CV format for Sri Lanka: what to write, and what to leave out

What a good Sri Lankan CV looks like

A good Sri Lankan CV is one or two pages long and set out in one column. It is saved as a PDF with your name on the file. It opens with your name and how to reach you. Next come a short profile, your work, your education, your skills and your languages. It leaves out the photo, the NIC number, the full address, the referees and the declaration. Every line tells the employer what you can do for them.

The sections of your CV, in order

Use plain headings and keep to this order. A person and employer software (ATS) both find each part easily. Spell every heading right, and write it in normal letters with no spaces between them.

1. 1

   Contact line.

   Put your name first, in larger type. Under it, on one line, write your town, your mobile number and a plain email address. Write the number in groups, such as 07X XXX XXXX. Use plain text in the page itself, not icons and not the header area. Add a LinkedIn address only if it helps the job you want, and write the address in full, such as linkedin.com/in/your-name.

2. 2

   Profile.

   Write two or three short sentences under the heading Profile. Start with your job title and how long you have done it. Add your strongest result, with a number. End with the job you want. Do not use the old objective, “To obtain a challenging position in a reputed organisation”. It says nothing about you, and the checker gives it little credit.

3. 3

   Work experience.

   Put your latest job first. For each job write the job title, the employer, the town, and the start and end month and year, such as Mar 2022 – Present. Under it write three to five bullet points. Start each with an action word, such as Prepared, Managed or Taught, and say what came of it. Add numbers: the people you served, the money you handled or the time you saved. Phrases such as “responsible for” and “duties included” say little.

4. 4

   Education.

   Put your highest qualification first. Write the full name of each degree or diploma, the university or institute in full, such as University of Moratuwa, and the year. Give your A/L results in one line, such as “G.C.E. A/L (Commerce), 2019 – B, B, C”. Give your O/L results in one line too, such as “G.C.E. O/L, 2016 – 9 passes”. A long list of every O/L subject and grade uses space your work needs. Once your CV shows a diploma, a degree or a job, the checker takes marks off for it. School leavers and freshers: see the part for you below.

5. 5

   Skills.

   Use a heading called Skills. List the tools, software and licences the job needs, such as Microsoft Excel, QuickBooks or a heavy vehicle licence. If the list is long, group it, such as “Computer: Word, Excel, PowerPoint”. Keep each item short. Leave out phrases such as “hard worker” and “team player”. They are only claims, so show the skill in your work lines instead.

6. 6

   Languages.

   List the languages you know, each with its level in words, such as “Sinhala – native, English – fluent, Tamil – basic”. Do not use a percentage, a row of dots or a bar. The checker does not count a number such as “English 90%” as a result.

7. 7

   Referees.

   Leave referees off your CV. Many Sri Lankan CVs end with referees and their phone numbers. The checker takes marks off for a referee’s phone number or email address on a CV. These are other people’s details, so give them only when an employer asks. You do not need to write “References available on request” either. The checker calls it an old phrase that uses space.

What to leave out, and why

Some habits are common on Sri Lankan CVs. Many came from older CV formats, and they are not wrong in themselves. But each one uses space your work needs, or puts your details at risk. This is what the CV checker does with each, and why.

• A photo. The checker takes marks off for a photo or a large picture. Employer software cannot read a picture, and it takes space your experience needs. Leave it out unless the job advert asks for one.
• Your NIC number and your full address. The checker takes marks off for both. They can be used for identity theft, and no employer needs them before it hires you. Write your town only.
• Date of birth, gender, civil status, nationality and religion. These are your choice. They are common on Sri Lankan CVs, and some local and government applications ask for them. The checker takes no marks off for them. But they can lead to bias, and international and multinational employers prefer you to leave them out. Choose by where you apply.
• The declaration and signature line. “I hereby certify that the above particulars are true” is a habit from older CVs. Employers do not need it to shortlist you. It uses space your results need, so the checker takes marks off.
• A list of hobbies. Leave it out for the same reason. If you have led a club or helped your community, write what you did under Volunteering or Relevant Experience, with a number.
• Columns, boxes and icons. Many Canva and Word templates put skills and contact details in a side column. The checker takes marks off for a CV set in columns. Employer software can read straight across the page and mix the columns together. Keep everything in one column, from top to bottom.
• A third page. The checker takes marks off for a CV of more than two pages. Most employers read one or two. Keep the last ten years, write each job as a few results rather than every duty, and leave out referees, the declaration and hobbies.

CV examples by job

These examples are invented, and no real person is meant. Each one shows a profile and the work experience lines under one job. Use them to see the shape, then write your own with your own facts and numbers.

CV format for school leavers and freshers

You may have no job to list yet. That is normal. Show an employer what you have done in school, on a course or in your community.

• One page is enough. Keep it short. Put Education before your activities.
• Start with a profile. Say the job you want and what you can offer: your A/L stream, a course you finished and one thing you did.
• List your results. Under Education, write your A/L subjects and grades. Write your O/L results in one line, such as “G.C.E. O/L, 2022 – 8 passes, including Mathematics A and English B”, and name the subjects the job asks for. The checker reads a role with dates, such as a school club post, as a job. It then takes marks off a long list of O/L subjects.
• Show what you have done. Put your school and community activities under a heading the checker reads as experience, such as Relevant Experience or Volunteering. For each one, write your role, the place, and the start and end month and year. Then add a line that starts with an action word and gives a number, such as “Organised a book drive for 120 students”. The checker reads these lines as your experience, so write at least three.
• Add your courses. A computer course, an English course or an NVQ counts. Write its name, the institute and the year.

Word or PDF, and your file name

Write your CV in Word or Google Docs, then save it as a PDF. A Word file can change its layout on the employer’s computer. A PDF keeps the layout, and most employers ask for one. If an employer asks for a Word file, send Word. The CV checker reads PDF files only.

• Word. Choose File, Save As, then PDF.
• Google Docs. Choose File, Download, then PDF Document.
• Canva. Choose Share, Download, then PDF Standard, and leave “Flatten PDF” unticked. If it is ticked, your words become a picture that employer software cannot read.

Name the file after yourself, such as Nimal-Perera-CV.pdf. A recruiter keeps many files in one folder. A name such as CV.pdf is hard to find again. So is the name a template gives, such as Blue Simple Professional CV Resume. The checker takes marks off for both.

Check your CV, then see how an ATS reads it

Upload your CV as a PDF to get a score out of 100, what lowered it and the fixes to make first. BetterJobs AI then writes personal advice, a stronger summary and a cover letter.

• How an ATS reads a CV What employer software does with your file, and why columns, pictures of text and missing dates cost marks.

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