A good CV gets you an interview; it doesn't need to tell your whole life story. Recruiters in Sri Lanka, as elsewhere, often spend less than a minute on the first read, so the most important information has to be easy to find. Here's how to put one together, section by section.
How long should it be?
One page is ideal for school leavers, graduates and anyone with under five years' experience. Two pages is fine if you have more experience. Longer than that, and important details get lost.
The sections, in order
1. Name and contact details
Your full name, a phone number with +94 if you're applying abroad, a professional email address (such as firstname.lastname@gmail.com rather than a nickname), your town, and a LinkedIn profile if you have one.
2. Personal details (only what's needed)
Many Sri Lankan employers still ask for date of birth, NIC number, gender and marital status, and government and some local jobs require them. For private-sector and international jobs, they're usually not needed, and leaving them out keeps the focus on your skills. Follow what the job advert asks for.
3. Profile
Three or four lines saying who you are, what you're good at and what you're looking for. Make it specific: “Accounting graduate with two years' experience in audit and payroll, looking for a role in financial reporting” says much more than “hard-working and motivated person”.
4. Work experience
Newest job first. For each: job title, employer, town and dates, followed by three to five bullet points. Start each bullet with an action and, where you can, a result: “Reduced month-end closing from eight days to five” is far stronger than “Responsible for month-end closing”.
5. Education
Degrees and diplomas, newest first. School leavers and recent graduates can add A/L results (stream, subjects and grades) and, briefly, O/L results. Experienced candidates can usually leave out O/L results.
6. Skills and languages
List the skills the job advert asks for that you really have: software, technical skills, and soft skills you can back up. Say how well you speak Sinhala, Tamil and English; language skills matter to many employers here.
7. Extras that help
Professional qualifications (CIMA, ACCA, CIM and so on), certificates, projects, volunteering, sports and leadership roles in societies.
8. References
Two non-related referees, such as a former manager and a lecturer, with their position, phone number and email. Ask them first. If space is tight, “References available on request” is acceptable.
Common mistakes
- A photo that looks casual. If you add one, use a clear, recent, professional photo, or leave it out for jobs abroad where photos aren't expected.
- Spelling mistakes and inconsistent dates. Read it aloud, and ask someone else to check.
- Sending the same CV to every job. Adjust the profile and skills to match each advert.
- A Word file that looks different on the recruiter's computer. Send a PDF.
Make it in minutes
The CV builder has eight professional designs, lets you add, remove and reorder any section, and downloads a PDF with real text that recruiters' software can read. Then make a matching letter with the cover letter builder: it copies your details and design from the CV.