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by Éloïse Durand
CV & Applications

How to use Jobzvice Co templates to write a concise achievement-based cv

Dec 02, 2025 • by Éloïse Durand
How to use Jobzvice Co templates to write a concise achievement-based cv

I use templates on Jobzvice Co every day with clients to turn long, task-focused CVs into concise, achievement-led documents that pass applicant tracking systems (ATS) and catch a recruiter's eye in seconds. Templates are not a shortcut — they’re a structure. When used thoughtfully, they force you to prioritise what matters and to describe impact in language employers actually search for.

Why use a template for an achievement-based CV?

Templates give you three things you rarely get from starting with a blank page: consistency, clarity and speed. They help you write to a format that hiring teams expect and ensure your achievements sit in the places that matter (profile, experience bullets, core skills). Most importantly, a good template prompts you to quantify impact — that’s the difference between “managed a team” and “led a team of 6 to reduce processing time by 30%”.

Choose the right Jobzvice Co template for your stage

On Jobzvice Co I provide templates tailored to common UK career stages and sectors. Pick one based on where you are, not what looks nicest. Examples:

  • Graduate template — emphasises education, projects and internships with concise achievement bullets.
  • Professional mid-level template — focuses on 3–5 recent roles with achievements and a short profile.
  • Executive template — includes a profile, 4–6 achievement-led role summaries and an optional achievements section for career highlights.

    • If you’re switching sectors, choose a template that allows a “relevant projects” or “transferable skills” section near the top.

    How I adapt a template to make every bullet achievement-based

    My starting rule is: every bullet must answer one of these questions — What did you do? How did you do it? What changed as a result? I coach clients to move from activity to impact using a simple conversion process:

  • Identify the activity — “Developed monthly reports.”
  • Add a method or tool — “using Tableau and Excel.”
  • Add a measurable result — “which reduced reporting time by 40% and improved decision-making speed for the leadership team.”

    • So the final bullet becomes: Developed monthly Tableau reports and Excel models that reduced reporting time by 40%, enabling faster strategic decisions by senior leadership.

    Practical steps to fill a Jobzvice Co template (step-by-step)

    Work through these steps on one role at a time. Don’t try to rewrite everything at once.

  • Open the template and insert your role title, employer and dates.
  • Write a one-line context sentence (optional) — what the team did and your scope. Keep it short: “Part of a 10-person marketing team focused on acquisition for a B2C SaaS product.”
  • List 6–8 raw task bullets from memory or your old CV.
  • Convert each task using the activity-method-result structure above. Aim for 3–5 strong achievement bullets per recent role; less senior roles can have 2–3.
  • Trim language to keep bullets concise (one line where possible). Replace weak verbs like “responsible for” with active verbs: “delivered, reduced, increased, automated, negotiated”.
  • Run a keyword check against the job ad and sprinkle two or three exact phrases into your achievements where they genuinely apply — don’t stuff keywords.

    • Examples: Before and after (useful to copy)

    Before After

    Managed social media channels and increased engagement.

    Built and executed social strategy across LinkedIn and Instagram, increasing engagement by 85% and driving a 22% uplift in inbound leads within six months.

    Responsible for onboarding new clients.

    Streamlined client onboarding process, reducing time-to-first-value from 10 to 4 days and improving NPS from 62 to 76.

    Keep it concise: trimming tips I use with clients

    Conciseness is not about cutting content; it’s about choosing words that do more. Here are editing habits I apply:

  • Remove filler phrases: delete “responsible for”, “in charge of”, “duties included”. They add words but no value.
  • Prefer numbers and percentages. If you can’t get exact figures, use ranges: “£200k–£300k pipeline” or “~15% uplift”.
  • Use active verbs and avoid nominalisations (turning verbs into nouns): change “management of projects” to “managed projects”.
  • Keep present roles to present tense and previous roles to past tense for clarity.

    • ATS-friendly formatting tips

    Templates on Jobzvice Co are built with ATS in mind, but how you fill them matters:

  • Use standard headings: “Profile”, “Experience”, “Education”, “Skills”. Avoid creative headings like “Career Journey”.
  • Avoid images, graphics, and tables for the main structure — they can break parsing. The small table above is for blog content only; on your CV, keep layout simple.
  • Use bullet points (•) rather than dashes or special characters. Keep fonts standard: Calibri, Arial or Times New Roman are safe.
  • Include a short skills list with keywords from the job ad — but only if you can back them up in your achievements.

    • How to use the profile section in the template

    The profile (top of the template) should be a concise snapshot of what you offer and the value you deliver — not a biography. Keep it to 2–4 lines. I often suggest this structure:

  • Professional label + years of experience + sector (if relevant).
  • Key strengths or specialisms (max 2–3).
  • Impact statement tied to the employer’s need.

    • Example: “Data analyst with 4 years’ experience in fintech. Specialises in SQL, Tableau and automating reporting workflows — recently reduced month-end close time by 35%, improving forecasting accuracy for product planning.”

    Customising for different job adverts without rewriting every time

    Templates make tailoring faster. My approach:

  • Create a master CV with 6–8 strong achievement bullets per role.
  • For each application, select 3–5 bullets that best match the job description and reorder them so the most relevant ones appear first.
  • Swap or tweak 1–2 keywords in those bullets to mirror the advert language — only when accurate.

    • This way you can apply quickly while staying specific — recruiters see relevance in the first 10 seconds.

    Common mistakes I help clients fix

    When I review CVs, I see recurring issues that templates help avoid:

  • Too much process, not enough result. A template forces result-first phrasing.
  • Long role descriptions that read like job specs. Templates focus on impact bullets.
  • Generic skills lists without evidence. The template encourages linking skills to achievements.
  • Unclear dates or gaps. Templates’ standard layout reduces formatting errors that confuse ATS.

    • Quick checklist before you export your CV from the template

  • Profile is 2–4 lines and impact-led.
  • Each recent role has 3–5 achievement bullets.
  • Keywords from the advert appear naturally in your bullets or skills section.
  • Formatting is simple: standard fonts, bullet points, no images.
  • Document saved as a clear file name: FirstName_LastName_Role_CV.pdf.

    • If you want, I can walk you through converting one role from your existing CV using a Jobzvice Co template. Share a role summary (title, employer, dates and 3–6 existing bullets) and I’ll rewrite them into achievement-based bullets you can paste straight into the template.

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