Free Professional CV Templates to Download & Edit

Is a CV template right for you?

A CV template is the right choice if you’re applying for roles in academia, research, medicine, or other fields where employers expect a detailed record of your qualifications.

Most employers outside of academia and a few specialized fields expect a resume, not a CV. If you’re applying for a corporate, nonprofit, government, or private-sector position, you’ll usually want to use a resume instead.

Our CV templates are designed specifically for U.S.-style academic CVs. They provide space for the additional sections that academic and research employers look for while maintaining a clean, professional format that’s easy to customize.

How to customize our CV templates

1. Download your preferred template: Hover over the CV template you like best and download the Microsoft Word (.docx) file.
2. Install the font pack: Open the template zip folder in your downloads and install any associated fonts.
3. Edit in Word: Open your favorite template color in Word and replace the placeholder content in each section with your own information. You can also add, remove, or reorder sections to fit your background.
4. Save as a PDF: Before applying, save your CV as a PDF so the layout stays the same on every device.

The ideal CV format: what you should include

While the exact sections you include will depend on your field and career stage, every CV should contain a few core sections, with additional sections added as they’re relevant to your experience.

These sections belong on nearly every academic CV:

• Contact information
• Professional summary or objective
• Work experience
• Education
• Skills

Include these sections if they’re relevant to your background:

• Publications
• Teaching experience
• Conferences
• Grants and fellowships
• Professional affiliations
• Certifications or licenses
• Languages
• Awards and honors
• Projects
• Volunteer experience

Here’s an example of a CV that uses the standard format expected by employers:

Download This Free Example

CV formatting best practices

While the content of your CV is what matters most, following a few formatting best practices will help you present yourself professionally:

• Use as many pages as you need: Unlike a resume, a CV isn’t limited to one or two pages. Include all relevant academic and professional accomplishments, but organize them logically and remove outdated or unrelated information when appropriate.
• Choose a professional font: Stick with easy-to-read fonts like Calibri, Arial, Cambria, Georgia, or Times New Roman. Use a font size between 10 and 12 for body text and slightly larger sizes for headings.
• Use white space strategically: Break up dense blocks of text with clear section breaks and bullet points.
• Make section headings easy to scan: Use bold, consistent headings for each section so hiring committees can quickly scan your CV.
• Save your CV as a PDF: Unless the employer or institution specifically requests a Word document, submit your CV as a PDF to preserve your formatting across different devices and operating systems.

Skip the formatting. Build your CV faster.

Our CV builder takes care of spacing, fonts, and layout automatically, so you can focus on perfecting your content.

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Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Below, we answer some of the most common questions about CVs.

What’s the difference between a CV and a resume?

The main difference between a CV and a resume is the level of detail and typical use. A resume is a short (usually one-page) document that highlights your most relevant work experience and skills for a specific job.

A CV (curriculum vitae) is more comprehensive and includes detailed information about your education, research, publications, certifications, and other professional accomplishments. CVs are required for academic, research, and medical positions in the US and Canada.

However, in other parts of the world, the term “CV” is a synonym for resume.

How long should a CV be?

There is no ideal maximum length for a CV.

If you’re applying for academic, research, or medical positions, your CV’s length may be up to 10 pages, or as long as you need. These roles often require more detailed information about publications, research projects, teaching experience, grants, and other professional achievements.

However, if you’re writing a professional CV (i.e., a resume in a country where this document is called a CV), it should just be one to two pages long. This length is sufficient to highlight your key skills, work experience, and education.

How should I structure a CV for an academic position?

Structure your academic CV so your strongest qualifications appear first and related information is grouped together. Most academic CVs begin with your contact information, followed by your education, since your degrees and research training are often the most important qualifications for academic roles.

From there, organize the remaining sections in order of relevance to the position you’re applying for. A typical structure looks like this:

• Contact information
• Education
• Research experience
• Teaching experience
• Publications
• Conference presentations
• Grants and fellowships
• Awards and honors
• Professional affiliations
• Skills (if relevant)

If a particular area is especially important for the role (for example, publications for a faculty position or teaching experience for a lecturer role), move that section higher on your CV. The goal is to present your most relevant qualifications as early as possible while keeping your CV organized and easy to scan.