How to write a CV
— complete guide for India 2026
Step-by-step guide to writing a professional, ATS-optimised CV for the Indian job market. Covers every section, the right order, what to include, and how to pass the ATS filter before a human sees your application.
Free to start · No credit card · 3 PDF exports included
75%
of CVs are rejected by ATS before a human reads them
6 sec
average time a recruiter spends on initial CV review after ATS pass
55%
of ATS rejections are due to missing keywords — not lack of qualification
40%
average ATS score improvement after keyword optimisation with CV Prime
CV vs Resume in India — what is the difference?
In India, the terms “CV” and “resume” are used interchangeably for most job applications. For this guide, we use “CV” to mean the 1–2 page targeted career document used for corporate, IT, and professional job applications in India — what most people mean when they say “make me a CV.”
A full academic CV (used for PhD applications, research positions, and some government roles) is a different document — it includes publications, conference presentations, grants, and teaching experience, and can be 5–20 pages.
The right CV format for India 2026
Use reverse-chronological format for 95% of Indian corporate and tech job applications. This is what ATS systems (Taleo, Workday, Greenhouse, Darwinbox) expect, and what Indian recruiters read most efficiently.
Standard CV section order for India
Contact information
Name, phone, email, city, LinkedIn
Professional summary (experienced) / Career objective (fresher)
2–3 lines maximum
Work experience
Most recent role first — the most important section
Education
Degree, university, year, CGPA (if relevant)
Skills
Grouped by category — this is what ATS scans most heavily
Projects
Required for freshers; optional for experienced professionals
Certifications
Role-relevant certifications only
Fresher exception: If you have less than 1 year of work experience, move Education to position 3 (before Work Experience / Projects).
How to write each CV section
Every section with exactly what to include, what to avoid, and formatting rules for ATS compliance.
1. Contact information
RequiredInclude
- ✓Full name (use the name on your ID documents)
- ✓Indian mobile number (+91 XXX XXXX XXXX)
- ✓Professional email (firstname.lastname@gmail.com)
- ✓City and state (not full address)
- ✓LinkedIn profile URL (customise it: linkedin.com/in/yourname)
- ✓GitHub URL (for tech roles) or Portfolio URL (for creative roles)
Avoid
- ✗Date of birth (not required for corporate roles)
- ✗Father's / mother's name
- ✗Marital status
- ✗Photo (unless the role specifically requires it)
- ✗Full home address
- ✗Nationality (assumed for domestic roles)
2. Professional summary (for experienced) / Career objective (for freshers)
RequiredInclude
- ✓2–3 lines maximum
- ✓Job title you are targeting
- ✓Years of experience and your primary domain
- ✓Your single strongest credential or achievement
- ✓1–2 key skills from the JD
Avoid
- ✗"Seeking a challenging position" (vague)
- ✗"Passionate", "self-motivated", "hardworking" (empty words)
- ✗More than 3 lines
- ✗Generic content not tailored to the specific role
3. Work experience
RequiredInclude
- ✓Company name, job title, employment dates (Month YYYY – Month YYYY)
- ✓3–5 bullet points per role using: Action Verb + What You Did + Measurable Result
- ✓Strong action verbs: Led, Built, Reduced, Increased, Launched, Designed, Managed
- ✓Quantified outcomes where possible: percentages, ₹ values, user counts, time saved
- ✓Keywords from the job description — woven naturally into the bullets
Avoid
- ✗"Responsible for…" (passive, no impact)
- ✗"Worked on…" (vague)
- ✗Full paragraphs instead of bullets
- ✗More than 5 bullets per role (for older roles, 2–3 is enough)
- ✗Personal pronouns (I, me, my)
4. Education
RequiredInclude
- ✓Degree name (B.Tech, MBA, B.Com, MCA)
- ✓University / college name
- ✓Graduation year (or expected graduation year)
- ✓CGPA — include only if 7.0+ and less than 3 years experience
- ✓Relevant coursework (for freshers in tech fields)
Avoid
- ✗Including CGPA below 7.0 on 10-point scale
- ✗Including 10th and 12th marks if you have a degree
- ✗Including CGPA if you have 5+ years of work experience
