Spanish CV: How to make a CV for Spain + Format & Examples

The idea of working in Spain is attractive to many people, but navigating the job market in a foreign country can be intimidating. Knowing how to write a Spanish CV, including recruiter expectations and hiring culture norms and conventions, can give you the edge over other candidates.

Spanish vs UK CV: Key Differences

Applying for a job in Spain from the UK will mean making some adjustments to your standard UK CV. While both hiring cultures favour a traditional, reverse-chronological CV, the tone of your application should be different when applying for Spanish jobs, and some of the details will also differ.

Before looking in-depth at the details of a Spanish CV, let's briefly cover the key differences between a Spanish and UK CV:

How to write a Spanish CV, step-by-step

Now that we've covered the basic differences between a UK and Spanish CV, let's take a deep dive into how to create a Spanish CV, step-by-step:

Step 1: Add personal details

In this section, you state your name, address, e-mail address and telephone number (including country code). In most cases, you also need to include nationality (e.g. Nacionalidad: británico) as well as your passport number (número de pasaporte) or identity card number (número de tarjeta de identitad). If you’re not from Spain, you will need to include your ‘Foreigner ID Number’ (numéro de identidad extranjero).

In Spain, it's also customary to include some personal details that you wouldn't traditionally add to a UK CV, owing to the Equality Act 2010. These include date-of-birth, gender and marital status.

Step 2: Add a photo

Another common addition to a CV for Spain is a professional-looking, passport-format photo. These are generally discouraged from UK CVs for anti-discrimination reasons, but in Spain these details are encouraged, to help the employer or recruiter form a closer personal connection to candidates.

Not every photo is suitable for use in a CV, so make sure you're dressed appropriately, the scene is well lit and your background is either neutral, or appropriate to your profession. If you're unable to take a high-quality photo yourself, we recommend that you visit a professional photographer, who will usually be up to speed on photo requirements for CVs.

Step 3: Write your professional profile

A professional profile, or 'perfil profesional', is the best way to open your Spanish CV. Write a short summary (two or three sentences) of your career to date, including your experience levels, your skills and any key career achievements or milestones.

Alternatively, you could write a CV objective, or 'objectivo profesional'. This is a paragraph of the same length but instead focuses on your career journey, where this role sits with your objectives and why you want to work for the company. Whether you decide to write a professional profile or a CV objective will probably depend on your experience levels. For more experienced candidates, a professional profile will usually have greater impact.

Step 4: Add and adapt your work experience

Like a UK CV, work experience is typically the most important section of a Spanish CV, unless you're a recent graduate or a junior candidate. List your relevant work experience in reverse-chronological order, starting with your current or most recent role. Include the following information in each entry:

Spanish hiring culture is slightly more conservative than the UK in terms of self-promotion so directly translating your English CV work experience entries into Spanish might make you look unfamiliar with Spanish norms. As such, adapt or rewrite your Spanish CV work experience bullet points, and tone down any self-promotion to a more modest level.

This applies to both your achievements, and action verbs. Instead of using Spanish equivalents of dynamic, highly descriptive action verbs like 'transformed', 'orchestrated' or 'pioneered', it might be more effective to use more modest versions like 'changed', 'led' or 'developed'.

Step 5: Add education and training

For a UK CV, it's normal to include an education section listing your highest and most relevant qualifications. For a Spanish CV format, you'll want to add this, plus a separate section outlining any relevant training you've undertaken.

Academic credentials are typically given more weight by Spanish employers than their UK counterparts, so you'll want to give this section of your CV more focus than you would in the UK. The specific university you attended also carries more weight than it might in the UK. Here's are a few things to cover in your Spanish CV's education section:

Step 6: Add skills and languages

For a Spanish CV, it's a good idea to include a list of your key hard and soft skills, focusing on skills that are closely related to the job description. For technical jobs, it's also a great idea to add a separate computer skills section ('informática', or 'conocimientos informáticos'). These skills are increasingly important, so they warrant a dedicated section and many Spanish employers will expect one.

Another key skill that Spanish employers and recruiters will expect in its own dedicated section is languages ('idiomas'). When applying to work in Spain, employers will expect you to have a high level of Spanish proficiency, but English skills and any other foreign languages can be valuable to your application.

