Writing a CV in English When It Is Not Your First Language
How to write a clean, idiomatic English CV — even if English is your second or third language.
Mirror native conventions
English CVs (US and UK) follow specific conventions: no photo (US/UK), reverse-chronological, no personal details, achievement bullets in past tense for previous roles and present tense for current ones.
Use simple, direct sentences
Native English readers prefer short, declarative sentences. Avoid long French- or German-style constructions. "Led a team of 8 engineers and shipped 4 major features" reads better than "Was in charge of a team consisting of 8 engineers and shipped multiple important features."
Beware of false friends
"Formation" is education, not training. "Stage" is internship, not stage. "Patron" is boss in French but not in English. Look up domain-specific terms when in doubt.
Verbs are everything
English bullets are built on strong action verbs: led, built, shipped, launched, designed, scaled, reduced, increased. Avoid the passive voice ("was responsible for") and weak verbs ("helped," "participated in").
Have a native speaker review
Ten minutes with a native English speaker will catch subtle phrasing and word-choice issues that you will not notice. If you do not know one, services like Grammarly or paid editors are inexpensive insurance.
Choose the right English
US English (color, organize, focused) or UK English (colour, organise, focussed). Pick one, be consistent. Mixing the two is a small signal that bothers careful readers.