A useful CV helps an employer find your relevant experience and helps software read your information correctly. Start with the requirements of the actual vacancy. There is no layout or keyword formula that guarantees an interview.
Build a clear first version
Put your name, a working contact method and your professional headline at the top. Follow with a short summary, relevant experience or projects, education, skills and languages. Use recent experience first, but give a graduate's strongest project enough space to explain the work. A short CV is useful only if it still contains the evidence the employer needs.
For an accounting application in Tripoli, identify the duties in the advert: reconciling accounts, preparing reports or using a named application. Include only duties you have actually performed. A university exercise belongs under projects, with its educational context, rather than under employment.
Turn a skill into evidence
General wording | More useful wording, if true |
|---|---|
Good at Excel | Used formulas to compare invoice records and flag missing entries during an internship. |
Team player | Coordinated the handover of a student team's project files and documented outstanding tasks. |
Experienced accountant | Prepared monthly reports for 3 branches and checked discrepancies with branch staff. |
These are writing examples, not facts to copy into your CV. Add a number only when you can support it. If the result was qualitative, explain what improved or what you delivered. Do not invent a percentage because a template asks for one. Harvard's CV guidance (Opens in a new tab) similarly emphasizes relevant, factual descriptions.
What does ATS-friendly actually mean?
An applicant tracking system helps an organization manage recruitment. Reading a CV into profile fields is one function; selecting applicants is a different decision. Greenhouse's documentation (Opens in a new tab) describes parsing problems with image-only files, complex columns and contact details inside headers or text boxes. It also explains that an unparsed CV can remain attached for manual entry. That is evidence about one system, not a rule that every ATS automatically rejects such files.
Use straightforward headings and a simple reading order. Follow the vacancy's requested file format. After exporting, select and copy the text into a plain-text editor: check that your name, dates and experience appear in the right order. This is a useful check, not a certification that every employer's software will parse the file.
Use jobs.ly and AI carefully
You can write your CV yourself on jobs.ly. When AI assistance is available, uploaded information or your answers can help create a draft. Review names, dates, qualifications and translations before saving. Available job-matching feedback can highlight requirements that your CV does not clearly address; it does not verify your skills or predict the employer's decision.
Keep a master CV and tailor the relevant evidence for each application. Before sharing, read who can see your information. A contact detail inside an uploaded document deserves the same care as a contact field.
Frequently asked questions
Should I add every keyword from the advert?
No. Use the employer's terminology where it accurately describes your experience. Repeating hidden or irrelevant words makes your CV less useful and does not establish suitability.
Can I apply without paid experience?
Yes, when the role's requirements allow it. Label projects, volunteering and training accurately. See your first job after graduation for a practical starting plan.
Should I send Arabic or English?
Follow the application instructions. If they are unclear, consider the advert's language and ask the employer when possible. Keep dates, job titles and qualifications consistent across versions.
Sources and product guidance checked on 19 October 2026. The examples are illustrative; hiring requirements vary by vacancy.
