Career · CV
How to write your CV
Formatting tips, structure, and design tools for a clean, professional medical CV.
Overview
Whether you’re applying for residency, a job, or an elective — how you present your CV matters. This guide covers the essentials for keeping it clean, professional, and easy to read.
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Layout & spacing
- Set 1-inch margins on all four sides
- Use 1 or 1.15 line spacing between lines
- Add double line spacing after subheadings to break sections up clearly
Font & size
- Stick to one font throughout
- Great options: Ubuntu, Roboto, or Overpass
- 11–12 pt for regular text
- 14–16 pt for section titles
Structure
The typical CV format for medical applications:
- 1. Contact information
- 2. Personal statement
- 3. Work experience
- 4. Educational history
- 5. Skills
- 6. Optional: research, awards, courses, volunteering
Use bullet points to describe your responsibilities, projects, and achievements — short, active, and easy to scan.
Design tips
- Double-check application requirements — some programs or hospitals have specific formatting or content rules
- Platforms like Canva offer clean, customizable templates if you’re starting from scratch
Template download
A clean, ready-to-use template in PDF format.
Download
Special thanks to Dr. Maha for her time and input.
You got this. Best of luck!
— Hussa
Last reviewed · June 2026