When listing language skills, use the CEFR standard (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) to describe your proficiency levels. The standard is universally recognised across Europe and provides a framework to help employers understand your language skills better. The competency categories are as follows:

Spanish CV format

The format and layout of your Spanish CV can affect your chances of success with your applications. You'll want to choose a layout and format your document in a way that meets local employer expectations and matches Spanish hiring culture. Here's a basic Spanish CV that follows the correct format:

Considering the format example above, there are a few things to keep in mind when writing your Spanish CV.

CV format

A traditional, reverse-chronological CV format is generally the best approach for a Spanish job application. Spanish CV formats tend to err on the side of formal and traditional, making reverse-chronological the most suitable layout. If you're making a major career change, you might consider a functional layout.

CV length

While a UK CV tends to be between one and two pages long, Spanish CVs are generally expected to be two pages. You might create a longer CV if you're particularly senior, or you're applying for an academic role.

Font choices

Aim for a professional, readable font for your Spanish CV. Avoid over-stylised or ultra-modern CVs, and choose between serif for more formal, professional sectors and sans serif for more modern, informal sectors. Arial, Calibri, Lato, Garamond, Georgia and Cambria all work well for readability.

Writing style

Adopt an understated, formal tone when writing your CV in Spanish. Spanish candidates tend to be more modest about their career achievements than UK applicants, so it's best to factor this in when writing your CV. The influence of the Europass CV in Spain also means a structured, formal approach to your CV works best.

ATS expectations

Like the UK, many larger Spanish employers will now use ATS software to screen and manage job applications. This means you'll want to format your CV to be compatible with ATS screening. Use standard CV headings, adopt a single-column layout, pick a readable font and ensure your CV is optimised with keywords that match the job description.

Photo requirements

Though not mandatory, it's standard practice to include a photo with your CV in Spain. This reflects the hiring culture in Spain, where CVs represent the candidate in a more personal way than the more anonymised UK style where personal details are kept to a bare minimum.

Spanish CV examples

Here are two Spanish CV examples that use Jobseeker template designs, including the appropriate fonts and option for a photo:

Spanish CV terminology cheat sheet

Take a look at these key CV words and phrases, for help translating your UK CV for Spanish jobs:

5 Tips for your Spanish CV

Follow these simple tips to take your Spanish CV to the next level, and put yourself in the frame with your Spanish job applications:

1. Do a language check

Even if you feel pretty confident about your Spanish language skills, it’s a good idea to use an online grammar checker on your CV, such as LanguageTool or SpanishChecker. It will show where you’ve made basic errors. For a more in-depth check, we recommend that you ask a professional translator or native speaker to look over your CV to check that text flows well.

2. Keep your language formal and concise

Spanish CVs are quite factual in comparison to the English CV. Therefore, stick to short, concise descriptions of your responsibilities and achievements for each position. Jobseeker's AI suggestions can ensure your language strikes the right tone when creating a Spanish CV.

3. Write in bullet points

Make your CV easier to read, and more keyword dense, by writing short sentences in bullet points, using silent first person tense (omitting "I" statements).

4. Use a professional CV template

Your CV design can help your application stand out. Using a CV template like those offered by Jobseeker ensures a professional presentation of your skills and work experience.

5. Write a compelling cover letter

According to research from Jobseeker, 83% of HR professionals almost always read cover letters. Accompany your CV with a professional, engaging cover letter ('carta de presentación'), to provide context and further detail on your skills and experience.

Checklist for creating a Spanish CV

When writing your Spanish CV, use this checklist to ensure you have all the necessary details to help your CV make a strong first impression:

Key takeaways for a winning Spanish CV

Writing a winning Spanish CV doesn't mean radically changing your approach, but there are several things you should consider, and adapt, from your UK CV if you want to achieve success. Remember these key points from this article when writing your Spanish CV: Include a photo and some basic personal details in your CV header (date of birth, nationality, marital status and immigration status); Adopt a more formal, less self-promoting tone than a UK CV, using more modest action verbs; Emphasise your education and training, and make sure you attest your UK qualifications for Spanish applications; Write in Spanish, and aim for a CV length of two pages, or longer for senior or academic applications.

Jobseeker can help you create a CV that fits the expectations of employers in Spain. With Jobseeker, you can access a wealth of tools and resources to build your understanding of exactly what goes into a successful job application. You can also use Jobseeker's CV builder, accessing professional CV and cover letter templates to help your application stand out from the crowd. Sign up today to get started.