CV Profile Examples: How to Write a Personal Profile
CV profile examples and writing guide: what to include, how long it should be, CV vs resume differences, templates, and mistakes to avoid.
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By | Founder ExecHeadshots·
A CV profile is the short introduction at the top of your CV. It tells the reader what kind of candidate you are, which strengths matter most, and why the rest of the document is worth reading. It is also called a personal profile, professional profile, personal statement, CV summary, or profile summary.
Current guides from Indeed, Indeed UK, StandOut CV, FreeCV, and Monster all treat the profile as a concise, targeted summary near the top of the document. The details vary by country and role, but the job is the same: make your fit clear quickly.
The profile is not a biography. It is a positioning paragraph for a specific role.
What to include in a CV profile
- Your current role, target role, or career stage.
- Your core field, sector, or professional context.
- Two or three relevant strengths from the job description.
- One concrete achievement, qualification, or measurable result when you have one.
- The type of role, team, or problem you are now targeting.
A simple CV profile formula
[Role or career stage] with [years/experience/context] in [field]. Skilled in [strength 1], [strength 2], and [strength 3], with experience [proof or achievement]. Now seeking [target role/type of company] where [value you can bring].
You do not need to use every part. Senior candidates should emphasize scope and outcomes. Graduates should emphasize education, projects, placements, and transferable skills. Career changers should connect past experience to the new target role.
CV profile examples
Experienced professional
Operations manager with eight years of experience improving delivery workflows for B2B service teams. Skilled in process design, vendor coordination, reporting, and team cadence, with a track record of reducing handoff delays and improving weekly visibility for leadership. Seeking an operations role where stronger systems can support faster growth.
Graduate or entry-level candidate
Recent business graduate with internship experience in customer research, spreadsheet analysis, and campaign coordination. Confident using Excel, Google Workspace, and presentation tools to organize data and communicate findings. Looking for an entry-level marketing or operations role where analytical work supports clear customer decisions.
Career changer
Customer success professional moving into product operations after five years supporting SaaS users, documenting workflow issues, and translating customer feedback into product requests. Strong in stakeholder communication, CRM reporting, and process documentation. Seeking a product operations role focused on customer insight, tooling, and delivery discipline.
Manager or executive
Commercial leader with 12 years of experience building revenue teams across founder-led and scale-up environments. Experienced in pipeline design, sales process, forecasting, hiring, and cross-functional operating rhythm. Looking for a leadership role where disciplined go-to-market execution can support the next stage of growth.
Academic CV profile
Doctoral researcher in environmental policy with experience in mixed-methods research, undergraduate teaching, conference presentation, and grant-supported fieldwork. Current work focuses on urban resilience and public-sector climate adaptation. Seeking postdoctoral or research roles that combine policy analysis, teaching, and applied research.
CV profile vs resume summary
In the United States, a CV often means a longer academic or research document, while a resume is a shorter job-search document. Indeed’s CV guide makes that distinction for teaching and research roles. In the UK and many other countries, “CV” is often used for the standard job-search document that Americans would call a resume.
That means the profile should match the market. For an academic CV, focus on research, teaching, publications, grants, and academic fit. For a job-search CV or resume, focus on role fit, relevant experience, skills, and outcomes.
How long should a CV profile be?
Keep it short: usually three to five lines or one compact paragraph. Long profiles create the same problem they are meant to solve: the reader has to work too hard to understand your fit. If you need more space, put the detail in experience bullets, education, publications, projects, or skills.
How to write your CV profile
- Update the rest of the CV first so your profile reflects the strongest evidence already on the page.
- Read the target job description and mark the recurring skills, tools, responsibilities, and outcomes.
- Choose the three most relevant strengths you can actually prove.
- Write one plain paragraph using the language of the role, not generic career jargon.
- Add a concrete result or scope detail when possible: team size, budget, customers, systems, revenue, projects, or research area.
- Cut anything that repeats the skills section without adding context.
Weak vs strong CV profile
Weak
Hard-working and motivated professional with excellent communication skills and a passion for success. Able to work independently or as part of a team. Looking for a challenging role in a dynamic company.
Strong
Client services coordinator with four years of experience managing onboarding, account updates, and support handoffs for professional-services clients. Skilled in CRM hygiene, scheduling, client communication, and issue tracking. Seeking an operations or customer success role where organized follow-through improves client experience.
The strong version names the role, context, relevant skills, and target direction. The weak version could apply to almost anyone.
Mistakes to avoid
- Writing a life story instead of a role-focused summary.
- Using vague phrases like enthusiastic, dynamic, hard-working, and results-driven without proof.
- Stuffing keywords so the profile reads like a search query.
- Repeating the exact same tools listed in your skills section.
- Making unsupported claims such as expert, leader, or strategic without evidence elsewhere in the CV.
- Using one generic profile for every application.
Frequently asked questions
What is a CV profile?
A CV profile is a short summary at the top of a CV that introduces your professional background, relevant skills, and fit for the target role.
What is a good CV profile example?
A good CV profile names your role or career stage, your field, your strongest relevant skills, and one concrete proof point. It should sound specific enough that it could not belong to every applicant.
Should a CV profile be written in first person?
Most CV profiles are written without “I.” For example: “Operations manager with eight years of experience...” This keeps the style concise and consistent with the rest of the CV.
Should students include a CV profile?
Yes, if it helps connect coursework, projects, placements, volunteering, or part-time work to the target role. Keep it focused on evidence, not personality claims.
Bottom line
A strong CV profile is short, specific, and targeted. Write it after the rest of the CV, pull out the most relevant proof, and make the reader understand your fit before they reach your work history. If the sentence could appear on any candidate’s CV, rewrite it until it sounds like your actual experience.
Article by
Ben is a pioneering AI engineer and the founder of ExecHeadshots, Europe’s premier AI-powered professional portrait platform. With a deep technical pedigree - having served as a lead AI engineer at Snapchat and Zenly - Ben launched ExecHeadshots in Paris in 2022 to bridge the gap between high-end studio photography and generative technology. Under his leadership, ExecHeadshots has helped over 80,000 professionals and executives globally redefine their digital identity. By leveraging cutting-edge machine learning and rigorous European privacy standards, Ben has engineered a platform that delivers ultra-realistic, studio-quality headshots in under 30 minutes. His mission is to provide every leader with an authoritative executive presence, combining his expertise in computer vision with a commitment to professional-grade aesthetics.
