HOW TO WRITE A WINNING CV/RESUME IN 2026

HOW TO WRITE A WINNING CV/RESUME IN 2026

In today’s competitive professional world, having a sharp CV isn't just a "plus"—it’s a requirement. Whether you are eyeing a vacation internship, a National Service posting, or your first full-time role after graduation, your CV is your first handshake with the hiring committee.

A Quick Trip Back in Time
Did you know the idea of a CV actually started with Leonardo Da Vinci? In 1482, he sent a list of his skills to the Duke of Milan to land a military engineering job. If a genius like Da Vinci needed a CV to get noticed, we definitely do too.

Whether you're studying Accounting, Marketing, Public Administration, or any other course, you won't be the only applicant. The secret to winning the "interview invite" boils down to how well your CV is crafted.

When you're starting out, these are key sections to be considered in crafting a winning CV;

1. The Header Section: First Things First
Your name should be the "headline" of your document. Place it right at the top in the middle, bolded and slightly larger than the rest of the text so it pops.

In addition, these are what you need to include underneath your name;

• Phone Number: Ensure you use a reliable one.

• Professional Email: Use your student email or a clean personal one (e.g., kofi.mensah@gmail.com).

• LinkedIn Profile: Make sure your profile is updated.

• Location: Just your city and region is fine.

2. The Profile Summary Section
Think of this as your "elevator pitch." In 3–4 lines, your profile summary allows you to showcase your strengths and career goals.

Pro Tip: Always tailor your profile summary to the role you're applying for. For instance, if you’re applying for a Customer Service role, focus on communication. On the other hand, if you're pivoting to a Financial Analyst role, tweak it to highlight your analytical mindset.

3. Education Section
As a UGBS student, your education is one of your strongest assets. Mention University of Ghana Business School and your expected graduation date. If your GPA is strong, don't hesitate to indicate it. 

4. Projects/Achievements/Awards Section 

Here, you can mention any remarkable project you embarked on or some notable achievements you have made as an individual. You can also add an award received either from high school or college.

5. Work Experience Section
Recruiters don’t just want to know what you did; they want to know how well you did it. Instead of just listing tasks, show your results in this section.

Don’t just say: "Resolved 100+ customer inquiries."

Instead, say: "Resolved 100+ customer inquiries by promptly following supervisor instructions, which cut response time in half (from 1 hour to 30 minutes)."

6. Leadership Experience Section

This section allows you to tell the recruiter how you excelled performing leadership roles in school, organization or community.

7. Volunteer Activities Section

This section shows initiative. It tells employers you are proactive and care about your community, so you're good to include it if you have engaged in any volunteer activity as such.

8. Skills and Interests Section
Here, you can list your hard skills such as Excel, Canva alongside your soft skills such as problem-solving, attention to detail and teamwork.

Pro Tip: Be specific; Instead of just stating "Computer Skills," you can write "Proficient in Microsoft Excel (Pivot Tables & VLOOKUP)."

9. References Section

This mostly appears at the bottom of your CV and is available on request. However, you can add it as the recruiter may reach out to that person (your reference) to evaluate the validity of your aforementioned skills. In this section, state the person’s name together with his or her e-mail address.

Key Golden Rules for a Unique CV
To make your layout look uniform and professional, follow these final checks:

• Use the STAR Approach: Use this to describe your achievements:

  Situation: What was the context?

  Task: What was required?

  Action: What did you specifically do?

  Result: What was the successful outcome?

• Be Consistent: If you use a full stop at the end of one bullet point, use it for all of them. 

• Dates: Use the same format throughout (e.g., "Mar. 2024" or "March 2024").

• Order: Always put your most recent achievements first.

• Usage of actionable words: Words like “resolved”, “executed”, ’successfully liaised’ should be used to effectively demonstrate the work you’ve done. For instance, instead of saying “Completed multiple tasks by seeking guidance from supervisors”, say “Successfully executed multiple tasks by seeking expert guidance from supervisors which led to seamless communication''.

• Conciseness: Keep your CV to one-page. For most international job applications, this is a key requirement. This relays the impression that you are capable of giving the relevant or necessary information clearly.

Final Thoughts
Before you send that application, proofread. A CV with typos tells a recruiter you might be careless on the job. Once it's perfect, save it as a PDF so the formatting doesn't jump around when the recruiter opens it.

Good luck, UGBS! Go out there and land that dream role.

Authored By: Emmanuella Mensah