Philippines CV and resume guidance

Send a resume for most private-sector, BPO and multinational jobs. In the Philippines, "resume" is the everyday term, "CV" is used for longer academic or international documents, and "biodata" usually means a one-page form-style sheet with personal details, often bought pre-printed or downloaded.

When each fits:

• Resume: corporate, BPO, IT, finance, sales and most office jobs.
• Biodata: some entry-level, factory, household or provincial jobs where the employer or agency asks for it.
• CV: academic posts, research, or employers abroad who use the word CV.

If an advert asks for a specific document, send that. Otherwise, a clear one- or two-page resume works almost everywhere.

A good resume for the Philippines focuses on your skills, education, training and work results rather than personal details. If an employer later asks for a biodata, you can fill one in using the same facts, so keep your dates, school names and job titles consistent across both documents.

One page for fresh graduates and two pages for most experienced applicants. Recruiters for large employers, especially BPOs, often go through many applications, so a focused resume works better than a long one.

Guidelines:

• Fresh graduate or under three years of work: one page.
• Experienced professional: up to two pages, with the latest roles in most detail.
• Senior, academic or medical roles: longer only if the extra content is relevant.

Trim long lists of seminars, every school since elementary and personal details the employer does not need. Elementary school is usually left out once you have a college degree.

It depends on the employer. Photos are still common on Filipino resumes, and some local companies or agencies ask for one, but many multinationals, BPOs and online applications do not need it. If an advert asks for a photo, follow the instruction; if it does not, a resume without a photo is acceptable.

If you do include one:

• Use a recent, plain-background, professional photo.
• Keep it small, at the top corner.
• Avoid selfies, filters and casual photos.

For jobs in countries such as the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom, leave the photo off, because it is generally not expected there. Note that ResumeBuilder.ae does not add photos to the PDF, so if a local employer insists on one, send the photo separately as they request.

Usually not. These details were standard on older Philippine resumes and are still seen on biodata forms, but many employers now focus on skills and experience. Leaving them out keeps the resume shorter and avoids possible bias.

What to keep:

• Full name, mobile number, email and city or province.
• Optional: LinkedIn or portfolio link.

What you can leave out unless asked:

• Age or birthdate, civil status, height and weight, religion, and parents' names.

Some local employers still ask for these in their application forms, especially for roles with physical requirements. In that case, provide them on the form as requested.

No. Government ID numbers do not belong on a resume. Resumes get forwarded and uploaded to many places, and these numbers can be misused. Employers collect them during onboarding, usually after you accept an offer, so they can process payroll and contributions.

What to do instead:

• Keep your IDs and numbers ready in a safe document for when HR asks.
• If an employer form asks for them before an offer, check that the employer is genuine first.

You can simply note "Complete pre-employment requirements available" in your cover message if you want to show readiness, but this is optional.

Put the honor right after your degree in the Education section, using the exact wording on your diploma. Latin honors are well recognised by Filipino employers and are a useful signal for fresh graduates.

Example: "Bachelor of Science in Accountancy, University of Santo Tomas, 2024. Cum Laude"

Tips:

• Use the correct level: cum laude, magna cum laude or summa cum laude.
• Italics are optional; keep it plain text for applicant tracking systems.
• Other awards, such as Dean's Lister, can go on the same line or in an Awards section with the semesters: "Dean's Lister, 6 semesters."
• For jobs abroad, you can add a short explanation such as "graduated with honours" so foreign readers understand.

Put it in a "Licences and Certifications" section near the top, with the profession, the year you passed and the licence details the regulator requires. For licensed professions such as nursing, engineering, accounting or teaching, this is often one of the first things a recruiter checks.

Example:
"Registered Nurse, Professional Regulation Commission, passed November 2023. Licence valid until 2026."
Example: "Board exam rating: 84.60%"

Tips:

• Include the licence number and expiry only as required by the regulator or the employer, and keep the card ready for verification.
• If you were a topnotcher, mention your rank.
• For roles abroad, add that it is a Philippine licence, since foreign employers may need their own registration process.

List OJT (on-the-job training) like a job, with the company, department, dates and three or four bullets on what you did. For many Filipino fresh graduates it is the main work experience, so give it detail.

Example:
"On-the-Job Trainee, Finance Department, a property developer in Makati, Feb to May 2025 (300 hours)

• Encoded and reconciled supplier invoices in SAP.
• Prepared weekly petty cash reports.
• Assisted in filing documents for the year-end audit."

Tips:

• Focus on tasks and tools, not just "assisted".
• Add the number of required hours if it shows commitment.
• Put it under "Internship / OJT" or in Work Experience if you have no other jobs.

