A CV in English (an English CV, or curriculum vitae in English) uses standard English headings (Profile, Experience, Education, Skills, Languages), lists jobs from most recent to oldest, and describes each job in short bullet points that start with a past-tense action verb. Write it directly in English instead of translating sentence by sentence, explain foreign degrees, and state your English level clearly.
Writing a CV in English when it is not your first language is less about perfect grammar than about using the conventions an English-speaking recruiter expects. This guide gives you the format, a complete example, a student version, the grammar rules that matter, translation tables for degrees and titles, and a checklist. All examples are fictional; replace every [bracket] with your own facts.
CV in English: meaning and CV vs resume
CV is short for curriculum vitae. In the UK, Ireland, Europe, the Gulf, India and much of Asia and Latin America, "CV" means the one- or two-page document you send with a job application. In the United States and Canada the same document is called a resume, and "CV" usually means a long academic record. If you apply in the US, call it a resume; everywhere else, CV is correct.
CV in English format: sections and order
| Section (English heading) | What to write | Example line |
|---|---|---|
| Name and contact | Name, city and country, phone with country code, email, LinkedIn | Maria Lopez · Bogotá, Colombia · +57 300 000 0000 · maria@email.com |
| Profile | Two or three lines: who you are, your strongest evidence, the role you want | Accountant with 5 years in month-end close for retail companies |
| Experience | Job title, employer, city, dates; three to five bullets per job | Reconciled 40 supplier accounts every month |
| Education | Degree, institution, country, year; explain foreign degrees | Bachelor's degree in Accounting (5-year degree), Universidad [X], Colombia, 2019 |
| Skills | Six to ten skills from the job advert you can prove | Excel (pivot tables), SAP, financial reporting |
| Languages | Each language with a level | Spanish (native), English (C1) |
| Certifications | Courses and licences that matter for the role | IFRS Certificate, [provider], 2024 |
Use one column, clear headings and a common font. Purdue's resume design guidance recommends consistent formatting and plenty of white space, which also helps the applicant tracking systems many employers use.
Full CV example in English
CV example — Accountant (fictional, non-native speaker applying abroad)
MARIA LOPEZ · Bogotá, Colombia · +57 300 000 0000 · maria.lopez@email.com · linkedin.com/in/[profile]
PROFILE: Accountant with 5 years in month-end close and financial reporting for retail companies. Reduced the close from 8 to 5 working days. Looking for an accountant role in an international team.
EXPERIENCE
Senior Accountant, [Company], Bogotá · Mar 2022 – Present
• Led the monthly close for 12 stores and reduced it from 8 to 5 working days
• Reconciled 40 supplier accounts a month and cleared a three-month backlog
• Prepared monthly reports in English for the regional finance team
Accountant, [Company], Medellín · Jan 2019 – Feb 2022
• Recorded accounts payable for 200 suppliers in SAP
EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree in Public Accounting (5-year degree), Universidad [X], Colombia, 2018
SKILLS: Month-end close · IFRS · SAP FI · Excel (pivot tables, XLOOKUP) · Financial reporting
LANGUAGES: Spanish (native) · English (C1, IELTS 7.0)
English CV examples by profession
The examples below show how the same English CV format adapts to different jobs. Each one is fictional: replace every name, employer, number and date with your own verifiable details.
Nurse: English CV extract (fictional)
PROFILE: Registered nurse with 6 years in internal medicine wards; experienced with electronic patient records and handover in English.
EXPERIENCE: Staff Nurse, [Hospital], 2021 – present · Cared for 8–10 patients per shift on a 30-bed ward; trained 4 new nurses on medication rounds.
LANGUAGES: [Native language] (native); English (C1, [certificate, year])
Software developer: English CV extract (fictional)
PROFILE: Backend developer with 4 years of Python and PostgreSQL; built payment and reporting services used by remote teams.
EXPERIENCE: Backend Developer, [Company], 2022 – present · Cut report generation time from minutes to seconds by rewriting queries; reviewed code for a team of 5.
SKILLS: Python, Django, PostgreSQL, Docker, Git
Sales assistant: English CV extract (fictional)
PROFILE: Sales assistant with 3 years in retail fashion; comfortable serving international customers in English.
EXPERIENCE: Sales Assistant, [Store], 2023 – present · Served up to 60 customers a day; opened and closed the till; handled returns and exchanges.
LANGUAGES: [Native language] (native); English (B2)
Curriculum vitae in English: checklist before you send it
CV in English example for students
Student CV in English (fictional)
AHMED HASSAN · Riyadh, Saudi Arabia · +966 50 000 0000 · ahmed@email.com
PROFILE: Final-year Information Systems student looking for an IT support internship. Built a booking system for a clinic as a graduation project.
