Question 1

What is a CV (Curriculum Vitae)?

Accepted Answer

CV (short for Curriculum Vitae) is the Latin word for “course of life.”

In a nutshell, a CV is a summary of who you are as a professional, including your work history, education, and skills. Done right, a CV is supposed to “sell you” to potential employers and land you a job.

Question 2

#2. What’s the Difference Between a CV and a Resume?

Accepted Answer

Technically speaking, a CV and a resume are the same exact document, the only difference being that Americans call it a “resume,” whereas Europeans (and most other countries) call it a CV.

Here’s the catch, though.

A European CV can be between one and three pages long, depending on your career level and work experience.

A US resume, on the other hand, should (optimally) not be longer than one page (or two pages maximum, if you’re a seasoned professional with a lot of work experience to show for it).

For more on the CV vs Resume topic, check out our article.

Question 3

How to Write a CV?

Accepted Answer

There’s a lot that goes into writing an attention-grabbing CV, so you’re better off reading our comprehensive guide to improve your chances of getting hired.

That said, here are some effective tips to get you started:

Pick a Templates for Cover Letter that works for you and suits your industry.
Get the CV layout right by keeping your section headings consistent, leaving enough white space around the margins, and using a professional font.
Add all the must-have contact details (e.g. name, job title, phone number, and email), as well as other relevant contact details, such as your LinkedIn profile.
Include a concise CV summary that highlights your top achievements to grab the hiring manager’s attention from the get-go.
Show off your work experience by including as many quantifiable achievements as possible.
Keep your education section short and to the point by only mentioning your highest degree.
List each and every soft and hard skill you have that is relevant to the job.
Include optional CV sections, such as certificates and awards, languages, personal projects, or hobbies and interests.
Follow the tips in our CV builder to help you polish your CV.

Question 4

What to Include in a CV?

Accepted Answer

Some of the essential sections to include in your CV are:

Contact Information - This is where you include all your contact details, such as your phone number, email, name, title, and relevant social profiles (e.g. LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.).
Resume Summary (or Resume Objective) - A three-four sentence summary of your experiences, key skills, and top achievements that is positioned at the top of your resume.
Work Experience - All your relevant job positions, starting from your current or most recent job and going backward in time from there. The work experience section is also where you list your achievements and/or responsibilities for each role.
Skills - A list of any hard and soft skills you possess that are relevant to the job you’re applying for.
Education - This section should mirror your education history. If you’re not a recent graduate with little-to-no work experience, you should keep it short by only including your highest and most recent degree.
Optional section - Anything else that may improve your chances of getting hired, such as your awards, certificates, personal projects, internships, foreign languages you speak, etc.

Question 5

How to Make a CV With No Experience?

Accepted Answer

If you’re a recent college graduate applying for an entry-level position, you likely have little-to-no work experience to add to your CV - and that’s totally OK. The hiring manager won’t expect you to have much work experience anyway.

There are other things you can add to your CV to stand out from other applicants, such as:

Academic achievements
Completed internships
Volunteering experience
Personal projects
Hobbies and interests

Question 6

How Long Should a CV Be?

Accepted Answer

For most jobs, a CV can be between one and three pages.

That said, we always recommend keeping your CV short and to the point (i.e. one page long). The more concise you make your CV, the more likely it is for the hiring manager to read it from start to finish.

If you’re based in the US, though, and you’re applying for a job or admission in academia, your CV can be as long as it needs to reflect your lengthy academic career (i.e. eight pages or more).

Question 7

What’s the Best Templates for Cover Letter in 2025?

Accepted Answer

There’s no one-fits-all answer to this question. A better one to ask is: what’s the best Templates for Cover Letter for you?

Here’s our take on this:

Applying to a company that values innovation and creativity? Pick a creative Templates for Cover Letter.
Are you applying to a more conservative company, such as a bank or law firm? Pick a more traditional and professional Templates for Cover Letter.
Does the company you’re applying for fall somewhere between the two types we mentioned? Then pick a modern or simple Templates for Cover Letter.

