Simple CV template: a clean, basic CV that recruiters can read fast

What a simple CV template should include

A basic CV has six to eight sections. Keep the headings exactly like this so both people and software recognise them:

• Name and contact details: name, job title, phone, email and location on two or three lines.
• Professional summary: two to four sentences about your experience and what you offer.
• Work experience: job title, employer, dates and three to five achievement lines per job.
• Education: highest qualification first; include school results if you are early in your career.
• Skills: a short list of practical skills that match the job.
• Certifications or licences: for example a driving licence class, first aid, CPA or nursing licence.
• Languages: useful in multilingual workplaces.
• Referees: two or three people who know your work, with phone numbers.

Simple does not mean plain: five ways to make a basic CV stronger

1. 1

   Lead with results

   Swap duties for achievements. “Drove company vehicles” becomes “Drove 28-tonne trucks on the Nairobi–Mombasa route with zero accidents in five years”.

2. 2

   Use the words from the job advert

   If the advert asks for “customer service” and “cash handling”, use those exact phrases where they are true for you. It helps both the recruiter and the ATS.

3. 3

   Keep each line short

   One idea per bullet, one or two lines long. Long paragraphs are skipped.

4. 4

   Stay consistent

   Use the same date format everywhere (e.g. Jan 2023 – Mar 2025), the same bullet style and the same tense: present for your current job, past for previous ones.

5. 5

   Cut what does not help

   Leave out hobbies unless they relate to the job, references to your age or marital status, and outdated jobs from more than 15 years ago.

Who should use a simple CV template?

Almost everyone. A simple layout is especially good for:

• Job seekers applying through online portals, government recruitment sites and large companies that use ATS software.
• Practical and trade roles (drivers, security officers, cooks, electricians, cleaners and farm workers) where the employer wants facts quickly.
• First-time job seekers who want a CV that looks professional without much content.
• Anyone who needs to print the CV in black and white, because simple templates still look sharp in greyscale.

How long should a simple CV be?

Aim for one page if you have less than five years of experience, and two pages if you have more. A short, focused CV is easier to read and shows you can prioritise. If you are struggling to fit everything, remove older or less relevant jobs, merge short contracts, and cut bullets that repeat the same skill.

Use the “Compact” spacing option in the design panel to fit a little more on each page without making the text too small. Keep your font size at 9.5 pt or larger.

Simple CV template examples by situation

Walkthrough: why the sample simple CV works

The driver CV above is a good example of “simple but strong”. It fits on one page, uses one column and has no graphics, yet every line gives the employer a reason to call. The title puts the licence classes and PSV badge where a transport manager looks first. The summary states years accident-free and the routes driven, which are the two things fleet employers worry about most. Each job lists the vehicle size, trips per week and the safety result instead of vague duties.

Notice what is missing: no photo, no ID number, no date of birth, no hobbies and no long objective. Those details would not help the employer decide, so they are left out. A simple CV is really an exercise in removing everything that does not help the reader say yes.

Simple CV wording you can reuse

• Summary opener: “[Job title] with [X] years of experience in [industry/area], known for [strength with proof].”
• Results line: “[Action verb] [what] for [who/how many], resulting in [number or outcome].”
• Reliability line: “Trusted to [responsibility] with [zero errors / no complaints / full attendance] over [period].”
• Training line: “Completed [course] ([provider], [year]), applying it to [task].”

Fill in a simple CV online for free

Our builder gives you a clean form with one section at a time and a live preview of your CV. Choose Classic, Minimal or Graduate for the simplest look. Designing and previewing is free; downloading a clean PDF or a Word file is a very low one-off price in your currency. Unlocked CVs never expire.

Frequently asked questions