Why Your CV Format Matters for Pakistani Employers

Man, I've seen so many CVs it's not even funny. Like thousands. And you know what? Most people here are still using the same CV format from like 2010 or something. It's crazy. HR people here literally spend maybe 15-20 seconds max looking at your CV. That's it. If it doesn't grab them in that time, you're done.

So what do they actually look at? Three things basically. Your name and how to reach you, what you can do (skills), and where you worked last. That's it. If any of that looks messy or weird, they just move on. I'm not kidding - I've had HR managers tell me they have a "maybe later" folder that they literally never check again.

Keep it simple, seriously. Start with your name, phone, email, and which city you're in. Yeah, put your city. A lot of companies in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad - they want local people. They don't want to deal with someone moving from another city. I've seen perfectly good candidates get rejected just because they lived in a different city and the company wanted someone to start like tomorrow.

After that, put a short thing about your skills. Like 3-4 lines max. Don't write boring stuff like "hardworking" or "team player" - everyone writes that. Be real. Instead of saying "good at communication" write something like "handled client meetings and coordinated with teams." Instead of "computer skills" list actual programs you know. Makes a huge difference.

Experience part is where people mess up the most. They either write a novel or write nothing. Best is like 2-3 bullet points per job. Talk about what you actually did, not just your job description. Don't say "I did data entry." Say "handled 500+ records daily with 99% accuracy." See? Numbers make it real.

Education goes after experience usually, unless you just graduated. Just put your degree, where you went, and when you finished. Don't put your GPA unless it's really good - like above 3.5. Lower GPAs can actually make you look worse. And skip high school stuff unless you're applying for something really basic.

One thing that drives me crazy - people put their father's name, CNIC number, marital status, all that. Why? Nobody cares. Unless the job specifically asks for it, leave it out. Makes your CV look old-fashioned and wastes space.

Font matters too. Use something normal like Arial or Calibri, size 11 or 12. Keep it neat. Don't go crazy with bold or colors. If it's hard to read, they won't read it. Simple as that.

Oh and save it as PDF. Word files can look messed up on different computers. You don't want your perfect CV looking broken when they open it. And name it something normal like "AhmedAli_CV.pdf" not "MyCV_Final_Final_Version_3_ReallyFinal.pdf". Seriously, I've seen that.