Question 8

Top Tips for Picking a Templates for Cover Letter

Accepted Answer

If you’re still having trouble picking the perfect Templates for Cover Letter for you, check out some tips that can help you get it right:

Consider and understand your industry and its standards.
Take into account the culture at the company you’re applying for.
Think about the image you wish to project as a candidate.
Assess your chosen template in terms of presentability and reader-friendliness.
Think about which CV sections carry the most weight. Pick a template that puts extra emphasis on them.
Make sure to pick a Templates for Cover Letter without graphics, symbols, or any other unnecessary visuals.
Make sure the template you choose has space for a photo (if you’re planning on including one, anyway).
Finally, choose a template that feels right for you and that you genuinely like!

Question 9

Who Created These CV Samples?

Accepted Answer

All of our Templates for Cover Letter are created by our team of graphic designers and HR experts. We put a LOT of care into making sure that our CV samples are as good as they possibly can be.

When creating new Templates for Cover Letter, we always:

Interview recruiters and employers to learn what they look for in a good CV.
Analyze the world’s most popular applicant tracking systems (ATS) to ensure that they work with our Templates for Cover Letter.
Polish each CV example to be easy to read and follow.

We always go the extra mile to make sure that our Templates for Cover Letter have just the right contents to land you your dream job!

Question 10

Are These Templates for Cover Letter ATS-Friendly?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All our Templates for Cover Letter work well with popular Applicant Tracking Systems.

But that’s just a part of the process. The best way to meet ATS requirements is to also learn how to tailor your CV content to each job. Check out our guide on creating an ATS-friendly resume for more help with this.

Question 11

PDF Templates for Cover Letter vs Word Templates for Cover Letter

Accepted Answer

All our Templates for Cover Letter are in PDF format because it looks much better across all devices and is a lot more secure than Word.

Word Templates for Cover Letter were the standard a few years back because most Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) could not read PDFs.

This is not true for 2025, though, as PDF is currently the better and most widely preferred CV format for any job.

Question 12

Are These Templates for Cover Letter Free?

Accepted Answer

Yes, most of the Templates for Cover Letter and features are free. If you want your job application to truly stand out, though, you can also upgrade to benefit from our premium features, such as more personalization options, access to premium cover letter templates, and more.

Question 13

What Is the Best CV Format in 2025?

Accepted Answer

The two most popular CV formats in 2025 are the chronological and the functional formats.

In 95% of cases, though, we recommend that you go for the chronological resume format. It’s the most popular format among recruiters worldwide and it does a great job highlighting your most recent achievements and work experiences.

That said, if you really believe that your strongest point as a candidate is your set of skills, then you might want to try the functional resume format instead.

Question 14

Do I Need to Submit a Cover Letter With My CV?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it’s always a good idea to submit a cover letter along with your CV.

Even if the job description doesn’t specifically ask for one or if the hiring manager never gets to read it, submitting a cover letter with your CV will show the hiring manager that you are a serious and professional candidate.

Struggling with your cover letter? Make sure to check out our guide on how to write an effective cover letter!

Question 15

Can I Make an Academic CV With These Templates?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can definitely make an academic CV with our Templates for Cover Letter.

Novoresume Templates for Cover Letter are customizable, which means that you can add as many pages as you need to describe your academic career comprehensively.

Question 16

How is a US CV different from an EU CV?

Accepted Answer

In the United States, a CV is used solely for the purpose of applying to jobs or openings in academia. As such, it’s a much more comprehensive overview of your career that can take as many pages as needed (i.e. 8 pages or more).

In Europe, on the other hand, a CV is the equivalent of a resume. It is used to apply for jobs and is meant to provide a more “relevant” view of your work experience that meets the job's requirements. CVs are typically 1-2 pages long.

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