How to write a CV for jobs in Egypt

Choose the language by employer

• Multinationals, tech companies and most private-sector roles expect an English CV.
• Government bodies and many local companies are happy with, or prefer, Arabic.
• If the job ad is in English, reply in English, even when the company is Egyptian.

Details Egyptian job ads often ask for

• Military status for male candidates (completed, exempted or postponed) is a common requirement.
• Your city or area helps, because many roles care about commute.
• A phone number with +20 and a professional email address.

Length and layout

• One page for under five years of experience, two pages at most after that.
• A single-column layout reads correctly in the systems Wuzzuf, LinkedIn and large companies use.
• A photo is optional. Leave it out unless the ad asks for one.

Make each bullet show a result

• Start with a verb: prepared, reviewed, reduced, organised.
• Add a number only when it is true: how many cases, clients or reports.
• Keep duties you share with every colleague to one line.

If you are a fresh graduate

• Write your faculty, university, graduation year and grade (for example "Very Good"). Egyptian employers often screen fresh graduates by grade.
• Put your graduation project, summer training and internships where work experience would go, and say what you built or did in each.
• Student activities and volunteering count when you describe a concrete task, such as organising an event for a set number of attendees.
• Keep it to one page. A short, specific CV reads better than a long one stretched with coursework lists.

Licences and memberships

• If your profession needs syndicate membership to practise, such as engineering, medicine, pharmacy or law, list the syndicate and your membership status.
• Write certificates by their full name and the body that issued them, with the year.
• For English, a test score such as IELTS or TOEFL says more than the word "fluent". If you have none, describe your level honestly.

What to leave out

• Your national ID number. Employers collect it later with the hiring paperwork.
• Religion. Marital status and date of birth are optional, so add them only when the ad asks.
• Your current or expected salary, unless the ad asks. When it does, put it in the application form or message, not the CV.

Frequently asked questions