Lead with a clear professional summary
Three or four lines: who you are, your specialism, your strongest results, and the role you want. Mention your target country and availability if relevant.
Explain context the reader lacks
Add a short line describing each employer — sector, size, markets. Translate job titles into their local equivalent and keep the original where useful.
Show results, not duties
Use numbers you can stand behind: teams led, budgets managed, projects delivered, improvements achieved. Results travel across borders; duties do not.
Follow local conventions
UK and Irish employers generally prefer no photo and no date of birth. Conventions in the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain vary by sector. Keep the CV to two pages unless your field expects more.
- Use the language of the advert.
- Name qualifications and how they are recognised.
- State your work authorisation situation honestly and briefly.
Tailor for every application
Mirror the advert's key skills in your summary and recent roles. Tailoring a few strong applications beats sending one generic CV everywhere.
Frequently asked questions
Should I mention that I need sponsorship on my CV?
A short, factual line is fine, for example in your summary or contact details. Many candidates address it in the cover letter instead.
Can I use the same CV for every country?
Keep one master CV, then adapt titles, language and emphasis for each country and role.
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