CV Template Guide For 2023: Curriculum Vitae Template (CV Format & CV Examples)

by Hiration

Looking for a CV template?

[Click here to directly go to a CV template sample]

Okay, so, what's the difference between a CV format and a CV template?

One's a suit. The other an armor.

Here is what this CV template blog will walk you through:

Here's to reading it again!

What is a CV for a Job?


A CV is a document for all your experiences - adventure, education, and work alike.

It should contain your subjects and your most prevalent work tenure and your most achievements.

Your CV should leave no room for doubt about the kind of job you are looking for and why you are the best person for that position.

It should essentially reflect what you pay attention to and what you learn. So, get your CV made professionally today.

Also read: What is the difference between a CV and a resume?

Where do you need a CV?


You mainly need a CV that covers all of your work experiences and teaching experiences in Europe and most Commonwealth Countries.

In the USA and Canada, it is known as a resume and tends to be a more concise document.

Hiration pro tip:
To best figure out whether you have written a resume or a CV for the correct country and whether you have the right skill set, get it professionally reviewed.

Who needs a CV?


In most cases, a CV is required when you're applying for a job overseas except for the US. In the USA most often than not, a resume is required. When you're applying for a job abroad, in most cases, it will be mentioned in the job description itself whether they require a resume or a CV from you.

CV is most commonly required by people in the field of academics as they need to convey lengthy and exhaustive information to the recruiter when applying for jobs. Some academic-related professions include - senior executives, physicians, lawyers, archaeologists, etc.

CVs are massive, extensive, and exhaustive documents. They are supposed to contain all the accomplishments and experiences that a person has had.

CV Template for Students

The standard CV Template for students or freshers in the UK should be no longer than two sides of A4.

The entry-level CV is the ideal type to use if you are a new graduate and applying for your first job. Just like most graduates, you won't have much work experience, to begin with, so you should focus on your skills and education. You can talk about your modules, thesis/dissertation, hobbies, or voluntary experience you had as a student, as long as they can be relevant to the job.

Only include the main facts. If your CV is just one page, that's fine, as employers only want to read relevant information. Some medical or academic CVs may be longer depending on your experience.

Check out: The 2023 Beginner's Guide to a Marketing Graduate’s CV

CV Template Medical

There is no required length for medical CVs, with the general trend to be 2–3 pages of A4 that keeps the information succinct and relevant. An academic CV may tend to be longer, with research and publications included.

A medical CV generally includes all the following information in addition to a resume header and contact information.

  • Education: name, location, degree, and date from all institutions you've attended
  • Leadership or participation in student organizations, events, projects, and experience abroad
  • Scholarships, Honors, and Awards: include cum laude: magna cum laude or summa cum laude, election to AOA, or Gold Humanism, awards (including service awards), scholarships, etc.
  • Medically relevant work experience: listed in reverse chronological order
  • Research: indicate the institution, department, principal investigator or supervisor, brief title of the research project, your role, and dates of participation
  • Publications: include all published articles of which you are an author or co-author; bold your name
  • Presentations: include all relevant presentations (verbal, poster, paper) at medical conferences, specialty association meetings, etc.
  • Service: leadership and volunteer activities; SOM committees
  • Interests: other skills such as foreign language, pilot’s license, etc., and hobbies
  • Professional Memberships

How to make a CV for a job?


Here is a good CV example. Let us guide you through the steps to make a skills CV.


The CV Format

  • Avoid serif/non-professional fonts such as Comic Sans and choose something more professional such as Calibri.
  • Make sure your name and heading are in sizes between 14 - 16 pts and your body is in sizes between 10 - 12 pts.
  • List everything in chronological order as opposed to the reverse chronological order in a resume.
  • Keep it concise and easy to read by using clear spacing and bullet points.
  • If you're posting your CV, go with single-side printing on white A4 paper.

CV Template Writing & Tips:

  • Short positive, punchy, and informative sentences that are on average 12 words long.
  • Factual information that is logical and relevant to the job.
  • Accurate industry-specific keywords and phrases.
  • Proofread content that has also been checked for spelling mistakes.
  • Personal summaries that are clear and innovative.
  • Change words and phrases to suit different jobs.
  • Work duties that show your achievements and capabilities.
  • Text that has been justified.
  • Layouts that are visually attractive.

A CV (curriculum vitae) allows you to summarise your education, skills, and experience, selling yourself to employers.

