English CV: Format & Examples for Indonesian Job Seekers

Why an English CV is not a translated Indonesian CV

Indonesian CVs tend to include personal details that English CVs do not: date of birth, gender, marital status, religion, full address, photo, and references. English CVs, particularly for multinational and regional roles, expect a different contract. The reader is interested in what you can demonstrate, not your biodata.

An English CV for Indonesian job seekers sits between these two conventions. It should match what ID-based recruiters and regional ATS systems actually expect, while respecting the professional norms of English-speaking hiring. This guide explains how to do that, with three complete examples.

The structural differences

What to remove

• Full address (street, district, city) — English CV equivalent: City only (e.g. "Jakarta") · Action: Shorten
• Date of birth / age — English CV equivalent: Omit · Action: Remove
• Gender / marital status / religion — English CV equivalent: Omit · Action: Remove
• Photo (pas foto) — English CV equivalent: Omit unless role requires it · Action: Remove
• References ("tersedia jika diperlukan") — English CV equivalent: Omit · Action: Remove
• "Keahlian" list without evidence — English CV equivalent: Skills section with context · Action: Replace
• Expected salary ("gaji diharapkan") — English CV equivalent: Omit · Action: Remove

What to add or change

• Professional summary — English CV requirement: 3-4 lines at the top, tailored to the target role
• Work experience — English CV requirement: Reverse chronological, achievement-focused bullets
• Skills section — English CV requirement: Grouped by category (technical, languages, tools), not a single list
• Education — English CV requirement: Institution, degree, year — no need to include GPA below 3.0 unless asked
• Projects or portfolio — English CV requirement: Include if relevant; especially for tech, design, and fresh graduates
• Languages — English CV requirement: Proficiency level + evidence (e.g. "English: professional working proficiency, demonstrated through 2 years of daily reporting in English")

Format rules that matter

Length: One page for under 5 years of experience. Two pages for senior roles. Never force it to one page by shrinking the font — readability matters more than the rule.

Font: Use a standard sans-serif (Arial, Calibri, Helvetica) at 10-11pt for body text. Decorative fonts break ATS parsing.

File format: PDF preserves formatting. Word is acceptable if the employer asks for it. Never send a scan.

Headings: Use conventional section titles — "Professional Summary", "Work Experience", "Education", "Skills". Creative headings ("My Journey", "What I Bring") confuse ATS systems.

Bullet points: Start with action verbs. "Led", "Built", "Analysed", "Reduced". Each bullet should describe a situation, your action, and an outcome where possible.

Three complete examples

Example 1: Fresh graduate, applying to a regional company

Budi Santoso

Jakarta, Indonesia | +62 812-XXXX-XXXX | budi.santoso@email.com | linkedin.com/in/budosantoso

Professional Summary

Recent business administration graduate from Universitas Indonesia with internship experience in financial reporting at a Singapore-based logistics firm. Comfortable working in English across written and verbal communication. Seeking an entry-level analyst role where I can apply my analytical training and regional exposure.

Work Experience

Finance Intern — PT Logistik Nusantara, Jakarta

Jun 2024 – Aug 2024

- Consolidated daily revenue reports from four regional branches into a single Excel template, cutting preparation time from 3 hours to 45 minutes

- Drafted the quarterly financial summary in English for the Singapore parent company's review

- Trained two replacement interns on the reporting template before my departure

Education

Bachelor of Business Administration — Universitas Indonesia, Depok

2021 – 2025 | GPA: 3.45/4.00

- Relevant coursework: Financial Accounting, Business Statistics, Organisational Behaviour

- Final thesis: "Factors influencing SME adoption of digital payment platforms in Jakarta"

Skills

Technical: Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP), Google Workspace, basic SQL

Languages: Indonesian (native), English (professional working proficiency — used daily in reporting and presentations during internship)

Tools: Canva (basic design), Google Data Studio (reporting dashboards)

Example 2: Experienced professional, moving from local to regional

Siti Rahayu

Bandung, Indonesia | +62 813-XXXX-XXXX | siti.rahayu@email.com | linkedin.com/in/sitirahayu

Professional Summary

Marketing manager with 6 years of experience in consumer goods, including 2 years leading a team of four. Led brand campaigns that grew market share by 4 percentage points in West Java. Looking to transition to a regional role where I can apply my experience in Southeast Asian consumer markets. Fluent in English for presentations, reporting, and stakeholder communication.

