A CV that works for technical profiles
A technical CV gets scanned for installations, tools and results first. Here's how to put those up front instead of buried on page two.
Anyone recruiting technical people looks for three things in a CV: which installations and technology you worked with, what you concretely did with them, and whether you stayed stable. The rest is decoration. So build your CV around those three questions, and remember that the first reader is often software: many companies filter CVs automatically on keywords before a human ever sees them.
Technology up front
Name per job the machines, brands and tools you worked with: Siemens or Allen-Bradley, high or low voltage, SAP PM or Ultimo. Recruiters and hiring managers literally search on those words, and filtering software does too. So mirror the vacancy's terminology: if it says PLC programming, don't just write automation. A separate technical skills section at the top helps the scan, but the context per job makes it credible: a list of loose keywords without a story behind it is seen through instantly by any experienced reader.
Results instead of tasks
Responsible for maintenance appears on every CV. Set up a preventive maintenance plan that halved breakdowns on line 2 appears on almost none. You don't need a number for every job, but two or three measurable results lift your CV above the pile. Find them in what you tracked anyway: breakdown figures, availability, lead times, energy consumption, audit scores or simply a project delivered on time and within budget. It works even without an exact figure: first technician who helped start up the new line says more than a task description.
Form: functional and short
Two pages suffice, even with fifteen years of experience. Work in reverse chronological order, summarise jobs older than ten years in one line and explain gaps briefly and honestly; an unexplained gap raises more questions than an explained one. Skip the photo and the seven hobbies, deliver as a PDF and use a file name containing your own name. Have someone else proofread once: the typo you no longer see, a reader sees immediately.
The details that make the difference in technology
Explicitly mention your driving licence, your certificates (VCA, BA4/BA5, forklift, refrigeration), your languages and whether you are open to shifts, standby duty or travel. In technology these are often the first filter questions, and answering them before they are asked saves a phone round and makes you look prepared. Don't forget your region either: an employer wants to know whether the commute is realistic.
Not sure whether your CV sticks? Feel free to send it to us via a spontaneous application. We look at it through the lens of the employers we work with every day.
Frequently asked questions
How long may a technical CV be?
Two pages is the norm, even with a lot of experience. Recent and relevant jobs get the space; anything older than ten years is summarised in one line per job. A third page is rarely read and gives the impression you cannot summarise.
What do I do with a gap in my CV?
Name it briefly and neutrally: training, caring for family, a wrong choice you corrected quickly. Employers rarely lose sleep over a gap with an explanation; they do drop off at a gap they have to guess about. One honest sentence suffices.
Take the next step in your career
Browse our open technical vacancies, each with a clear salary range.