Finnish CV template: free download

These three templates are built for applying for work in Finland. They follow the section order Finnish employers expect, use the Finnish date format, and include a separate IT skills section, which almost no English-language template has. The files are Word documents, so they also open in Google Docs and LibreOffice.

If you want a different look, these are the places worth trying, all free.

A CV template has one job: to get your content read quickly. A recruiter usually skims an application for a few dozen seconds before deciding whether to read properly. A template that helps that skim is a good one, and a template that decorates its way into the path is a bad one, however stylish it looks.

One column, not two

Two-column templates look good on screen, but many employers use recruitment software that reads the file automatically and pulls the details into its own fields. Complex layouts, text boxes and sidebars frequently confuse it, which means your work experience can land in the wrong field or be dropped entirely. A single-column template reads reliably to both a person and a machine.

Ordinary fonts at a readable size

Standard fonts such as Calibri, Helvetica, Arial and Georgia work everywhere. Between 10 and 12 point is safe for body text. If you find yourself dropping below ten point to fit on one page, the problem is the amount of text, not the font.

Room to breathe

Do not shrink the margins to their minimum. A roomy page with less on it beats a dense page with everything crammed in. White space is not wasted, it steers the reader's eye.

Colour as a single accent at most

One restrained accent colour in the headings is perfectly fine. Coloured background panels, gradients and several colours in one document start taking attention away from the content. They also drink ink if someone prints your CV, which still happens more often than you would think.

A template gives you the fields but not the content. This is the established order for a Finnish CV, and what is worth saying in each part.

Personal and contact details

Name, job title, city, phone number, email and your LinkedIn address if the profile is current. A street address is not needed. Use an email address based on your own name. Date of birth, marital status and personal identity codes are not included, and a personal identity code is never given at application stage under any circumstances.

Profile

Three or four lines on who you are professionally and what you are looking for. This is the one section worth rewriting for every application. A generic summary that would suit any job says nothing at all.

Work experience

Most recent first. For each: job title, employer, city, and the dates in the Finnish format 1.6.2021–31.8.2024. Under that, two to four bullet points. Write what you achieved, not what your job description covered.

The practical difference is this. "Handled the customer service inbox" describes a duty. "Cut customer service response time from two days to four hours" describes a result. Numbers help, but you do not have to invent them: "onboarded four new employees" is just as concrete.

Education

Qualification, institution and years. If you have been working for more than five years, education comes after work experience. For a recent graduate it comes first. Grades do not need listing unless they are specifically asked for.

Languages

Use one scale and do not mix them. Either plain descriptions (native, fluent, intermediate, basic) or the European framework (A1 through C2). In Finland language ability is often checked on the first phone call, so overstating it surfaces quickly.

IT skills

In a Finnish CV, IT skills are a section of their own rather than part of a general skills list. This is missing from almost every English-language template, and it is the clearest sign that a template was written for another market. List office software and the systems used in your field, such as a patient record or ERP system.

Skills

Concrete skills and tools, not character traits. "Conscientious, self-directed, good team player" tells a reader nothing, because every applicant writes it and none of it can be checked.

References

This section is optional. In Finland it is not customary to list referees on a CV as standard; they are normally provided later in the process or when specifically asked for. The dated phrase "references available on request" is best left off entirely, so delete the whole section if you are not naming anyone. If you do name someone, ask permission first and give their name, job title, employer and phone number.

There is no single right answer to this in Finland, and plenty of guides state their own position as a rule. The reality is genuinely divided, so here are both sides.

The case for

Including a photo on a CV is common in Finland and many recruiters expect to see one. Photo CVs often draw more attention than photo-less ones, and a picture helps you stay memorable when there are a lot of applicants. If you include one, it should be a professional, good-quality headshot, not a holiday photo or a crop from a group shot.

The case against

A photo brings a discrimination risk with it: age, ethnicity and appearance become visible before your experience has been read. More and more organisations are moving to anonymous recruitment, where personal identifiers are revealed only later, and some large employers prefer no photo at all.

Placeholders left in the file

The classic. "First Last" survives in the template, or the previous employer's name does. Read the finished file through once before sending, ideally as a PDF rather than in the program you edited it in.

Skill bars that say nothing

Many templates include bars showing your ability as a percentage. What does Excel at 80 per cent mean? The reader does not know, and honestly neither do you. Replace the bars with words describing what you can actually do.

A foreign template used as-is

English-language templates put dates in the wrong order, have no separate IT skills section, and include fields that are not filled in in Finland. If you use one, go through those three points deliberately.

The same CV for every application

You do not have to rewrite the whole thing, but the profile text and the order of your skills should match the job you are applying for. It takes a few minutes and it shows immediately.

Unexplained gaps

Breaks in a career are normal and do not need hiding. Parental leave, study, illness or job hunting can each be noted on a single line. An unexplained two-year gap raises more questions than an honest mention.

What makes a template work?

Readability, not looks. A template that works is single-column, uses an ordinary font at a readable size, leaves room to breathe and keeps the most important details at the top. Everything else is decoration.

Is it worth paying for a template?

No. The recruiter has no idea and no interest in where your template came from, and a paid one does not make your content better. Paid templates sometimes offer more design options, but that has no bearing on whether you get an interview.

Is a CV the same as an ansioluettelo?

Yes. In Finland the two words are used interchangeably for the same document. "Ansioluettelo" is the Finnish term and CV is the Latin abbreviation, curriculum vitae. Either is fine.

How long should a CV be?

One page if you have under ten years of experience. Two pages are acceptable with a longer and more varied career. Three is almost always too many.

Does a CV need a photo?

No, but a photo is common in Finland and many recruiters expect one. It also carries a discrimination risk, and some employers prefer none. The choice is yours. The reasoning for both sides is above.

What file format should a CV be sent in?

PDF, unless the employer specifically asks for something else. A Word document's layout can shift in the recipient's version of the software, while a PDF looks the same on every device.

Should a cover letter be attached?

If the listing asks for one, absolutely. If it does not, a short covering message is still a good idea. A cover letter does not repeat the CV, it explains why this job and why you.

Should the CV be in Finnish or English?

The same language as the job listing. If the listing is in English, English is fine. If your Finnish is not good enough for faultless professional writing, a clean English CV is clearly better than a Finnish one with grammatical errors.

Once you have picked a template and filled it in, these help you go further:

How to write a CV for a Finnish employer goes deeper into Finnish application conventions, which matters most if you are relocating or applying from abroad.

LinkedIn and job hunting in Finland covers keeping your profile consistent with your CV, since recruiters compare the two.

Summer jobs in Finland is a good next step if you are applying for your first role and using the graduate template.

Remote work in Finland helps if you are applying for remote or hybrid roles and wondering how to present your location.