A CV is your summary of what you can do and what you have done. On this page we go through the parts a CV usually has, why they are there and how to write them. Read from beginning to end, or jump to the part you are wondering about. At the bottom of the page there are finished examples to compare your own CV with.
We keep the Swedish names as they are. Those are the words you will meet on websites and in adverts, and the words you need to be able to say to your caseworker.
A CV is a short summary of what you can do and what you have done. The employer often reads it quickly, so the most important things must be easy to find. Most CVs consist of the same parts:
Your CV and your covering letter are two different documents. They should not be merged into one.
In a traditional CV your contact details are at the top. They should make it easy for the employer to reach you.
Think about which email address you use. If Boris applies for a job at Försäkringskassan and writes the address partyanimal99@hotmail.com, it can come across as unserious. It is not a rule, but an address with your name in it makes a better impression, for example boris.andersson@hotmail.com. It is a good idea to get an address that you use only for applications, separate from your private one.
In Sweden a photo in the CV is common, and few people find it odd. That does not mean you have to have one. In many other countries, for example the USA and the UK, CVs are usually without a photo.
A simple approach: have a CV without a photo, and a good photo saved on your computer. Then you can add the photo when the employer asks for it, or when you think it fits.
There is no rule that a CV must have a profile. If you want one, it should serve a clear purpose.
The profile is a short description of your strengths at a workplace. Do not just write words like "driven" or "sociable". Show instead how they show up when you work. Your personal qualities belong in the profile. They do not need a heading of their own.
Example: Warehouse worker with five years' experience of picking and forklift driving. I keep my work in order, collaborate well in a team and stay calm when there is a lot to do.
Work experience can be both employment and work placement. If you have done a six-month placement at a warehouse you have six months' experience of warehouse work. Write that it was a placement, and do not be afraid to bring it forward. It shows that you want to work and are motivated, and it is clearly better than having nothing at all.
Write four things for each job or placement:
It is a further plus if you also describe your duties a little more concretely. If it just says "Restaurant", the reader does not understand everything you did. You may have welcomed guests, restocked, taken orders as a waiter, been a team leader, cleaned and closed up, been responsible for the till and served alcohol. If you do not write it out you risk the employer missing exactly the knowledge they are looking for.
Further down the page there will shortly be several examples of how this can look.
Normally you only need to include your highest completed education. If you have a university degree you do not need to write anything about upper secondary school.
Two exceptions:
Your highest qualification goes at the top of the list. Write:
Under education you gather your courses and certificates in a part of their own. You can also put your driving licence there, since it is a qualification you have taken. There is no rule about where the driving licence should go.
Skills are what you can do at work, for example duties, machines, systems and tools. Write them as short phrases in a list:
Choose what matters most for the job you are applying for. Read the advert and use the same words as the employer, where they are true for you. Then the reader sees straight away that you have what is being asked for, and some recruitment systems look for exactly those words. Only write things you really can do, since you may be asked about them at the interview.
Three or four is usually enough. A few that reflect the advert are better than ten that have little to do with the job.
Qualities such as "thorough" or "resilient under pressure" are not skills. They belong in the profile.
There are no rules for how you describe your language skills. A rule of thumb is to look at how the advert expresses the requirement:
A simplified scale can help you judge your level:
In the CV you write the level in words, so that the reader understands immediately:
A language at level 0 you leave out. Language shows immediately at an interview. So choose the level you can manage in everyday working life, for example understanding an instruction, answering the phone or writing an email.
Example: Swedish (fluent) · English (good knowledge)
Under Other you write things that may matter for the job but do not fit under the other headings. Employers like to know such things, and the reader cannot know that you have your own car, for example, unless you write it.
It can be:
Try to leave as little as possible for the employer to guess. Write the things that could actually get you chosen.
A portfolio shows examples of things you have made. It is not common in every occupation, but it is good to know that it exists and when it is usually used.
It can for example be:
Among the examples further down the page there will shortly be a CV for someone working in IT. It follows the same basic structure as the others, but looks a little different: it has a part of its own for projects and a list of technical skills. So a CV can look different in different industries.
There are no rules about who can be a reference. Ideally it should be someone who has worked with you and with whom you do not have a personal relationship, preferably a manager. A colleague can work well too.
Most people do not write out their references in the CV. Instead it says "References available on request". It can be an advantage to write a little more, for example: "My former manager and a colleague. Phone numbers provided on request."
Then the recruiter sees that you have references ready and that one of them is a manager. That leaves fewer question marks, and that is exactly what you want to avoid. Ask your references before you give out their numbers, and tell them which job you have applied for.
ATS is a recruitment system the employer uses to receive and handle applications (applicant tracking system). Many people believe the system automatically filters out CVs if the layout is wrong. There is little support for that. Most often it is a human being who reads and selects. What more often filters out applications are the questions in the application form, for example whether you have a driving licence or the right certification.
Newer systems can read most things, including images and advanced design. But not every employer has the newest systems. So it is useful to know the difference between a CV every system can read and one that can come out wrong.
A CV every system can read:
Here is how to test your own CV: open the PDF, select all the text, copy it and paste it into an empty document. If the text comes out in the right order and the headings can be read, essentially every system can read your CV.
All the example CVs further down the page meet the three requirements, and at each example we explain why.
Give the file a simple name that shows what it is, for example:
A file name such as Summerjob2019.pdf can give the impression that the application is old or made in a hurry. Do include your name, so that the employer finds the right file among all the others.
The clearest case is when you send your CV as an attachment in an email. The recipient sees the file name straight away, and if it says Summerjob2019.pdf they may think you have not updated your CV.
Avoid å, ä and ö in the file name, since they can come out wrong in some systems. If your name is Åsa Öberg the file can be called CV_Asa_Oberg.pdf.
Check the document properties as well, that is, the title and the author. They travel with the file, and an old name or someone else's name can be left there.
Go through the list before you send it:
Finished example CVs are coming soon.