- ✗Listing irrelevant certifications in the education section
5. Skills
RequiredInclude
- ✓Group by category: Technical Skills, Tools, Domain Skills
- ✓10–18 skills — the right size for ATS and human readers
- ✓Use exact terms from the job description
- ✓Include both abbreviated and full form (JS and JavaScript)
- ✓Most relevant skills first
Avoid
- ✗Star ratings or skill bars (ATS cannot read visual elements)
- ✗Generic soft skills: "hardworking", "team player", "passionate"
- ✗Skills you cannot demonstrate in an interview
- ✗Listing more than 25 skills (signals padding)
6. Projects (required for freshers; optional for experienced)
OptionalInclude
- ✓Project name
- ✓Tech stack / tools used
- ✓1–2 bullets on what it does and any scale / impact metric
- ✓GitHub or live URL if available
- ✓Team size if applicable
Avoid
- ✗Projects with no description of the tech stack
- ✗Projects without any output or impact metric
- ✗Listing tutorial projects (Clone of Netflix) without something original
- ✗Projects from 5+ years ago with outdated tech stacks
7. Certifications (optional but high-value for freshers)
OptionalInclude
- ✓Certification name + issuing body
- ✓Year obtained
- ✓Relevance to the target role
- ✓Examples: AWS, GCP, Google Data Analytics, CFA, PMP, Six Sigma
Avoid
- ✗Listing every Udemy course you ever started
- ✗Certifications from obscure or unrecognised providers
- ✗Certifications older than 5 years (unless they are evergreen credentials)
CV formatting rules for ATS compliance
75% of CVs never reach a human recruiter — they are filtered out by ATS before anyone reads them. These formatting rules prevent that from happening to yours.
Use a text-based PDF
Export from Word, Google Docs, or CV Prime — not Canva. Paste your PDF text into Notepad to check: if you can select and copy the text, it is text-based and ATS-readable.
Avoid tables and columns
A two-column layout is parsed left-column-then-right-column by ATS. Your work history gets merged with your education. Use single-column or a simple layout with clear section breaks.
Use standard section headings
ATS systems recognise "Work Experience", "Education", "Skills". They do not recognise "My Journey", "Where I've Been", or "What I Know". Use standard headings.
No graphics, icons, or photos
Infographic elements, skill bars, icons, and photos are images — ATS cannot read them. Anything in an image is invisible to the ATS system.
Font: 10–12pt body, standard font
Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, or Times New Roman. 10–12pt body text. No font that requires a special download.
File name matters
Name it: FirstName_LastName_Resume.pdf (e.g., Priya_Sharma_Resume.pdf). Not "Resume.pdf" or "CV (1).docx".
How AI makes writing your CV faster
CV Prime uses AI to do the hardest parts of CV writing — keyword matching, bullet rewriting, and ATS scoring — in minutes.
Upload your existing CV or fill in the sections
CV Prime imports your existing PDF or DOCX and extracts all your experience, education, and skills automatically.
Paste the job description
The AI reads both your CV and the JD simultaneously — it identifies the keyword gap between what you have and what the role needs.
AI rewrites your bullets and adds missing keywords
Weak, duty-based bullets become outcome-led proof. Missing keywords from the JD are woven naturally into your experience.
See your ATS score and fix gaps
A 0–100 ATS score shows you exactly where you stand before you apply. Scores above 70 are competitive for most Indian corporate roles.
Export a recruiter-ready PDF
Choose from 8 ATS-safe templates and export a clean, text-based PDF. Free plan: 3 exports. Pro: unlimited.
How to write a CV — FAQ
1 page for freshers and candidates with less than 3–5 years of experience. 2 pages maximum for experienced professionals. For senior roles (10+ years), 2 pages is acceptable, but never exceed 2 pages for a standard corporate or tech application in India. Academic CVs for PhD/research roles can be longer — they follow different conventions.
Related guides & tools
Build an ATS-ready CV in minutes — free
CV Prime handles the hard parts: ATS keyword matching, bullet rewriting, section ordering, and PDF export. You focus on your experience — the AI optimises it.
Free · No credit card · 3 PDF exports · All 8 templates