Also read: Which CV structure is followed and accepted in the United States?

CV Template: Contact Information


It is advisable to place your name, address, email, home, and mobile telephone numbers at the top of your CV.

This is the first thing a recruiter will see. It should, therefore, be used to display crucial information that you want the recruiter to notice immediately.

CV Template Key Section


As a general rule of thumb, the key section of your CV template mainly consists of the summary/objective section. We will now discuss it.

CV Template: Summary/Objective Section


Placed at the beginning of the CV, a summary or objective is a concise statement that highlights your key attributes or reasons for deciding to work in a particular field.

Pick out a few relevant achievements and skills, while clearly articulating your career aims.

It must focus on the sector you're applying to, as your cover letter will be job-specific. You should keep it short and snappy - 100 words is the perfect length.

This is a useful and quick way to highlight how you are suitable for the role in question by stating your most relevant experience and skills as well as expressing your professional goals regarding your future career.

Check out: CV Maker: Your Guide to Creating a Stellar CV with Hiration in 2023

CV Template: Education Section


In the CV Template for students, the education section usually appears at the top of the resume.

List and date all previous education, including professional qualifications, placing the most recent first.

Additionally, your CV should highlight the subjects you are learning at college which could be directly significant to the target job you are pursuing.

It is not necessary to include grades in your CV.

CV Template: Co-curricular/Extracurricular Achievements


  • Awarded ‘Grade Card Distinction Award’ for consistently achieving 85% + academically,'11
  • Among the top 10% of students to receive the ‘Psychology Award’ for outstanding performance in the subject,'11

CV Template: Work Experience


This section usually lists your experience in reverse chronological order. For most CV Templates for students, this section can be further divided into projects and internships. In that case, you shall arrange your important/current internship sections right below your education section.

Make sure that anything you mention is relevant to the job you're applying for. If you have plenty of relevant work experience, this section should come before education.

CV Template: Teaching Experience


This is another skill that is vital for doctors, so include any teaching experience either formal or informal at any level, the topics and audience taught, and what you gained from it. Have some feedback forms within your portfolio as evidence of this.

CV Template: Training courses/Educational Symposia


Include training courses and symposiums that add value to your CV, for example, a suturing course will look good for surgical applications, as will basic and advanced life support courses. Courses related to examination preparation are usually not relevant.

The courses can also relate to other aspects such as management, teaching, or research. For each one state the date and title of the course, and can be presented either reverse chronologically or in order of importance. Importance can further be split up into international, national, or regional courses.

CV Template: Additional Information/Interests


This is where you talk about the foreign languages you speak and the IT packages you can competently use.

Whatever you list should be relevant to the job and not exaggerated, as you'll need to back up your claims at the interview. If you have got lots of relevant experience you should do a skills-based CV.

This is designed to present you as a well-balanced individual and to catch the reader's attention.

Simply writing "bird-watching, movie-watching, and reading" is not going to catch the attention of the recruiter.

Include any extracurricular activities that you do but rather than listing them, demonstrate why you do them and what you have gained from them especially how they have improved your ability as a doctor.

It is important not to fabricate any information in this section as you can be quizzed about it during an interview.

However, when relevant to the job, your interests can provide a more rounded picture of you and give you something to talk about at the interview.

CV Template: References


You do not need to provide the names of references at this stage.

You also don't need to write "References available upon request" as that is redundant information for the recruiter.

You may find more professional templates on Hiration's free reference tool.

Since CV Template pdf does not cater to many priorities while drafting your resume, we have enlisted a few good CV Templates in the form of jpeg or HTML to best understand the features of the suite.

Good CV Template for the first job

CV Template academic

Key Takeaways


  • Try to put yourself in the recruiter's shoes and find what exactly they are looking for in an applicant.
  • Don’t be shy at highlighting and quantifying your achievements and capabilities.
  • Write and tailor your curriculum vitae to fit the job you are applying for.
  • Write all points in a cause-effect relationship to express that what you did aligns with the impact you made.
  • In your personal summary or career statement be enthusiastic about the job and align your skills with the requirements.
  • Be truthful, do not exaggerate or lie.

With Hiration’s ChatGPT-powered career service platform, you can prepare the ideal CV for your next job.

It will cater to all your professional needs - from building a shortlist-worthy resume and cover letter to optimizing your LinkedIn profile, preparing for interviews, and more!

For any queries or concerns, feel free to drop a mail at support(at)hiration(dot)com.