Most CV advice tells you what a good CV looks like and then leaves you with a blank page. This one builds yours while you read it. You choose a real job, write rough notes for each section, and the builder tidies them into clear New Zealand English. At the end you download a CV and a one-page cover letter as PDFs, both aimed at that job.
- 0quick steps, start to finish
- 0short chapters, no lessons to sit through
- 0PDFs to send: CV and cover letter
Who it is for
School leavers writing a first CV with no paid work to put on it. People moving between industries who need their existing experience to read as relevant. Anyone refreshing a CV that has not been touched in a few years. It works the same for all three, because you supply the details and the builder handles the wording and the layout.
There is nothing to install and no prior experience needed. It runs on a phone, a tablet or a laptop.
Why a targeted CV gets further
An employer filling one role can be reading dozens of applications with a few minutes for each. The CV that clearly matches the advert is the one that gets a longer look, because the fit is obvious without the reader having to hunt for it.
| The same CV, sent everywhere | A CV aimed at the job |
|---|---|
| Lists everything you have ever done, so the employer digs for the relevant part | Leads with what the advert asks for |
| Uses your own wording, which may not match how the employer describes the work | Uses the words from the advert where they honestly apply |
| Reads the same whoever receives it | Reads as though you wrote it for this role, because you did |
How it works
Three moves per section
You repeat the same three steps for each part of the CV. Tap each card to see what happens.
Tap or select a card to flip it.
What is inside
Three short chapters, ten steps, no lessons to sit through. You write in your own words at every step and the builder handles the tidying and the layout.
Your work is saved as you go, so you can do one section tonight and the rest tomorrow.
- Start hereA quick look at how the builder works, then straight into building
- Choose the job you are targetingPaste a Seek or Trade Me advert and the builder reads what the role asks for
- Your personal statementThree or four honest lines about what you are after and what you bring
- Employment historyEvery job, placement, volunteer role and casual stint, described so it fits the role
- Key skillsThe skills the advert asks for, where you have them
- Education and qualificationsSchool, tertiary study, tickets and short courses
- AchievementsThe things that show what you are like to work with
- Interests and refereesTwo referees and the interests worth keeping
- Final checks and your CV photoContact details, town or city, and an optional photo
- Your cover letterA matching one-page letter for the same role, ready to send
On honesty
It will not turn a work placement into five years of experience.
The builder is set up to keep your own words for the level and type of work you have done. A placement stays a placement, casual work stays casual, and it will not give you a job title you did not claim. A CV that overstates gets found out at the interview, which is a worse outcome than a modest CV that is true.
Start the Quick CV and Cover Letter Builder
Free for everyone
Create an account, start building, and come back to it whenever you like. Your work is saved as you go, so you can do one section tonight and the rest tomorrow.
Works on any phone, tablet or laptop · no card required
What a New Zealand CV should and should not carry
CV conventions differ by country, and a template written for the United States or the United Kingdom will steer you wrong in small ways that an employer here notices. These are the conventions the builder follows.
What belongs on it
- Your name, phone number, email address, and the town or city you live in. A street address is not needed and most people leave it off.
- A short personal statement at the top, three or four lines, saying what work you are after and what you bring to it.
- Work history in reverse chronological order, most recent first, with month and year for each role.
- Your right to work in New Zealand, if it is not obvious from your history. A line saying you are a citizen, a resident, or hold a valid work visa saves the employer a question.
- Two referees with their name, role and contact details, or a line saying they are available on request.
- Licences and tickets in their own section. A driver licence class, a forklift F endorsement, a Site Safe card or a current first aid certificate each removes a cost for the employer, so they earn their space.
What to leave off
- Date of birth, age, marital status and nationality. Employers here do not ask for these and including them invites a discrimination problem neither of you wants.
- Your IRD number, bank details and driver licence number. Those come after you are hired.
- A photo, unless you want one. It is optional in New Zealand and carries no advantage either way.
- American spelling. Organise, licence for the noun and license for the verb, colour, programme.
On length
Two pages is the usual expectation for someone with a work history, and one page is perfectly normal for a school leaver or a first job. Padding a short CV to reach two pages reads worse than a tight one page.
Where the cover letter fits
A cover letter does the job a CV cannot: it says why this role, and connects the experience on the CV to what the advert asked for. One page, addressed to a person where you can find a name, and specific to the role. The builder writes it from the same material you have already entered, so it lines up with the CV rather than repeating it.
Common questions
Is it really free?
Yes. There is no card required, no trial that expires and nothing to pay at the end. It sits in the free pre-employment bundle alongside three other free Capability Solutions courses.
Do I need work experience to use it?
No. It is built to handle a first CV with no paid work on it. School, a placement, volunteering, sport, a part-time job or helping in a family business all count and all have a place on the page.
Do I finish with an actual CV?
Yes. You download a formatted CV as a PDF and a matching one-page cover letter as a second PDF, both ready to send.
Can I come back and change it later?
Yes. Your work is saved as you go, so you can build it over several sittings, and you can come back and retarget it at a different job later without starting again.
Will it write my CV for me?
It tidies what you give it. You supply every fact, and it turns your notes into clear sentences and lays them out properly. It does not invent jobs, dates, qualifications or skills you have not claimed.
Is it written for New Zealand?
Yes. New Zealand English, New Zealand CV conventions, and referee and licence sections in the form employers here expect.
Build your CV and cover letter
Ten quick steps, and you finish with both as PDFs.