The best-looking CV template can still hide your strongest experience
A new template can make an old CV feel finished before the important editing has begun. Colours and spacing may look better while the same vague profile remains at the top. Before choosing a design, decide what you want an employer to understand about your suitability for this particular role.
Choose the content before the decoration
Read the vacancy and identify the responsibilities that connect most closely to your experience. Then choose the examples that demonstrate that connection. A career changer may need to make transferable work visible, while an experienced specialist may lead with recent relevant roles. The layout should support that decision rather than forcing every candidate into the same emphasis.
Use examples to compare structure, not to borrow achievements. The CV Majster collection of CV examples lets you start from an occupation-related page. Replace sample responsibilities with your own accurate account. A useful template is a container for evidence, and the evidence still needs to belong to the person applying.
Read the document as a stranger would
Ask someone unfamiliar with your work to find your most recent role, main skill and contact information. If they need an explanation, revise the wording or order. Expand unusual abbreviations where necessary. A profile that says you are dynamic and results-driven may sound polished, but a clear statement of your actual work gives the reader more information.
Keep headings recognisable and give dates a consistent format. Be careful with dense text, tiny type and details conveyed only through icons. These choices can make a document harder to read. No template can guarantee how every employer's recruitment system will interpret a file, so follow the requested format and check the output yourself.
Treat the final file as a separate check
Open the exported document instead of assuming it matches the editing view. Look for clipped text, unexpected page breaks, broken links and outdated contact details. Where the file contains selectable text, check that copying a short passage produces sensible words. This is a practical check of the file, not a promise about a particular recruitment platform.
Keep a clearly named copy for each role so you know what the employer received. When you change a date or contact detail, update the versions you still use. The best CV for your next application is the one that presents the relevant facts accurately and clearly, with a design that makes those facts easier to follow.