A CV checklist for 2026
Most CVs are read by an applicant tracking system (ATS) before a person sees them. These are the rules that get yours through the system and in front of a recruiter.
Format
- Reverse-chronological order. It’s still the safest choice and the easiest for an ATS to read.
- One column: no tables, no text boxes, no icons for section headings
- Standard fonts only: Arial, Calibri, Garamond, Georgia, Helvetica, Tahoma or Verdana
- Standard headings (“Experience”, “Skills”, “Education”), not creative names
- Keep a PDF and a DOCX version, and check which one each portal asks for. Some parsers still struggle with PDF.
- One page with less than about 8 years of experience, two pages after that, and never more
- Nothing important in the header or footer, because some systems remove them
Content
- Replace the objective with a 2 to 3 line summary: who you are, what you do and the result you bring
- Start every bullet with an action verb and end with a measurable result: did X, measured by Y, using Z
- Put numbers on everything you can: revenue, percentages, time saved, team size, scale
- A separate Skills section with a clean list. An ATS now weights it more than a skill buried in a bullet.
- Use the exact tools, methods and certifications from the job ad. Modern systems match meaning, not only words, so context matters.
- Adapt the CV for each application. A generic CV scores lower before a person ever reads it.
- Cut empty adjectives like “hardworking”, “team player” and “results-driven” unless you prove them
- Drop “References available on request”
- Add 1 or 2 links to your portfolio or work samples, shortened so you can see when they’re clicked
A LinkedIn checklist for 2026
- Photo: professional, recent and facing the camera. A good headshot alone brings noticeably more profile views.
- Headline: more than your job title. Add your specialty and the result you deliver. LinkedIn maps profiles to real categories, so vague headlines like “experienced leader” don’t match anything.
- About: in the first person, with natural keywords, telling a story that matches your headline and skills
- Skills: 10 to 20 specific skills, with 3 to 5 endorsements on your top skills from former managers and colleagues
- Skill assessments: take the relevant ones. Verified badges rank higher in recruiter searches.
- Recommendations: at least 3 detailed ones from former managers or clients, not only peers. Almost nobody uses these well.
- Featured: pin 2 or 3 pieces of proof, such as a deck, a case study, an article or a portfolio
- Work history: real dates and no unexplained gaps in the timeline
- Open to Work: use the recruiters-only setting if you’re employed and searching quietly
- Custom URL: linkedin.com/in/yourname instead of the default string of numbers
Activity matters more than the profile
- Post or comment regularly. Once a week beats a busy month followed by silence.
- Share posts that teach something or start a real discussion. LinkedIn holds back promotional posts and pushes useful ones.
- Comment in your target field before you need anything. It makes a later message feel warm, not cold.
Mistakes to avoid
- A headline or About section so full of keywords that it reads like a list, not a person
- A LinkedIn profile and CV that tell different stories (titles, dates, scope)
- An old job title while you’re “quietly” job hunting
- Connection requests with the generic default note. Always personalise.
