Getting Your CV Read by a European Employer

Different conventions, not higher standards

A CV that performs well in one market can underperform in another for reasons that have nothing to do with your ability. The conventions differ, and the reader is scanning against expectations you may not share.

What European recruiters generally expect

Norms vary by country and sector, so verify against the specific market. As a general orientation:

• Two pages at most for the majority of roles
• Reverse-chronological order, with clear start and end dates
• Outcomes with figures attached, rather than duties listed
• Explicit language levels, ideally against the CEFR scale
• A plain statement of your work authorisation position

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The personal-details question

Several European markets have moved away from photographs, dates of birth, marital status and nationality on CVs, partly for anti-discrimination reasons. Others still expect some of it. Where the norm is to omit these, including them can read as unfamiliarity with the market.

Address authorisation directly

Recruiters screening international applications are assessing, early and often silently, whether hiring you is legally straightforward. Leaving that unstated invites the least favourable assumption.

One clear line about your current status and what would be required is more effective than omitting the subject and hoping it comes up later.

Explain gaps rather than hiding them

Unexplained gaps generate questions; explained ones rarely do. A short factual note, study, caregiving, relocation, health, a failed venture, closes the loop and costs you nothing.