If your OJT was mostly filing or photocopying, describe it honestly but look for the useful parts: systems you learned, people you supported, deadlines you helped meet. If your OJT supervisor gave you good feedback or a certificate of completion, keep it ready, and consider asking them to be a reference.

Yes, if you are a recent graduate or the strand relates to the job. The K to 12 strands, such as STEM, ABM, HUMSS or a TVL track, tell employers your early focus, and they are especially useful if you have only finished senior high school.

Example: "Senior High School, Academic Track: ABM, [school name], Quezon City, 2021. With Honors"

Tips:

• After college, keep senior high school to one line or remove it if space is short.
• Add your work immersion experience if it relates to the role.
• If you took a TVL track and earned an NC certificate, list the certificate separately.

Emphasise communication skills, customer-handling results and reliability. BPO recruiters want to see that you can handle calls or chats in English, meet metrics and work shifts.

Include:

• Account type: inbound or outbound, voice or non-voice, and the industry (telecom, healthcare, financial services).
• Metrics you hit, if allowed. Example: "Kept average handle time within target and maintained customer satisfaction above team goal for 8 months."
• Tools: CRM systems, ticketing tools, typing speed if strong.
• Willingness to work night shifts, weekends and holidays.

For first-time applicants, show communication skills through school activities, tutoring, sales jobs or debate. Keep the resume simple and error-free, because written English is often judged from it.

If you are moving up to team leader, quality analyst or trainer roles, add coaching results, process improvements and any awards from your account. Describe metrics in general terms if exact figures are confidential to the client.

Many Filipino employers still like to see references, but listing them on the resume is optional. Some companies ask for them on the application form, while others accept "Available upon request". Choose based on the employer and your space.

If you list them:

• Use two or three people who know your work: former supervisors, professors or OJT supervisors.
• Give name, position, company and contact number or email.
• Ask each person's permission first.

Avoid relatives and friends as character references. For a fresh graduate, a professor or OJT supervisor is usually stronger than a family friend.

No, keep them out of the resume. NBI clearance, police clearance, barangay clearance and medical results are pre-employment requirements that employers ask for after an offer or during processing. Listing them on the resume uses space without helping you get shortlisted.

What helps instead:

• Have them ready, or know how quickly you can get them, so you can start on time.
• If an advert says "with valid NBI clearance", you can say so in your cover message or email.

Never upload copies of clearances or IDs to job sites unless you are sure the employer is genuine and has asked for them.

List them under "Certifications" with the qualification title, level and year, exactly as on the certificate. TESDA certificates are recognised by Filipino employers in trades, hospitality, caregiving and technical roles.

Example:
"Certifications

• Food and Beverage Services NC II, TESDA, 2024
• Bread and Pastry Production NC II, TESDA, 2023"

Tips:

• Put the most relevant one first.
• If the job asks for a specific NC, mention it in your summary too.
• Show where you used the skill: training restaurant, OJT or job.
• Keep the certificates and their validity dates ready, since some employers check them.

Many government agencies ask for the official Personal Data Sheet from the Civil Service Commission, often together with other documents. Follow the job posting exactly: if it lists the PDS, a normal resume will not replace it.

What to do:

• Read the agency's posting for the required forms and attachments.
• Fill in the PDS completely and consistently, including eligibility and trainings.
• Attach a resume only if the posting asks for one or allows it.

Keep your private-sector resume for private employers. Details on the PDS, such as dates and training hours, should match your certificates.

Put it in a "Licences and Eligibility" section with the exam name, rating if you choose, and date passed. It matters mainly for government jobs, but some private employers also see it as proof of general ability.

Example:
"Career Service Professional Eligibility, Civil Service Commission, passed August 2024"
Example: "Rating: 85.10%"

Tips:

• Mention any board or bar eligibility separately.
• Keep the certificate ready for verification.
• For government postings, also fill in the eligibility part of the Personal Data Sheet as instructed.

City or municipality and province are usually enough, such as "Pasig City, Metro Manila" or "Lipa City, Batangas". A full street and barangay address is not needed at the first stage and is collected later.

When more detail helps:

• For local jobs where commute matters, you can name the barangay or district.
• If you are relocating, say so: "Currently in Iloilo City, relocating to Cebu City in July 2026."

Use the full province name, not just abbreviations, so recruiters outside your region understand. Add your mobile number with +63 for employers or agencies abroad.

No. Keep only the few that relate to the job, ideally with a skill or certificate attached. Long lists of seminars and trainings are common on Filipino resumes, but recruiters rarely read them and they push down more useful information.

