Many applicants write their CVs haphazardly: education section, experience section, skills section — done. The result: a bland CV that doesn't distinguish you. The secret is to understand the role of each section and to write it in a way that fulfills that role specifically.

Section 1: Contact Information

Must include: full name, mobile number (with +966), professional email, LinkedIn URL, city only.

Avoid: personal photo, date of birth, marital status, nationality, full address, unprofessional email.

Use a custom LinkedIn URL (e.g., linkedin.com/in/ahmed-zahrani) instead of the default link.

Section 2: Professional Summary — The Most Important Section

The hiring manager reads it first and decides within 7 seconds. Length: 2–4 sentences.

Winning formula:

1. Who you are + years of experience

2. Your industry specialty

3. A unique strength

4. A measurable achievement with numbers

Weak example:

Accountant with experience in accounting. Looking for a job to develop my career.

Strong example:

Certified accountant (CMA) with 7 years of experience in the Saudi banking sector, specialized in internal audit and IFRS compliance. Led ERP implementation across 3 branches and saved SAR 850,000 annually by identifying gaps in processing workflows.

Section 3: Professional Experience

Order: most recent to oldest. For each role:

  • Job title
  • Company name — city
  • Dates (month/year – month/year)
  • 3–5 achievement bullets

The difference between duties and achievements:

❌ Duty: Responsible for managing the sales team

✅ Achievement: Led a 12-person sales team and achieved a 28% increase in annual sales

❌ Duty: Preparing monthly financial reports

✅ Achievement: Developed an automated financial reporting system, cutting preparation time from 5 days to one

Use the CAR formula: Challenge → Action → Result.

Strong starter verbs: Led, Implemented, Developed, Achieved, Built, Analyzed, Improved, Increased, Reduced.

Avoid: Responsible for, Helped with, Worked on.

Section 4: Education

  • Degree (Bachelor's/Master's/PhD)
  • Major
  • University name + city
  • Graduation year
  • GPA (if strong: 4.5/5 or 3.5/4 or higher)

Placement: Before experience if you have less than 3 years, after it if you have more.

Section 5: Skills — 3 Separate Categories

Technical

  • Office: Excel (Advanced), PowerPoint, Word
  • Data: Power BI, Tableau, SQL
  • PM: MS Project, Asana, Trello
  • Programming: Python, JavaScript

Soft Skills

4–5 maximum. Better to weave them into achievements.

Languages

Use the CEFR scale: Arabic (native), English (advanced C1), etc.

Section 6: Certifications

Format: certification name + issuing body + year obtained.

Valuable certifications:

  • Project Management: PMP, PRINCE2
  • Finance: CFA, CMA, CPA
  • Technology: AWS, Google Cloud, Cisco
  • Human Resources: SHRM, PHR
  • Quality: Six Sigma
Don't list short courses without accredited certification.

Section 7: Additional Achievements (Optional)

Awards, patents, publications, conference speaking, professional association memberships.

Section 8: Volunteer Activities

In the Saudi market, this is very important. Include: organization, your role, duration, tangible achievement.

Section Order: The Golden Rule

For 0–3 year graduates:

1. Contact Information

2. Professional Summary

3. Education

4. Experience/Internships

5. Skills

6. Certifications

7. Activities and Volunteering

For 3+ years of experience:

1. Contact Information

2. Professional Summary

3. Experience (most important)

4. Education

5. Skills

6. Certifications

7. Achievements

Conclusion

Every section should serve one story: why you are the best fit for this job. Read your CV through the hiring manager's eyes. Does it tell that story clearly? If not, rewrite.