How to write a CV profile

Your profile is how you greet your reader. Be welcoming, in a concise, professional way

Other than your name and contact details, your profile is the most important part of your CV.

If you can’t keep the recruiter/hiring manager’s attention in this brief section, you have lost them and they won’t read the rest of your CV, however fantastic it may be.

But how do you make your profile so engaging that they will want to read the rest of your CV?

Be concise Your profile is a showcase for you to highlight your alignment to a role - what you do, who you do it for (and where), what you bring (skills, knowledge, capabilities and experience) and how you add value - results you secure, outcomes you generate.

Don’t waffle. Use short sentences. Make it easy for the reader to see who you are, what you can do and how you have previously contributed to business success in no more than 4-5 lines.

Use third person and be specific, ie, ‘Dedicated and driven Data Analyst with 10 years’ experience providing innovative analytics solutions that drive client decisions’.

And no need to use the word ‘profile’ as a title. It wastes space and is obvious. Instead, include a target job title so the reader can immediately see your level and role - and align it to the role you are applying for to show a strong fit.

In the past, CV profiles were more concerned with highlighting your professional objective, eg, ‘Looking to develop my career to become Sales Director within the next 5 years.’ This is no longer the case. Your profile is where you highlight who you are, what you have done and what you can offer, to tempt the reader into having a conversation with you.

Be relevant Tailor your CV and your profile to the role that you are applying for. You’re not expected to rewrite the whole CV for each role, but as a minimum, you should tailor the profile and the ‘Areas of Expertise’ section with keywords, ie, the top third of the first page. Think of this as the most important real estate on your document. A vital source for relevant keywords is the job ad for the role you are targeting.

Of all your CV, the profile especially needs to be relevant to the role you are applying for. Sending out a generic CV to different companies demonstrates a lack of commitment and professionalism that will not get you anywhere. And you might not be found at all if the company is using an applicant tracking system to store and retrieve CVs (more about that and the importance of keywords here).

Including your years of experience positions you as the right level and highlighting your key expertise and achievements immediately helps the reader to see if you fit in the role they are recruiting for.

Be creative You may be shy and introverted, but your CV needs to sell you at your professional best. Besides, you are not writing about yourself; you are writing about what you can do. And that is based on evidence, not hyperbole.

For example, ‘HR Manager with 15 years’ experience helping teams’ may be true, but it doesn’t show you in the best possible light. Whereas, ‘Innovative HR Manager with 15 years’ experience delivering solutions that enhance individual and team performance, and contribute to business success’ communicates the same information, but in a much more engaging way.

Remember, the challenge is to keep the recruiter/hiring manager interested enough to want to continue reading the rest of your CV – and invite you for an interview.

Be correct

It may seem like a minor thing, but make sure your profile, like the rest of your CV, is clear and correctly written and formatted. Research shows that if a recruiter/hiring manager reads your profile and sees a spelling mistake, they likely won’t read on, as it’s an indicator of a lack of professionalism and attention to detail.

If spelling is not your strength, use a spell-checking tool or an app like Grammarly, but don't rely on it for all your proofing - get a person to do that. Digital tools won't notice if fonts are different sizes, margins vary, or if some of your bullets have full stops and others don't!

Another way

If you want to set out your value in more depth, create a 2-3 line overview followed by three concise bullet points that align your expertise to the job description.

So, there you go.

Be concise.

Be relevant.

Be creative.

Be correct.

A lot is riding on your CV, so it's vital to get it right. If you would like help writing or reviewing your profile - or your CV - book a free intro call and let's see how I can help you.

Click ‘Book a call’ on the website for a free intro call or email me at louise@careertherapy.co.uk

If you'd like to keep learning how to do it yourself, take a look at these other posts:

4 tips for writing a 5 star CV

Why does a CV need to be two pages?

and this handy 2025 guide from ITN Business.

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