How to Craft a Winning CV for Top Tech Roles

A well-crafted CV is mandatory if you want to land a top job in tech. In fact, the only two things you need to land a top job are:

1. Land an interview for a top job
2. Pass the interview

A great CV helps you achieve #1. The other things that help you land an interview are:

• Referrals and connections with the company and/or the hiring team
• Solid experience and skillset
• A great profile–job match (you being a great fit for the role)
• A top-tier LinkedIn profile

This guide focuses on building that powerful CV that gets you in the door.

Your CV Should Be a One-Pager

There are very few exceptions to this rule:

• For big tech companies: Always a one-pager
• For contract roles: Can be longer, but a one-pager is still recommended
• For high-paying remote roles: One-pager is preferred

Framework to Build a Powerful One-Page CV

Follow these steps to create a CV that stands out:

1. Choose a minimalistic template in LaTeX or Google Docs
2. Have an ideal role in mind that you're targeting with your CV
3. If you have more than one ideal role, make one CV for each
4. Gather the best data from your history that shows why you're a great fit
5. Prioritize and give more space to the most recent and more relevant work experiences
6. Throughout the CV: Show, don't tell

Show, Don't Tell

This is the most critical principle for a powerful CV. Show you're good at something by displaying real-world scenarios where you've delivered impact thanks to such skills.

The "Accomplished [X] as measured by [Y], by doing [Z]" Framework

Use this structure for your bullet points:

❌ Bad Example:

Built a new feature in a web app in a team of 5 developers.

✅ Good Example:

Enabled a 10x+ latency reduction in DB health monitoring by refactoring a Python script to retrieve data from object storage instead of querying various APIs.

See the difference? The good example shows:

• What you accomplished (10x+ latency reduction)
• How you measured it (in DB health monitoring)
• What you did (refactored a Python script to use object storage)

What to Remove: The Fluff

Get rid of these common CV mistakes:

❌ Generic Personality Descriptions

Don't write things like: "proactive, independent developer with great communication and leadership skills"

❌ Irrelevant Language Skills

Unless the job specifically requires them, skip languages like: "speak Mandarin, Spanish and French"

❌ Photos

Keep your CV professional and focused on your accomplishments, not your appearance.

Technologies, Frameworks, and Programming Languages

❌ Don't: Have a big CV section where you include all the tech you ever used.

✅ Do: Keep such a section small, listing only your top skills. Mention the technologies you used throughout your CV in your work experience bullet points.

This approach provides context for your technical skills by showing how you've actually applied them to solve real problems.

Maintenance: Keep Your CV Updated

Keep a "Brag Doc"

Maintain a running document where you note down the good things you're achieving at your current job. Include:

• Projects you've completed
• Problems you've solved
• Metrics that improved
• Recognition you've received

Regular Updates

Regularly update your CV with the achievements from your brag doc. Don't wait until you're job hunting—by then, you'll have forgotten the details and metrics that make your accomplishments compelling.

Resources to Level Up Your CV

Must-Watch Video

This video is essential viewing—it explains how big tech HRs evaluate CVs and highlights concepts that are valuable for CVs outside of big tech, like:

• Describing your skills through impact
• How to frame sentences effectively
• What recruiters look for in the first 10 seconds

Additional Resources

This video provides a solid CV example to reference.

CV Templates

Choose one of these professionally-designed templates:

• LaTeX CV Template – Clean, minimalistic, highly recommended
• Google Docs Template – Accessible and easy to use alternative

The LinkedIn Connection

Your LinkedIn profile is as important as your CV. You can land an interview by:

1. Applying directly (where your CV is crucial)
2. Having a recruiter reach out to you on LinkedIn

The latter can be very powerful, especially for high-paying remote jobs at lesser-known companies. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is optimized to complement your CV strategy.

Key Takeaways

• One page is enough for 99% of tech roles
• Show impact with metrics using the "Accomplished [X] as measured by [Y], by doing [Z]" framework
• Remove all fluff and generic statements
• Keep a brag doc and update your CV regularly
• Customize your CV for different target roles
• Use minimalistic templates that let your achievements shine

Remember: Your CV's job is to get you an interview, not to tell your entire life story. Make every word count.