Work Experience

Marketing Manager — PT Karya Consumer Goods, Bandung

Mar 2022 – Present

- Led a team of four marketing executives responsible for three product lines across West Java

- Managed an annual marketing budget of IDR 2.8 billion, reallocating 20% from traditional to digital channels and achieving a 15% reduction in cost-per-acquisition

- Presented quarterly brand performance to the board in English; reports were adopted as the template for regional subsidiaries

- Launched a brand refresh campaign that grew market share from 18% to 22% in West Java within 12 months

Senior Marketing Executive — Same company

Jan 2020 – Feb 2022

- Executed above-the-line and below-the-line campaigns for two product lines

- Coordinated with external agencies on creative development and media buying

- Wrote the brand playbook that was later adopted by the regional office in Singapore

Education

Bachelor of Communication — Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung

2014 – 2018 | GPA: 3.62/4.00

Skills

Marketing: Brand strategy, digital marketing (Google Ads, Meta Ads), market research, budget management

Technical: Google Analytics, Canva, Microsoft PowerPoint (advanced), basic video editing

Languages: Indonesian (native), English (fluent — used for board presentations, reports, and regional coordination), conversational Mandarin

Leadership: Team management, cross-functional coordination, agency management

Example 3: Tech professional, applying to a multinational

Andi Prasetyo

Yogyakarta, Indonesia | +62 857-XXXX-XXXX | andi.prasetyo@email.com | github.com/andiprasetyo | linkedin.com/in/andiprasetyo

Professional Summary

Full-stack developer with 4 years of experience building web applications for fintech and e-commerce. Comfortable working in English-dominant teams — wrote technical documentation and participated in daily standups in English for 2 years. Looking for a mid-level developer role in a product company.

Work Experience

Full-Stack Developer — PT Finansia Teknologi, Yogyakarta

Apr 2022 – Present

- Built and maintained the customer dashboard for a lending platform serving 50,000+ active users

- Migrated the payment reporting module from a monolith to microservices, reducing average response time from 1.2 seconds to 340 milliseconds

- Wrote technical documentation in English for three APIs that were later adopted by the Singapore integration team

- Participated in weekly sprint reviews conducted entirely in English with the product team in Kuala Lumpur

Junior Developer — PT Digital Niaga, Yogyakarta

Jan 2021 – Mar 2022

- Developed front-end features using React.js for an e-commerce platform

- Fixed an average of 8 bugs per sprint with a 95% first-pass resolution rate

- Wrote unit tests that increased code coverage from 45% to 78%

Education

Bachelor of Computer Science — Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta

2017 – 2021 | GPA: 3.55/4.00

- Final project: "Real-time fraud detection model using gradient boosting for micro-lending platforms"

Skills

Frontend: React.js, Next.js, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS

Backend: Node.js, Express, Python (Flask), PostgreSQL, MongoDB

DevOps: Docker, AWS (EC2, S3, RDS), GitHub Actions

Languages: Indonesian (native), English (professional working proficiency — used for documentation and daily standups for 2+ years)

The "professional summary" — why it matters

The professional summary is the first thing a recruiter reads. It is not a generic "I am a hard-working individual seeking opportunities to grow." It is a tailored pitch.

Bad example:

"I am a recent graduate with a degree in accounting. I am looking for a challenging role where I can apply my skills and grow my career."

Good example:

"Accounting graduate with internship experience at a Big Four firm in Jakarta, where I assisted in audits of three listed companies in the retail sector. Comfortable working in English and Indonesian. Seeking an entry-level auditor role where I can continue developing technical audit skills."

The difference: the good example names specifics (Big Four, Jakarta, three listed companies, retail sector) and states the target role. The bad example could apply to anyone.

How to describe your English proficiency

Do not write "English: fluent" unless you have evidence. Instead, write the level and the context in which you used it:

• "English: professional working proficiency — used daily in reporting and presentations during internship"
• "English: professional working proficiency — wrote API documentation and participated in sprint reviews in English for 2+ years"
• "English: conversational — comfortable in meetings but still developing formal writing"

This does two things: it calibrates expectations, and it gives the recruiter a reason to believe you. A claim without evidence is a red flag; a claim with context is a signal.

ATS and the English CV

Most multinational companies and large Indonesian firms use Applicant Tracking Systems to filter CVs. Your English CV must be readable by both the system and the human.

ATS rules:

• Use standard section headings (Work Experience, Education, Skills)
• Avoid tables, columns, text boxes, and images — they often break parsing
• Use standard bullet points (•, –), not custom symbols
• Include keywords from the job description, but only where they accurately describe your experience
• Save as PDF with selectable text, not as a scanned image

Human rules:

• The person who reads your CV after it passes the ATS has 6-10 seconds. Make the first bullet under each role count.
• White space is not wasted space. It improves readability.

Common mistakes Indonesian applicants make

1. Including a photo

Indonesian CVs almost always include one. English CVs for multinational roles do not, unless the employer asks. A photo can introduce unconscious bias and is not standard in English-speaking hiring.

2. Listing every job since high school

Include the last 5-7 years of relevant experience. Part-time jobs from 8 years ago do not belong on a mid-career CV.

3. Using "saya" or "I" repeatedly

English CV bullets drop the pronoun. "Managed a team of 4" not "I managed a team of 4." It reads cleaner and saves space.

4. A generic objective statement

"I want to join your company to develop my skills" is about you, not the employer. Replace it with a professional summary that names what you offer and what you are looking for.

5. Listing skills without evidence

"Skills: leadership, communication, teamwork" is noise. Show these through your experience bullets, or attach context: "Leadership — led a team of 4 executives across 3 product lines."

Next step

An English CV that fits the format but lacks evidence is a well-formatted empty document. Before you send it, check whether your CV actually demonstrates what the role requires. Run a free CV analysis to see whether your structure, evidence, and wording match the job you want.