Start your CV with a 3–5 sentence or bullet point introduction (known as a CV personal statement, summary, CV about me, or personal profile) that gets employers’ attention with your most job-relevant professional and/or educational achievements.
Compose your introduction after you’ve written the rest of your CV to ensure you’ve included the juiciest details, following this general outline:
- First sentence/bullet: Start with an adjective that describes your best professional quality, followed by your job title and number of years of experience (or degree and speciality if you’re a student or recent graduate)
- Middle sentences/bullets: List your most job-specific (based on the job advert and your research) achievements and skills, using hard numbers wherever possible to impress the recruiter
- Last sentence/bullet: Note how you’ll help the company achieve its goals and state your target job title and the company name
Here’s an example of how to start a CV if you don’t have work experience yet (with coloured highlights corresponding to the main points in the outline above):
And this is an example of how to open a CV if you have work experience:
Still having trouble figuring out what to write? Use an AI-powered CV builder that composes a CV opening based on your experience. Or keep scrolling to read our advice on how to prepare to write your CV or look at role-specific CV introduction examples.
How to start off writing a CV
Struggling to think of what to write about in your CV? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. Here are some ideas to get you started:
1. Read the job advert again
If you’re having writer’s block, take another look at the job advert. You’re looking for any part of the job description that you can connect your experience to.
For example, if the employer emphasises that they’re seeking a team player who knows how to take the lead when necessary, you know that you’ll need to write about your most successful group project or the time you stepped up and led an initiative at work.
Writing about such experiences will trigger your memory of other great examples to highlight on your CV.
2. Research the company
Another good way to get ideas for starting a CV is researching the company. Here’s how:
- read through the company’s website
- look at its social media profiles (including its employees’ LinkedIn profiles)
- check for news stories (Google the company name and click ‘News’ under the search bar — or in the ‘All filters’ menu if it’s not there)
- find its latest annual report online
When you get a clearer picture of what the company’s goals and challenges are, you’ll know better how to frame yourself as the solution in your CV.
3. Make an outline and brainstorm
Staring at a blank page can be daunting, so start by writing an outline of the sections in your CV. Your outline should include your:
- personal statement
- work experience
- education
- skills list
- hobbies and interests
- extra sections as needed (e.g., for language skills or IT skills)
Leave lots of blank space between each item in your CV layout, and jot down anything relevant that comes to mind. Brainstorming like this will give you plenty of details to organise into a job-winning CV.
16 job-specific CV opening examples
Another way to figure out how to start your CV is by looking at how successful applicants from your industry have started theirs. So here are CV opening examples for:
- Students
- IT and engineering
- Customer service
- Administration
- Marketing
- Creative roles
- Health and social care
- Security and public safety
1. Students
Looking for work to support your studies or writing a CV for your first job out of university? Here are two examples of how to start a CV as a student:
Student CV opening with no work experience
Student CV opening with internship experience
Related CV samples: recent graduate, law student, medical student, student nurse, student ambassador
2. IT and engineering
If you’re targeting a job in IT or engineering, start your CV with a summary of your technical expertise and achievements, like these applicants do:
CV opening for an IT job
CV opening for a civil engineer
Related CV samples: IT, engineer, cyber security, data analyst, civil engineer, computer science
3. Customer service
These are examples of how to get the attention of employers in the customer service industry with your CV opening:
CV opening for a call centre agent
CV opening for a wait staff role
Related CV samples: waiter/waitress, customer service, delivery driver, shop assistant, hospitality
4. Administration
Here are two examples of CV openings for administrative roles:
CV opening for an administrative assistant
CV opening for a receptionist
Related CV samples: administrative assistant, receptionist, personal assistant, project manager
5. Marketing
If you work in marketing, you know how important it is to get your audience’s attention immediately. Below are two CV introductions designed to do just that:
CV opening for a digital marketer
CV opening for a marketing manager
Related CV samples: digital marketer, marketing manager, PR, business analyst
6. Creative roles
Read these CV opening examples to get ideas for how to be creative with your own:
CV opening for a graphic designer
CV opening for a photographer
Related CV samples: graphic designer, photographer, interior designer, fashion, architect
7. Health and social care
Here are examples of well-written CV introductions for physical and mental health-related job applications:
CV opening for a nurse
CV opening for a counsellor
Related CV samples: nurse, counsellor, carer, personal trainer, public health, pharmacy assistant
8. Security and public safety
These CV opening samples will help you learn how to start a CV that secures the public safety job you want:
CV opening for a door supervisor
CV opening for a security officer
Related CV samples: door supervisor, security officer
FAQs about how to start a CV
Still unsure how to start your CV? We’ve answered the three most common questions about starting a CV below:
1. How do you finish a CV?
You finish a CV with your least important — but still job-relevant — information. Typically, your hobbies and interests section is the final part of your CV.
And remember, when you finish writing your CV, you need to proofread it, ask a friend to take a look, and then edit it at least one more time before sending it to the employer.
2. How do I start an email when sending a CV?
These are some good examples of how to start an email when sending a CV:
- My name is [Your Name], and I’ve attached my CV and cover letter for [Company Name]’s open [Position Title].
Don’t forget to write a polite salutation before your email’s opening line, following this format:
Dear [Contact Person’s Title and Surname],
For example:
Dear Mr Fantinelli,
3. How do I start a CV letter?
Start a CV letter (more commonly referred to as a cover letter) with a statement designed to get the employer interested in hiring you. For instance, you can start your CV letter with:
- a job-related achievement (including hard numbers if possible to really make your accomplishment stand out)
- a statement about how you’ll help the company solve a specific problem or reach a certain goal
- information that shows your company research
- appropriate humour (not too corny, or you’ll get an eye roll rather than a job interview request from the employer)