Remote job boards beyond LinkedIn and Indeed
| Job board | Best for |
|---|---|
| We Work Remotely | Broad remote listings. Free to use, and employers pay to post, so there’s less noise. |
| Himalayas | A large number of live roles, and listings expire, so nothing is stale |
| Remote OK | Strong for tech and development roles |
| Wellfound (formerly AngelList Talent) | Startup roles, with funding stage and salary ranges shown |
| Arc.dev | Vetted senior developers and higher-end remote contracts |
| FlexJobs (paid) | Hand-screened listings with a low risk of scams |
| Remotive | Curated listings, a good second board next to a high-volume one |
| Jobspresso | Hand-picked remote roles in marketing, development and support |
| Built In | Funded US tech companies, good for hybrid and remote roles by city |
| PowerToFly | Remote roles with a focus on diversity and inclusion |
| Working Nomads | A large set of curated roles, popular with digital nomads |
| HiringCafe | Free, with clean filters: a leaner alternative to Indeed and LinkedIn |
| Dynamite Jobs and Jobgether | Remote-first listings you can filter by the countries you’re allowed to work from |
| Welcome to the Jungle and Ladders | Company-first job search (Welcome to the Jungle, which now includes Otta) and roles paying $100K or more (Ladders) |
Consulting and freelance platforms beyond Upwork and Fiverr
| Platform | What it’s known for |
|---|---|
| Toptal | Top technical and finance talent, with a very selective screening process and large corporate and VC-backed clients |
| Braintrust | A network owned by its talent, with low fees, focused on tech and design |
| Contra | No commission for freelancers; good for portfolio-driven creative and consulting work |
| Catalant | High-end independent management consulting for large companies |
| Business Talent Group (BTG) | Similar level to Catalant: strategy, M&A and operations consulting |
| PeoplePerHour | Strong for freelancers and consultants in the UK and Europe |
| Guru | A long-standing general marketplace with lower fees than Upwork |
| Freelancer.com | A large general pool, useful as a backup source of work |
| Lemon.io | Vetted developers matched directly with startups |
| 99designs | Design only, with contests and direct hiring |
| A.Team | Small freelance teams for product, design and engineering work |
| MBO Partners and Expert360 | Marketplaces for independent consultants with more corporate clients |
Contacting recruiters and companies directly
Many roles are filled through referrals or direct contact before they’re ever posted, or without being posted at all. Writing to people directly also skips the ATS and lands you in a real inbox.
Find the right person and their email
- Find the actual hiring manager or team lead for the role you want, not just “HR”, on LinkedIn or the company’s team page.
- Work out the company’s email pattern from any public address (press releases, GitHub, the About page), or confirm it with a domain-search tool: firstname@, firstname.lastname@ and so on.
- If you can’t find an email, look for another way to contact them on LinkedIn.
How to write the message
- Subject: 3 to 7 words, specific and calm. Avoid “Job application”, capitals and emojis, which look like bulk mail.
- First line: mention something real and specific: a launch, a funding round, a post they wrote, a problem their team is working on.
- Middle: one or two lines linking your experience to their problem. Not your life story.
- The ask: small and easy: a short call, a reply, “worth a conversation?”. No calendar link in the first message.
- Length: a few short paragraphs at most. People scan; they don’t read.
Follow-up
- Plan 3 to 5 messages, a few days apart. Most positive replies come from a follow-up, not the first message.
- Add something new each time, like a relevant article or a small proof point, not just “checking in”.
- After 3 messages with no reply, stop. Pushing further burns the relationship.
Tone
- Read it out loud before sending. A misspelled name or company ends the conversation.
- Sound confident, not urgent, and not overly formal
- Never send the exact same message to many people. It’s usually obvious and costs you trust.
Networking when you’re starting from zero
If you don’t have much of a network yet, build one on purpose instead of waiting for it to happen.
- Start with people you already know, one step away: former classmates, past colleagues, teachers, people from any community you’re part of. Ask for 15 minutes about their field, not for a job.
- Use LinkedIn for research first. Find people who have the job you want or work at your target companies, and see what they post and who they talk to.
- Ask for informational interviews. “Could I ask you three questions about how you got into X?” gets far more replies than asking for a job, and it’s how most real opportunities start.
- Show up regularly in one or two online communities in your field (a subreddit, a Slack or Discord group, a LinkedIn group). Comment and help before you ever ask for anything.
- Go to a few events that really fit (meetups, conferences, alumni events) rather than many general ones. How you follow up matters more than how many you attend.
- Follow up within 24 to 48 hours with a short thank-you and, where it fits, the next step you talked about.
- Keep a simple tracker of who you talked to, what you discussed and when to get back in touch. A spreadsheet is fine. This is what makes a network grow instead of fading.
- Give before you ask. Share a useful article, make an introduction, offer feedback. People remember.
- Ask for referrals directly once the relationship is warm. Most people won’t offer, but they’re happy to help if you make it specific and easy: “Would you be comfortable introducing me to whoever leads the X team?”