Landing a role in sustainability or ESG isn’t just about passion — it’s about proof. Recruiters receive hundreds of applications from candidates who care deeply about the planet, but only a fraction stand out. Why? Their CVs fail to clearly showcase measurable ESG achievements, relevant skills, and alignment with the specific role.
In today’s competitive hiring market, a tailored CV is your secret weapon. It’s the difference between being skimmed over in six seconds and being shortlisted for an interview. The challenge? Tailoring takes time — and most job seekers don’t know what to emphasize for each application.
That’s where AI comes in. Used wisely, AI can help you rewrite key sections, surface the right keywords, and turn vague descriptions into quantified impact — all in minutes, not hours.
This checklist walks you through every CV section, showing you what to include, what to cut, and how to use AI prompts to optimize for each role. Let’s turn your sustainability experience into a CV that gets noticed.
Section 1 – Profile Section
Goal: Instantly position yourself as a relevant ESG candidate. This is the “elevator pitch” of your CV — recruiters should know in 5 seconds why you’re a strong fit.
Best Practices:
Name + target position in large, clear font.
3–4 lines with measurable ESG achievements, key skills, and industry focus.
Avoid fluff like “Passionate about sustainability” without proof — show evidence.
Use keywords relevant to the job description.
⚠️ Bad Prompt Example (too vague, produces generic output):
“Write me a good professional summary for a sustainability job.”
Why it’s bad:
No job description or context provided.
Produces generic clichés like “I’m a motivated professional passionate about making a difference.”
Misses measurable results and role-specific keywords.
✅ Good Prompt Example (AI-ready, specific):
“Rewrite my professional summary to match this [paste job description], highlighting measurable ESG achievements, industry focus, and key skills while keeping it authentic.”
Why it works:
Uses the actual job description for alignment.
Instructs AI to keep achievements measurable.
Maintains authenticity rather than over-polishing into corporate jargon.
Section 2 – Contact Section
Goal: Present your professional identity clearly and make contact easy. This section is simple, but mistakes here can make you look unpolished or even cost you an interview.
Best Practices:
Include: professional email, LinkedIn link, and location (city, country).
No personal details like age, marital status, or full address.
Ensure your LinkedIn profile matches your CV exactly — job titles, dates, and achievements must be consistent.
Section 3 – Experience Section
Goal: Demonstrate relevant ESG impact in previous roles. This is where you prove you can deliver — recruiters should see clear, quantified results tied to sustainability or ESG.
Best Practices:
Use 3–5 bullet points per role.
Start each with strong action verbs (Led, Implemented, Reduced, Improved).
Quantify impact where possible (e.g., “Reduced carbon emissions by 18%”).
Tailor language to match the job description’s keywords.
⚠️ Bad Prompt Example (too generic):
“Rewrite my work experience to make it sound better.”
Why it’s bad:
No specific role or keywords to align with.
“Better” is subjective — AI may over-polish or invent achievements.
Risks losing authenticity and measurable detail.
✅ Good Prompt Example (AI-ready, targeted):
“Rewrite my work experience bullets to align with the keywords in this job description [paste description here], keeping my measurable achievements intact.”
Why it works:
Keeps genuine, verifiable achievements while refining language.
Aligns with role-specific keywords for better ATS performance.
Produces content that is both recruiter-friendly and machine-readable.
Section 4 – Skills Section
Goal: Pass ATS scans and clearly show the capabilities most relevant to the role. This is where you make it easy for recruiters (and software) to instantly see your fit.
Best Practices:
Include 8–10 targeted skills — a mix of technical and soft skills.
Prioritize skills from the job description.
Drop outdated tools or unrelated skills.
Keep phrasing consistent (e.g., “Carbon Accounting” instead of “Experience with carbon accounting tools”).
⚠️ Bad Prompt Example (too broad):
“List some skills for my CV.”
Why it’s bad:
AI will produce generic skills like “Teamwork” or “Communication.”
No tailoring to the job or industry.
Risks cluttering your CV with irrelevant or outdated skills.
✅ Good Prompt Example (AI-ready, specific):
“From this job description [paste description here], list the 10 most relevant technical and soft skills I should include in my CV, removing irrelevant ones from my current list.”
Why it works:
Directly uses the job description as the source for relevance.
Ensures a balanced mix of technical and soft skills.
Removes skills that dilute your impact or confuse recruiters.