Work resume or academic CV?
| Feature | Work resume | Academic CV |
|---|---|---|
| Used for | Jobs in companies and organisations | Graduate applications, PhD, postdoc and faculty positions |
| Length | 1–2 pages | No fixed limit; longer as your academic record grows |
| Main section | Work experience and achievements | Education, publications and research |
| Photo | Depends on the country; common in some, avoided in others | Usually no photo, especially for applications abroad |
The sections of a work resume, in order
- Name and contact details: name, job title, phone, a professional email, city and, if you have them, LinkedIn or a portfolio link. Your full home address and ID number are not needed.
- Professional summary: 2–3 sentences on your field, years of experience and your strongest skill.
- Work experience: newest to oldest; for each job the title, company, dates and 3–5 achievements.
- Education: degree, subject, university and graduation year.
- Skills: technical and software skills relevant to the job, not a long list of everything.
- Languages and courses: language level (or test score) and recognised certificates.
Writing the professional summary
A good summary is specific, short and matched to the job advert:
| Weak | Better |
|---|---|
| I am a hard-working, organised person who loves learning. | Accountant with 5 years' experience in manufacturing companies, skilled in QuickBooks and advanced Excel, preparing monthly financial reports. |
| I am looking for a suitable job to grow. | Sales specialist who grew regional sales by 30% in two years; keen to work in medical equipment. |
Experience: write achievements, not duties
Employers already know what an accountant or a sales specialist does; what sets you apart is the result of your work. Start each line with a strong verb and add numbers wherever you can:
| Duty (weak) | Achievement (strong) |
|---|---|
| Responsible for answering customers. | Handled about 60 customer calls a day and cut complaint resolution time from 3 days to 1. |
| Working with Excel and preparing reports. | Automated the monthly stock report in Excel, cutting preparation time from 2 days to 2 hours. |
| Managing the company's social media. | Grew the company's Instagram page from 2,000 to 15,000 followers in 8 months. |
Only write real numbers — you will be asked about them in the interview.
Design, photo and file format
- Length: one page is enough for under 10 years of experience; more than two pages is not recommended.
- Photo: follow the norms of the country you apply in; if you include one, make it formal, with a plain background and good quality.
- Fonts and layout: one or two readable fonts, consistent spacing and clear headings; avoid lots of colours and busy tables.
- Format: send your resume as a PDF so the layout stays the same on every device; keep the Word version for later edits.
- File name: for example Resume-Sara-Ahmed.pdf, not final2-new.pdf.
- Applicant tracking systems (ATS): some companies filter resumes with software, so include the keywords from the job advert (such as software names).
Common mistakes
- One fixed resume for every advert; adjust the summary and skills a little for each job.
- Spelling and grammar mistakes; a small error gives an impression of carelessness.
- An unprofessional email address such as gamer_ali1995@…
- Unneeded details such as marital status or old, unrelated jobs (unless the advert asks for them).
- Unexplained gaps; if you have one (study, military service, caring for family), mention it briefly.
Checklist before you send it
- My phone number and email are correct and the email is professional.
- Experience is ordered newest to oldest and each job has concrete achievements.
- The resume is tailored to this advert.
- I have proofread the whole text and there are no spelling mistakes.
- The file is a PDF with a sensible name.
Kajino's resume builder has this structure ready: enter your details, choose a modern or classic template and watch the live preview; you get a PDF ready to send and an editable Word file. For applications and PhDs there is a separate academic CV builder.
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