Guide
How to write a Swedish CV: the rules that actually matter
The EnglishJobsSweden team · Updated
We read every Swedish tech job ad — English-friendliness, sponsorship signals and stated pay — so the numbers on this page come from the source, not a survey.
Sweden has its own idea of what a good CV looks like, and it surprises most people arriving from elsewhere. Shorter than you’d expect. Plainer than you’d expect. And rewritten for every job. If a CV built for the US, the UK or India is getting you nothing back here, the format is a likelier culprit than your background.
Five things worth knowing before you send the next one.
Lagom applies to CVs too
Not too much, not too little.
A Swedish CV is a calm, specific account of what you’ve done — not a highlight reel. Confidence is fine; inflation isn’t. “Contributed to improving the strategy” lands better here than “revolutionised the strategy”. Let the numbers do the bragging and keep the verbs level.
One to two pages. That’s the ceiling.
Recruiters here describe scanning a CV in about 20 to 30 seconds before deciding whether to keep reading.
Not three pages, and certainly not five. Everything that matters has to be visible inside that window, which makes the top of page one the only real estate you can count on.
Experience goes above education
The single most common mistake internationals make on a Swedish CV.
Swedish recruiters want to picture you doing the job, and past work does that faster than a degree. Internships, part-time roles and volunteering all count. The exception: if you’ve just graduated with little work history, your studies lead.
Results, not responsibilities
Every line should answer: what changed because you were there?
“Responsible for managing our social media accounts” tells a recruiter nothing — anyone with that title could have written it. “Grew the LinkedIn audience by 35% in six months” tells them what you’re worth. Same job. Different answer to the only question that matters.
Keep it plain
Black text, white page, one column, clear headings, a normal font.
No colour blocks, no skill bars, no photo. And skip the paid “ATS-proof” template — applicant tracking systems don’t reject your CV, they sort it for a human who then reads it. Clear structure and relevant content are all either of them wants.
Tailor it. Every time.
The usual reason for silence isn’t a weak background — it’s the same CV sent fifty times.
Open the ad, mark the handful of skills it keeps naming, and make sure those words appear in your CV where you genuinely earned them. Most people rewrite the cover letter and leave the CV untouched. That’s the wrong way round: when the two disagree, recruiters believe the CV.
A few smaller Swedish conventions
- Give language levels — Swedish B1, English C1. “Fluent” means nothing to a recruiter.
- Leave off your home address, personnummer and date of birth. Nobody needs them before an offer.
- References: “available on request” is enough. No names, no numbers.
- Apply in the language of the ad.
Get the format right and you get read. After that the bottleneck moves: finding roles worth tailoring for. Many of them never reach the big boards at all — see the hidden Swedish job market, or browse what’s live right now in Stockholm and Gothenburg.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a CV be in Sweden?
One to two pages, no more. Swedish recruiters describe scanning a CV in roughly 20 to 30 seconds before deciding whether to keep reading, so anything that matters has to sit near the top of page one.
Should you put a photo on a Swedish CV?
No Swedish employer requires one, and CV-screening bias is well documented, so leaving it off costs you nothing and removes a risk. Opinions in Sweden differ, but omitting the photo is the safer default — they see you at the interview.
Does experience or education come first on a Swedish CV?
Experience, above education. Swedish recruiters weigh what you have done over where you studied, and internships, part-time work and volunteering all count. The exception is a recent graduate with little work history, whose studies lead.
Do applicant tracking systems reject CVs in Sweden?
No. An ATS parses and ranks applications so a recruiter can sort them, but the decision is human. Clear section headings, standard structure and content that matches the ad are what both the system and the recruiter need — not a paid “ATS-proof” template.
Can you write your CV in English for Swedish jobs?
Yes — match the language of the job ad. If the ad is in English, apply in English; if it is in Swedish, apply in Swedish. State your Swedish level using CEFR (for example Swedish B1) rather than vague words like fluent or basic.
A tailored CV needs the right ad
Tailoring only pays off on roles worth applying for. We read every Swedish tech ad and send the three to five a day that fit you — English-friendly, with the sponsorship signal and salary on each.
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