EDUCATION: Bachelor of Information Systems, [University], Saudi Arabia, expected 2027 · GPA 4.2/5
PROJECTS: Clinic booking system: designed the database and tested it with 15 users
EXPERIENCE: IT volunteer, [Organisation], 2025: set up 10 computers for a community library
SKILLS: Windows and Office troubleshooting · Networking basics · SQL
LANGUAGES: Arabic (native) · English (B2)
Students and freshers can follow the section order in the resume format for freshers, and the about me examples help with the profile line.
Grammar rules for a CV in English
| Rule | Write | Not |
|---|---|---|
| Start bullets with an action verb | Managed a team of five | I was responsible for managing a team |
| Past tense for past jobs, present for your current job | Prepare monthly reports (current) / Prepared (past) | Mixing tenses in one job |
| No "I", "my" or "me" in bullets | Reduced errors by 20% | I reduced my errors |
| Drop articles where natural | Prepared monthly report for regional team | I prepared the monthly report for the regional team |
| Write months as words | Mar 2022 – Present | 03/04/2022 (day and month order differs by country) |
| Pick UK or US spelling and keep it | organise, centre (UK) or organize, center (US) | Both in the same CV |
Common mistakes non-native speakers make
- "Actually" used to mean "currently". In English, actually means "in fact". Write "currently".
- "Responsible of" instead of "responsible for"; better still, start with the verb: "Managed…".
- "Experience in" a tool instead of "experience with" (experience in an area, with a tool).
- Long sentences translated word for word. English CV bullets are short: verb, task, result.
- Personal details that English-speaking employers do not expect, such as date of birth or marital status. See the CV format by country guide for local norms.
How to translate degrees, job titles and grades
| Original | In English | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Licenciatura / Bacharelado (4–5 years) | Bachelor's degree in [field] | Add the length if it is longer than three years |
| Técnico / Tecnólogo | Technical diploma or Associate degree in [field] | Describe the length and level rather than claiming a higher title |
| Bachillerato / Ensino médio | High school diploma | Only list it if you have no higher qualification |
| بكالوريوس | Bachelor's degree | Keep the university name in its official English form |
| Ingeniero / Engenheiro | Bachelor's degree in [X] Engineering | Only call yourself a chartered or licensed engineer if you are registered |
| Grades on a local scale | GPA 4.2/5 or 8.6/10 | State the scale instead of converting to a US 4.0 GPA |
Purdue's guidance for international applicants makes the same point: explain unfamiliar qualifications instead of forcing a match. If an employer asks for an official equivalence, they will tell you which evaluation service they accept.
How to show your English level on a CV
| CEFR level | What it means | How to write it |
|---|---|---|
| A2 | Basic everyday communication | English (A2, basic) |
| B1 | Can handle familiar work situations | English (B1, intermediate) |
| B2 | Can work in English on most topics | English (B2, upper intermediate) |
| C1 | Can work fluently in professional settings | English (C1, advanced; IELTS 7.0) |
| C2 | Near-native mastery | English (C2, proficient) |
The levels come from the Council of Europe's CEFR, which many employers outside Europe also recognise. Add a test score only if you have a recent certificate. Never overstate your level: an interview in English will show it.
CV in English template and PDF
Any single-column template works for a CV in English. ArcPixel's CV templates are built from real text, so the PDF reads correctly in applicant tracking systems, and the editor works in English, Arabic and ten more languages, so you can keep a version in your own language beside the English one. For more on layouts, see the best resume templates. Building and previewing are free; PDF export needs a paid plan (pricing).
- What is a CV in English?
- The document you send with a job application, written in English with English section headings and conventions. In the US and Canada it is called a resume.
- How do I write a CV in English if English is not my first language?
- Write it directly in English using a simple template, short bullets that start with past-tense verbs and standard headings, then ask a fluent speaker or a grammar checker to review it.
- What format should a CV in English have?
- One or two pages, one column, sections in this order: contact, profile, experience, education, skills, languages. Most recent job first.
- Should I translate my degree into English?
- Translate the name into the closest English term and explain the length and level. Do not claim a higher qualification than you hold.
- How do I show my English level?
- Use a CEFR level such as B2 or C1, and add a recent test score like IELTS or TOEFL if you have one.
- Can I use Google Translate for my CV?
- Only for a first draft. Rewrite the result into short CV bullets and have it checked, because word-for-word translation produces long, unnatural sentences.
