- What is the Europass CV?
- Europass CV sections
- How to make a Europass CV
- 1. Create a Europass profile
- 2. Add your personal information
- 3. Provide your work experience
- 4. Include your education and training
- 5. Describe your skills
- 6. Add other sections
- 7. Choose a template
- 8. Save and download
- Europass CV example
- Key takeaways
You’ve decided to take the leap and move abroad—congratulations! Now it’s time to create a resume and apply for jobs. If you’re planning to work in Europe, the Europass CV can help you present your qualifications in a format that employers will recognize.
It can be intimidating to apply for jobs in a different country, not to mention one that’s on another continent. If you want to get a job in Europe, the Europass curriculum vitae (CV) is a template you can use to make the application process easier. You can create a Europass CV to describe your work history, education, and skills in a format that’s standard for job seekers in Europe.
In this article, we’ll discuss:
What a Europass CV is and how it’s different from an American resume
The sections to include on your CV
How to create a Europass CV to apply for jobs
An example you can reference for guidance
What is the Europass CV?
The Europass CV is a resume template developed by the European Union. Anyone who wants to apply for jobs in Europe can use this template, including people who live outside the continent. Many European employers are familiar with this type of CV, making it a good way to apply for jobs abroad.
You can create this CV by registering for a Europass profile. With a profile, you can easily create a Europass CV online and download or share it with employers.
Expert Tip
CV vs. resume
If you’re applying for jobs in Europe, you might wonder about the difference between a resume and a CV. Often, Europeans use the two terms interchangeably. Both documents allow you to showcase your qualifications to employers, including your work experience, education, and skills.
In the United States, people usually use the term CV to refer to a comprehensive resume, commonly used for jobs in science or academia. It’s generally longer than the standard resume.
Europass CV sections
The Europass CV follows a standard template, though you can include additional information, such as volunteer work or achievements. Depending on the additional information you add, your Europass CV may be one to two pages long.
At minimum, the Europass CV template includes these four sections: personal information, work experience, personal skills, and education and training.
How to make a Europass CV
Ready to create your Europass CV? Follow these eight steps to get started:
1. Create a Europass profile
Before you make your CV, create a Europass profile. It’s free to create one, and once you have done so, you can make as many CVs as you want. If you prefer, you can also choose to create a CV without registering for a profile.
2. Add your personal information
After confirming your account, fill out your details. Add your personal information to the portal, including your email, physical address, and phone number with country code. You can also choose the language you use for your profile. If you speak multiple languages, you can make a different profile for each one.
3. Provide your work experience
List your previous work experience, including your job title, employer, country, and employment dates. Provide your most recent position first, followed by your other jobs in reverse-chronological order. For each position, mention details about your responsibilities, skills, and achievements. Use short sentences or bullet points to make it easy for employers to review your experience. Tailor these bullet points as much as possible so they’re relevant to the positions you’re applying for.
- Start your sentences or bullet points with strong verbs to convey confidence in your abilities. Use words like established, implemented, or executed.
- Forget to include numbers, percentages, and statistics to quantify your work experience. This data can show employers you’ve achieved successful results in other roles.
4. Include your education and training
The next section focuses on your education and training. In this section, provide all the learning experiences you want to highlight. For example, you can add a bachelor’s degree and a professional certification. Provide the full name of the qualification and the institution where you received it. You can also include details about the subjects you studied.
5. Describe your skills
The Europass CV focuses heavily on languages and digital skills. Include your native language and any others you speak. You can add details about your proficiency level and any language certificates you’ve earned.
In the digital skills section, add the technical proficiencies you have. The system will also generate some digital skills you can detail, such as Microsoft Excel. You can include digital certificates you’ve earned to verify your abilities.
6. Add other sections
Once you’ve filled out the basic sections, you can add other qualifications to your Europass CV. Choose from a variety of optional sections, including:
Volunteering
Publications
Projects
Honors and awards
Hobbies and interests
Driving license
7. Choose a template
After you’ve finished building your profile, you can choose a template for your Europass CV. Each template has customization options, including color and text size. You can also add a headshot to your CV header.
Expert Tip
Should you include a photo on your Europass CV?
Before enclosing a picture on your CV, check whether it’s a common practice in the country where you want to work. While it’s a requirement in some European countries, it’s not standard everywhere.
8. Save and download
Once you’ve built your resume and you’re happy with it, save your CV. You can download it to your device, save it in your Europass library, or publish it on EURES, which stands for European employment services. If you share your CV on EURES, you can specify the position you want and your desired location.
Europass CV example
Here’s an example of what a completed Europass CV looks like:
Sarah Arlington Address: Paris, France Phone number: (+33) 01 47 39 47 10 | Email address: [email protected]
Work Experience
Business Consultant | January 2023–Current Le Salon | Paris, France
Design and present strategic initiatives for a company with over €2 million in revenue
Consult with executives on ways to limit waste, resulting in a 36% percent cost savings
Lead workshops for a 15-person leadership team to improve the organizational culture
Business Strategy Intern | January 2022–December 2023 Johnson & Johnson | New Brunswick, NJ, United States
Completed a year-long internship, working under a business consultant to provide strategic input for a Fortune 500 company
Education and Training
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration New York University | New York, United States
Personal Skills
Mother tongue: English Other languages: French, Level C1 (proficient)
Digital Skills: Data literacy | Project management software | Microsoft Excel | Zoom | Google Drive
Management and Leadership Skills: Business analysis | Business management | Executive leadership | Project management | Data analysis
Still feeling unsure about how to create the perfect CV? Check out Career.io’s CV builder to make a professionally-designed CV in minutes!
Key takeaways
The Europass CV is a standard resume template you can use to apply for jobs in Europe.
Create a Europass CV by registering for a profile and outlining your work experience, education, and skills.
Include additional sections to highlight other skills or qualifications, such as your awards or projects.
