How to Write a CV That Gets Shortlisted in Sri Lanka
30 Sep 2026
Most HR officers spend less than a minute on a CV before deciding whether to call you. A clear, well-organised CV gives you a real advantage, especially for popular vacancies that receive hundreds of applications.
1. Keep it to one or two pages
For school leavers and graduates, one page is enough. Experienced candidates can use two. Remove anything that does not help you get this specific job.
2. Use this order
- Contact details – name, phone, email and town. A full home address, NIC number, religion or photo is not required unless the employer asks.
- Profile – two or three lines about who you are and the role you want.
- Work experience – latest job first, with what you achieved, not only your duties.
- Education – degree / diploma, then A/L and O/L results in brief.
- Skills – software, languages (Sinhala, English, Tamil) and licences.
- Referees – two non-related referees, or "available on request".
3. Show results with numbers
"Handled customer accounts" is weak. "Handled 120 customer accounts and reduced overdue payments by 20%" tells the employer what you can do.
4. Match the job advert
Read the requirements in the vacancy and use the same key words in your CV. Many companies now filter CVs with software before a person reads them.
5. Common mistakes
- Spelling mistakes and mixed fonts
- An unprofessional email address – create a simple one with your name
- Sending a Word file that looks different on other computers – save as PDF
- Using the same CV for every job
Finally, name the file clearly, for example Nimal-Perera-CV.pdf, and mention the post name in your email subject line.
