العربيةHow to write a CV from scratch: a practical step-by-step guide
Learn how to write a professional CV step by step, from your contact details to your experience and skills, with a worked example and tips for your job applications.
You want to apply for a job. You open a new Word file, stare at the blank page, and have no idea where to start.
The first question is usually: what should I write about myself? Then comes a harder one: how do I convince an employer that I'm right for the job?
Writing a CV isn't about picking a nice template and filling in the gaps. It's a way of organizing your experience and skills so a recruiter quickly understands who you are, what you can do, and why you might be the right person.
The good news: you don't need to be a great writer to put together a clear, well-organized CV.
What is a CV, and why does it matter?
A CV is an organized summary of your professional and educational background. It isn't meant to tell your whole life story. Its job is to help an employer decide whether your experience and qualifications are worth an interview.
Say a company in Damascus is hiring a salesperson. Several people apply, and each one sends a CV.
One applicant writes "I have excellent skills and enjoy working in a team." That doesn't tell the employer much.
Another writes "I worked for two years selling electronics, handling customer service, following up on orders and managing the till." That paints a much clearer picture.
The difference isn't big words. It's detail.
The main sections of a CV
1. Personal and contact details
Start with what a company needs to reach you:
- Your full name.
- A phone number you actually answer.
- A professional email address.
- Your city and country.
- A link to your LinkedIn profile or portfolio, if it's relevant to your field.
Example:
Mohammad Ahmad
Sales and Customer Service Associate
Damascus, Syria
[email protected]
+963 XXX XXX XXX
You don't need your full home address, your ID number or private family details. A photo isn't required for every job either; add one only if it's asked for or fits the kind of role you're applying to.
2. Professional summary
The professional summary is a short paragraph, usually right under your name, that gives a quick idea of your experience.
For example:
"Sales associate with two years of experience in retail, used to working with customers, organizing sales and keeping track of stock. Looking for a role where I can help improve the customer experience and support sales goals."
If you don't have work experience yet, focus on your field of study, your projects and your skills instead of years worked.
What matters is that the summary is about you, not a generic sentence anyone could use.
For more, read how to write a professional summary, with examples.
3. Work experience
This is where you list the jobs or work you've done.
For each role, include:
- Your job title.
- The company or organization.
- The city, or whether the work was remote.
- Start and end dates.
- Your main responsibilities and achievements.
Example:
Sales Associate, electronics store, Damascus
March 2023 – June 2025
- Helped customers choose products that suited their needs.
- Followed up on orders and coordinated with the warehouse team.
- Kept daily sales records and prepared regular reports.
- Handled customer complaints and followed them through to a solution.
If you have real, measurable results, add them. If you don't have figures you can back up, a clear and accurate description of your work is enough.
4. Education and qualifications
List your most recent qualification, with the name of the university or institute and the year you graduated.
Example:
Bachelor's degree in Business Administration
Damascus University, 2024
If you've just graduated, you can add your graduation project or courses that relate to the job.
If you have strong work experience, it's usually better to put experience before education.
5. Skills
Don't list every skill that comes to mind.
If you're applying to be an accountant, skills like Excel, financial reporting and account reconciliation matter far more than skills unrelated to the job.
If you're a UX/UI designer, focus on tools and skills such as Figma, user research, prototyping and design systems, as long as you really use them.
Where it helps, group your skills into technical skills and languages. Back up personal qualities with examples from your experience instead of relying on words like "leader" or "creative".
6. Projects and training
This section is especially useful for students, recent graduates and people changing careers.
Built a website on your own? Designed an app as a training project? Helped a charity organize an event?
These experiences can count, as long as you explain your real role and don't present them as formal jobs if they weren't.
How to order your CV
For most traditional jobs, this order works well:
- Personal details.
- Professional summary, if you have something useful to say.
- Work experience.
- Education.
- Skills.
- Projects and extra certificates.
If you're a recent graduate, put education and projects before work experience.
There's no single order everyone must follow. The best order is the one that puts the information most relevant to the job where it's seen first.
One page or two?
If you're a recent graduate or have limited experience, one page is usually enough.
If you have years of experience and important projects, you may need two.
Don't pad your CV just to fill a page, and don't cut important achievements just to squeeze onto one.
Which language should your CV be in?
It depends on the job ad.
If a local company asks for applications in Arabic, prepare a clear Arabic version. If the job is with an international company or the ad is in English, an English version is usually the better fit.
Keep one main version of your CV, then adjust the language and content for each job.
In Arabic versions, check the text direction and how numbers and dates appear, especially if you use English terms.
How to save and send your CV
Before you send it:
- Save it as a PDF if the company accepts it, or in whatever format they ask for.
- Make sure the text can be selected and copied, and isn't just an image.
- Double-check your phone number and email.
- Open the file on your phone and make sure the layout looks right.
- Give the file a clear name, such as
Mohammad_Ahmad_CV.pdf.
The most important tip: don't send exactly the same version to every job. Adjust your summary, skills and the order of your achievements to fit the ad, without adding anything that isn't true.
In short: start with your information, not the template
Many people spend a long time hunting for the best-looking CV design, when the real problem is the content.
Write down your information first, pick your most important experiences, explain what you achieved, and only then worry about the formatting.
A good CV isn't the one with the most words. It's the one that helps the right person understand your value in the least time.
Your next step with Seekr
Once your CV is ready, the next step is finding jobs that really match your skills. Browse job openings on Seekr, and make every application a chance to show the best version of your experience.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a photo on my CV?
Not always. It depends on the company and the job market. If a photo isn't asked for, you can leave it out.
Should I list every job I've had?
List the experience most relevant to the job you're targeting. Not every role needs the same amount of space.
Can I make a CV on my phone?
Yes. Just use an editor that lets you control the text and export it cleanly, and check the file before you send it.