How to trim:

• Keep three to five relevant trainings, most recent first.
• Prefer ones with a certificate, assessment or practical skill.
• Group short school seminars into one line if you want: "Attended leadership and career seminars, 2021 to 2024."

Example: "Basic Life Support (BLS) training, Philippine Red Cross, 2025"

For government applications, the Personal Data Sheet has its own training section where a fuller list may be appropriate.

List it as work experience under a title such as "Freelance Virtual Assistant", with dates, the types of clients and specific tasks and results. Remote work for foreign clients is common in the Philippines and is real experience, so present it professionally.

Example:
"Freelance Virtual Assistant, self-employed, Davao City, 2022 to Present

• Managed email, calendars and travel bookings for three US-based small business owners.
• Created weekly sales reports in Google Sheets.
• Handled customer chat support during US business hours."

Tips:

• Name clients only if you have permission; otherwise describe the industry and country.
• Mention tools you use and the time zones you work in.
• If you worked through an online platform, you can mention ratings or long-term contracts honestly.

Group them clearly and label them as contracts, so recruiters see the pattern is about contract terms, not about you leaving. Short fixed-term contracts are common in the Philippines in retail, food service and some agency-hired roles, and many recruiters understand this.

Example:
"Sales Associate (5-month contracts), various department stores, Cebu City, 2022 to 2024

• Worked three fixed-term contracts at two department store chains.
• Handled cashiering, inventory counts and visual merchandising."

Tips:

• Add "contract ended" only if asked; the label "contract" usually explains it.
• Highlight skills that grew across the contracts.
• Put longer or more relevant roles in more detail.

Give the title, your role and what the project found or produced, in two or three lines. A thesis or capstone is strong evidence of research, technical or teamwork skills for Filipino fresh graduates with little work experience.

Example:
"Capstone Project: Barangay Health Records System (team of 4, lead developer)

• Built a web-based patient records system with PHP and MySQL for a local health centre.
• Presented to the barangay council; the system was used during a three-month pilot."

Tips:

• Use plain language, not your full academic title, if it is long.
• Mention awards, such as "Best Thesis".
• Match the skills you used to the job advert.

Yes, especially as a fresh graduate. Officer roles in student councils, academic organisations or school publications show leadership and responsibility, which Filipino employers often look for in entry-level hires.

Example:
"Vice President for Finance, Junior Philippine Institute of Accountants, university chapter, 2023 to 2024

• Managed the organisation's budget and prepared liquidation reports.
• Organised a regional accounting quiz bee with 15 participating schools."

Tips:

• Choose the most relevant two or three roles.
• Show results, not just the title.
• Ordinary membership can go in one short line or be left out.

It is still common, but a short, specific one is much better than a generic one. Many Filipino resumes start with "To obtain a position where I can use my skills and grow". Recruiters skip lines like this. Make your opening say what role you want and what you bring.

Example for a fresh graduate: "BS Information Technology graduate with OJT in network support, applying for an IT helpdesk role in Metro Manila."
Example for an experienced applicant: "Customer service team leader with 6 years in telecom accounts, coaching teams of 15 agents."

Keep it to two lines and change it for each type of role you apply for.

Use English for most jobs in the Philippines. Corporate, BPO and multinational employers almost always expect an English resume, and written English quality is often part of the screening.

Tips:

• Avoid Taglish (mixing Tagalog and English) in your resume, even if it is natural in conversation.
• Have someone with strong English proofread it.
• Watch common errors such as "graduated in" versus "graduated from" and tense consistency.

If you are applying to a local government unit or a community role where the advert is in Filipino, you can mention your Filipino and regional language skills, but an English resume is still widely accepted.

Usually not. Expected salary is commonly asked on the application form, by the recruiter during an initial interview or through the job site, so it does not need to be on the resume. Keeping it off lets you adapt for each role.

If an advert says "state expected salary in your application", put it in your cover message or the form, not as a permanent line on your resume. Research the role first and be ready to explain your figure. Avoid writing "negotiable" as the only answer if the employer has asked for a number.

Letter size (often called "short bond paper") is widely used in the Philippines, and A4 is also commonly accepted. Choose the size the employer or job fair uses if they say; otherwise either is fine as long as it prints cleanly.

Tips:

• Check your PDF prints without cut-off margins on the paper you will use.
• Avoid long bond paper (8.5 x 13 inches) for resumes; it is unusual for this purpose.
• For jobs in Europe, the Middle East or Asia outside the Philippines, A4 is the safer choice; for the United States and Canada, Letter.

ResumeBuilder.ae lets you choose A4 or US Letter before you download.