A CV and cover letter that work in 2026: concrete, short and targeted

A recruiter spends less than half a minute, on average, on a first read of your CV. At larger companies, software (an ATS, applicant tracking system) reads it first, scanning for keywords from the job advert. A good CV convinces both: it is scannable, concrete and tailored to the job. Here's how to do that, without tricks.

The structure of a CV that works

1. Header: name, job title matching the vacancy, place of residence (no full address), phone number, email, optionally LinkedIn. No date of birth, photo or marital status: not required, and increasingly uncommon.
2. Profile in three lines: who you are, what you can do and what you're looking for. Specific, not "motivated team player". For example: "Accountant with six years of experience in SMEs, strong in VAT and year end closing, looking for a role with more analysis and reporting."
3. Experience, most recent first, per role: employer, period, three to five results. Results, not tasks: not "responsible for invoicing" but "invoicing for 400 clients per month, payment term reduced from 48 to 31 days".
4. Education: diplomas and relevant certificates. After five years of experience, one line per diploma is enough.
5. Skills: software, languages with level (A2 to C2), driving licence. Only what you genuinely know; you will be tested on it.

Length: one page for starters, two pages for those with more than ten years of experience. No tables, columns or graphs: ATS software reads these poorly. Font size 10 to 11 points, plenty of white space, sent as a PDF unless requested otherwise.

Tailoring to the vacancy: the only trick that works

Read the vacancy and underline the five to eight key words: job titles, systems, skills, sector terms. Make sure these appear literally in your CV wherever they are true. Software counts them, and recruiters recognise them. If the vacancy says "SAP" and you write "ERP systems", you'll miss the match. This isn't exaggerating, it's speaking the same language.

Don't rename your experience, but choose which results you highlight. For a team leader role, emphasise coaching and planning; for an expert role, emphasise technical depth. One CV for every vacancy is the most common mistake.

Gaps, switches and short periods

A one year gap needs one honest line: "2024: caring for a family member" or "2023 to 2024: retraining as a developer". Concealing it raises more questions than explaining it. A career switch is explained in the profile at the top, and you show the bridge: which skills are you bringing with you? Our article on a career switch looks at this in more depth. Group many short periods of temp or project work under a single heading.

The cover letter: shorter than you think

Many employers no longer ask for a letter, and those who do rarely read beyond the first paragraph. Keep it to half a page, three paragraphs:

1. Why this job, at this company. One concrete element that appeals to you (a product, a project, the way of working), no generalities about "a dynamic environment".
2. Why you. Two or three results from your CV that directly answer what the vacancy asks for. Not a repeat of the CV, but the link.
3. What you expect and what's next. Availability, notice period if relevant, and a request for an interview.

Write as you speak, without clichés and without being deferential. Replace "I would like to" and "I hope that you" with "I want to" and "I can". Read the letter out loud; cross out anything you would never actually say.

What AI tools can and cannot do

A language model helps with structure, with shortening text and with finding stronger verbs. It cannot invent results you don't have, and recruiters now recognise the generic AI letter from a mile off: the same sentence structure, the same superlatives. Use it as an editor, not as an author. And check every figure it contains.

Before you send it

• File name: FirstName-Surname-CV.pdf, not "cv_final_v3_definitive.pdf".
• Spelling checked by someone else; one mistake in the first paragraph and you're out for a job where accuracy matters.
• Your LinkedIn profile matches your CV (dates, titles).
• Your phone is on and your voicemail greeting is professional.
• You know what you want to earn, in gross per year; see from gross to net.

On ikzoek.jobs you apply directly with your profile; enter your skills via the skills radar, and you'll immediately see how well you match each vacancy, and where your CV should place the emphasis.