The rule
- Current job: present tense. "Leads a team of 6."
- Earlier jobs: past tense in every point. "Led a team of 6."
- Profile text at the top: present tense about who you are, and past tense or "has" about what you have done. "Has led sales teams in two markets."
- Points in the CV: start with the verb and leave out "I".
Examples
| Situation | Avoid | Write instead |
|---|---|---|
| Earlier job | I am responsible for the budget | Was responsible for the budget |
| Earlier job | Leads a cross-functional team | Led a cross-functional team |
| Current job | I am in charge of developing… | Develops… |
| English CV, earlier job | I lead a cross-functional team | Led a cross-functional team |
And the application?
In the application you write in the first person, so "I" is perfectly right. But the tense follows the same rule: "At [company] I led …" about an earlier job, and "Today I lead …" about your current one.
Why it matters
Present tense about a job you have left makes it look as if you are still there, or as if the text was copied without being read through. It is a small thing, but recruiters notice it.
Read also
- How to write an application [not published]
- Does a robot reject your CV? No. But it can be overlooked.
- CV format in Denmark (English) [not published]
- Get new jobs with a job alert