A CV, or a curriculum vitae is the most important piece of information when you apply for a job. Needless to say, a CV represents your skills, experience, and educational background. The best CV format in Sri Lanka has one thing for certain, clarity. You should be able to distinguish between what’s important and not and include only what’s necessary. You should also be able to target the key points of what your employer looks for. Some might think a common CV might be sufficient to apply for jobs, but it is not. Although, if you have the CV format for any job, you can edit as needed. You should also provide a good cover letter with your interest in applying for this job.
What is a Curriculum Vitae (CV)?
A curriculum vitae (CV) is a piece of information consisting of your education, work experience, skills, and qualifications. Your CV lays out every key milestone in your education and career pathway. Meanwhile, your extracurricular activities, notable achievements and anything you’re proud of can be included in a CV. It’s one of the most important aspects when you prepare for a job interview.
What to Include in a 2025 CV
1) Header
- Full name and target job title
- Phone, email, city
- LinkedIn and portfolio/website (QR code optional)
2) Professional Summary (3–4 lines)
A tight pitch aligned to the job description: years of experience, niche strengths, and 1–2 achievements with numbers.
Example:
“Digital Marketing Specialist with 4+ years in performance campaigns. Increased qualified leads by 32% and cut CPA by 18% through data-driven optimizations. Skilled in GA4, Meta Ads, and CRM automation.”
3) Core Skills (8–12 items)
Mirror the job ad. List tools, methods, and domain expertise.
Optionally indicate level in plain text (e.g., “SEO (Advanced)”)—avoid graphic bars that can confuse ATS.
4) Professional Experience (reverse-chronological)
For each role:
- Job Title — Company | City | Dates (MMM YYYY–MMM YYYY)
- 3–6 impact bullets starting with verbs and ending with metrics.
- “Launched email sequence that lifted trial-to-paid conversions from 9% to 13%.”
- “Automated reporting to cut weekly prep time from 6h to 1h.”
Internships: Include them if you’re early in your career or if the brand/experience is highly relevant.
5) Education (reverse-chronological)
- Qualification | Institute | Year/Duration
- Notables (GPA, class, awards) where they strengthen your application
6) Certifications (role-relevant)
PMP, GA4, Meta Blueprint, ITIL, AWS, etc., with year earned or “in progress”.
7) Projects (high-impact, optional)
One-liners with outcomes:
“Built Power BI dashboard that reduced monthly reporting cycle by 70%.”
Don’t Send the Same CV to Everyone
- Tailor the summary, skills, and top bullets to each vacancy.
- Re-order skills so the most relevant appear first.
- Cut anything that doesn’t strengthen your fit.
- Keep a master CV and create role-specific versions (e.g., “Data Analyst,” “Marketing Executive,” “Operations Coordinator”)
How Long Should a CV Be?
A CV can be as long as it needs to be if it only contains the information that is necessary for your employer. Do not include unnecessary information which will not help you get the job, and mislead the employer to believe that you’re exaggerating. Keep everything minimal and concise. You should keep in mind that a CV only needs to appear clean and professional, it does not need to be colorful and vibrant. When you select a CV format for any job, make sure the format looks professional and the key areas are organized.
Now that you have a comprehensive understanding of how to compile a CV format in Sri Lanka, go ahead and try to create one on your own. Do not forget the cover letter when you apply. For some jobs, it is good to include a portfolio as well. Prepare for a job interview in your leisure time for when you get shortlisted. If you’re ready with your CV and want to apply for jobs, we recommend you have a look at ikmanJOBS for a wide selection of jobs in Sri Lanka. You will be able to find more than 10,000 job ads with vacancies for bankers, drivers, sales executives, packing officers, office assistants, and much more! We wish you the best of luck in achieving the job of your dreams.
