job are the most common error.
Phrases to remove
- "Hardworking and dedicated professional"
- "Excellent communication skills" — show it in how the CV is written
- "Team player"
- "Seeking a challenging position in a reputed organisation"
- "References available on request"
These appear on nearly every CV, so they distinguish you from nobody.
CV or resume?
In the UK, India and most of Europe it is a CV, usually two pages. In the US a resume, usually one. Match the market you are applying to.
What not to include
Norms differ, and in the US, UK and much of Europe it is standard to leave out your photo, date of birth, marital status and gender. Including them can complicate an application rather than help it.
Every bullet should answer: what did I do, and what changed because of it?
